SAP Business One support: choosing the right partner for your business

Diane Harvey
Updated on

Selecting a provider of SAP Business One support services is critical to your success with SAP. The right partner can make all the difference in the world.

As long as your software continues to meet the needs of your organization, you will be happy with its results. However, when you need assistance or encounter a problem with SAP Business One, choosing the right SAP Business One support services can make all the difference. The best business one support services are provided through a partnership that truly understands your business and its challenges.

Why should you select an expert partner for SAP support services? The best partners can provide more than just technical assistance when you encounter problems with your software. A good partner also understands what it takes to help a small business decide whether SAP is indeed the right choice for their company and how to implement ERP software in a way that meets their specific needs.

Making the most of your SAP software and technology solution requires choosing the right partner to work with you every step of the way

Knowing the experience, level of expertise and breadth of services offered by a provider of SAP Business One support services is critical to your success with SAP. If you do not have an in-house IT team that is knowledgeable about the software, or if you are looking to supplement existing IT resources, then choosing the right partner to work with you every step of the way is essential.

Needless to say, making an informed decision on who will provide support for your SAP software must be done based on many factors – from level of experience and breadth of services offered to access to knowledge bases and overall value.

Here are some tips to help you choose your next SAP Business One partner

Looking for the right SAP partner to work with your company? Here are some tips to help you find “the one.”

Know Your Company’s Needs

The first step in finding the right SAP partner is understanding what it is your business needs. Do you need help migrating your data and operations to the cloud? Do you need help implementing SAP Business One or upgrading your current version? Do you need a solution that can handle all of these and more? Knowing exactly what you’re looking for will help you find a partner who’s perfect for you.

Start With a List

There are over 7,000 partners in the SAP PartnerEdge program. That’s far too many to sift through individually, so do yourself a favour and narrow down your options by creating a list of possible matches.

Once you’ve decided on your priorities, pull up the official list of partners in the PartnerEdge program and search for those who fit your criteria best.

Narrow down that list by eliminating those partners who don’t have experience or expertise in the areas most important to you, such as SAP Business One or data migration. You can also look at the scope of their services—do they offer professional services, technical support, or both?

Consider their experience

How long have they been working with SAP? What kind of companies do they work with? Do they have any case studies or client testimonials for you to look through?

Check their qualifications

Is there a certifying body that your preferred partner should be registered with?

The SAP PartnerEdge program is one such organization. This certification is not easy to attain and gives clients the peace of mind that their support partner has the right level of expertise.

Get references

It’s always a good idea to check in with a few previous clients and see if their experiences were positive.

For example, did they find their support partner responsive? Did they work quickly and efficiently? Call them up or send an email — most people are happy to share their experiences with others who may be embarking on the same journey.

Look for industry expertise

SAP is often implemented in highly specific ways to meet the needs of a particular business. A business solution that works for one company may not be useful to another organization, even if they compete in the same industry.

For example, a manufacturing company that makes furniture may need support with logistics and supply chain management solutions, while another manufacturing company might have very different needs.

If your business is part of a particularly niche industry, it pays to find an SAP partner who has experience in that field.

They will know what exactly what you need in order to grow and they may already know how to solve some of the common problems you face.

Understand a service provider’s level of service

Make sure the service provider can offer an excellent level of technical support, especially if you’re not an IT expert yourself. Ask them about their support services and how quickly they can respond to problems.

An important question to ask during any IT partnership is “How will my employees access help?” If you need support 24/7/365, make sure your SAP partner has people available around the clock – so you don’t suffer through downtime or delays if something goes wrong in the middle of the night or over a weekend.

You might want an on-site team for regular maintenance and upgrades, or simply a contract where someone responds to support calls when something goes wrong. Either way, you should be clear about what services you need from them before signing any contracts.

Determine how much collaboration you need

Some vendors do most of the work themselves, while others are more collaborative and hands-on when helping businesses implement their solutions.

Your organization may have strong internal IT staff or existing software development resources that could handle implementation on their own, but if not, it’s important to make sure whoever handles implementation is going to provide adequate support throughout the process.

Expect innovation from your SAP support provider in three key areas

Find a provider that is committed to doing more than simply providing technical support for your SAP products, and instead will help you to continue innovating and growing your business. The right partner should be able to demonstrate expertise in three key areas:

Have an eye on the big picture

Your SAP software is just a part of your organisation’s wider IT ecosystem. A good partner will understand this, and will have the knowledge and expertise to support all of the other systems that make up your IT environment.

Support should enable growth and innovation, not just address problems as they happen. Look for partners that are knowledgeable about the latest technologies that could help you expand your business, such as AI, IoT, blockchain and more. These solutions can take your business to the next level.

Bring value today

Technical support is important, but it’s not enough on its own. A good partner should be able to bring value in other areas such as training and development, consultancy, customisation, managed services and more innovation!

A good Business One support partner will understand how important it is for your organization to run smoothly and efficiently, so when issues arise they need to be addressed quickly and effectively.

Find a provider that has a clear plan for how they will assist you with any issues you encounter with your SAP Business One environment, so you know exactly what kind of service you can expect from them.

Help you innovate

The world is moving at breakneck speed, so it’s more important than ever to be able to evolve quickly and stay ahead of the game. A good partner can help you do this by providing innovative solutions that capitalise on emerging

Ask: How does the company demonstrate its commitment to future-proofing your business? Do they offer roadmaps outlining how their services will evolve alongside your business needs and new technological developments? Are their consultants certified in the latest SAP products and services?

Choose a provider that is thinking about tomorrow – and brings value to today

A great SAP Business One support partner can help you scale your business with technology. They’ll be thinking about tomorrow, while still delivering value today.

Your Business One support partner should be able to help you plan for the future, with technologies that bring the best innovations in ERP and cloud computing to small and midsize businesses.

They should also be able to advise you about new technology trends and how they might impact your business – particularly as these technologies become commonplace in a wide range of industries.

To find a Business One support partner like this, ask if they have experience integrating other systems like CRM or eCommerce products – and if so, whether they built an interface from scratch or used an existing one from a third party.

If it’s the latter, do their team members work closely with that third-party provider on an ongoing basis? Do they have any proof points (like case studies) for successful implementations?

Choosing the right Business One support partner is critical when it comes to getting real value out of your investment in SAP.

Everyone knows that selecting the right partner is critical to getting real value out of your investment in SAP software. This is especially true for an ERP solution like SAP Business One.

By using SAP Business One to run your business, you can expect to enjoy many benefits, including improved profitability and growth, as well as a reduction in risk and complexity. However, you must have the right implementation partner to help you get there.

The wrong implementation partner will not only cost you time and money, they could actually cause you more harm than good. You’ll be wasting money on their fees; they may even make mistakes that will cost you even more money to fix later. They could even cause irreparable damage to your corporate image or place your customers at risk of losing their personal information.

On the other hand, the right partner will help you get the most value out of your technology investment. They will be able to implement it faster and more efficiently than anyone else. Because they understand how SAP Business One works, they will be able to customize it and integrate it with other systems quickly and easily.

Most importantly, your company’s reputation won’t suffer from working with them because they work hard to maintain stellar customer satisfaction ratings from their clients.

At Signum Solutions, we take the time to listen, learn and understand what you want to accomplish with SAP Business One. We then work with you to develop a plan for implementing or upgrading SAP – one that aligns with both your business goals and your budget.

We also provide ongoing support for both you and your team. Our goal is to make sure everyone is fully trained on how to use the software effectively so that you can gain the greatest return on your investment. Download our SAP Business One support services guide here

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