SAP Adds Waste Management, Purdue University and Others to mySAP Customer Base

By ROBERT LIU
TMCnet Wireless and Technology Columnist

SAP AG took advantage of a lull in the news cycle on Thursday to outline a number of customers testimonials for its latest version of the mySAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution.

In a press release, the software company announced Waste Management, the North American provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services, will transition its customer and revenue management platforms to the mySAP Business Suite solution environment. Waste Management has chosen to make the migration through SAP’s so-called “Safe Passage” program, a tailored package of solutions, technology and incentives. Waste Management has also selected SAP Managed Services to host the implementation of its mySAP Business Suite solution.

Separately, SAP also announced Whirlpool Corporation, Bluefin Solutions and Purdue University as the latest users of its mySAP CRM solution, which was first introduced in May 2005 and shipped to customers in late October. The solution is geared to improve end-user productivity, decision- making and forecasting across sales, service and marketing roles in 25 different industries.

Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool is deploying mySAP CRM in its service operations in the to close a gap between the company and its customers. Previously, customers reporting product flaws and requesting repairs would dial a hotline that routed them to the service partner closest to their location. Partners would then set up service appointments directly with the customer.

But with the SAP Interaction Center application in mySAP CRM, Whirlpool will own and handle each customer interaction. The company's call center agents will log complaints into a centralized workforce management solution that automatically generates work orders, which service partners can access via the Web from any location.

"We were looking for a CRM solution that would allow us to view vital business processes such as after-sales service through the customer point of view," said Phil Sifrig, director of Information Systems, Whirlpool Corporation. "With mySAP CRM, we will have a comprehensive view of the customer, allowing us to build stronger bonds throughout the customer life- cycle while delivering quick, reliable service well beyond the original purchase."

Bluefin Solutions, a U.K.-based consultancy, is implementing mySAP CRM as a central source of customer information to increase visibility across all customer touch points. In a three-phased implementation, Bluefin will provide account managers real-time customer information on historical and planned interactions, develop targeted marketing capabilities and replace its current Application Management helpdesk system.

"As a young company undergoing sustained and rapid growth and expansion of services, we need a comprehensive CRM solution with the functionality to handle a complex array of customer interactions," said James Appleby, managing director, Bluefin Solutions. "The SAP CRM solution will help us increase productivity for both account managers and administrative staff while improving forecasting and decision-making processes."

Meanwhile, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana , is expanding its existing SAP specifications to include the newest version of mySAP CRM to gain greater visibility into vital recruitment, service and marketing information. The CRM rollout is aimed at creating a central information source to connect faculty, staff and 70,000 students across Purdue's numerous and diverse departments and campuses.

"With mySAP CRM, admissions officers will have the ability to better elicit and analyze prospective student information, developing a 360-degree view of student profiles to drive targeted recruitment campaigns, class demographic construction and class revenue predictions," said Douglas Christiansen, Purdue's Dean of Admissions.

Purdue enrollment officers will access powerful analytical capabilities via SAP NetWeaver Portal to segment their recruitment pool based on candidate quality and probability of attendance, identify qualified applicants and address them with individually tailored marketing materials. Purdue also will leverage SAP's integrated ERP and CRM enterprise infrastructure to increase admissions staff productivity and improve tuition revenue forecasts.

The latest customers join SAP’s growing list of industry-leading customers that includes companies like Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Brother International, Sony of Canada, and Global Enterprise Management Solutions.

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Robert Liu is Executive Editor at TMCnet. Previously, he was Executive Editor at Jupitermedia and has also written for CNN, A&E, Dow Jones and Bloomberg. For more articles, please visit Robert Liu's columnist page.

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