All Posts Tagged With: "SAP"
A Good System Exposes Bad People
In the last 18 months, Four51 has completed many integrated business management system implementations. We’ve helped large and small Print Service Providers replace software like e-Quantum, DemandBridge and Kramer with Four51′s e-commerce front-end and SAP’s Business One accounting back-end.
Some of these projects went very smoothly. Some less so. Among the latter, we were reminded that good systems expose bad people.
Popularity: 23%
Will You Be Ready?
Is your business looking backward or forward? Are you indulging yourself by dwelling on better times gone by, or are you investing for the day when the economy starts humming again?
Popularity: 21%
SAP and Social Media
Mark Yolton of SAP orchestrates the large, open communities of innovation for the benefit of customers, partners, and SAP. These include:
SDN – SAP Developer Network – http://sdn.sap.com
BPX – Business Process Expert Community – http://bpx.sap.com
BOC – Business Objects Community – http://boc.sap.com
SAP EcoHub – http://ecohub.sap.com
UAC – University Alliances Community – http://uac.sap.com
SAP TechEd & SAP Tech Tour – http://sapteched.com
SCN – SAP Community Network – http://scn.sap.com
Together, these communities have ~1.7 million members in 200+ countries, with forums, wikis, blogs, eLearning, downloads, whitepapers and articles, plus 400,000 bi-weekly newsletter subscribers.
Yolton uses an interesting phrase in his response to the question below: richness of relationship. Everyone says relationships matter, and implicit in that statement is that they matter from a financial perspective. He goes on to say that “communities have brought SAP tremendous financial and non-financial benefits.” What is a non-financial benefit? Is it perhaps a financial benefit that just can’t be measured the traditional way?
Q: According to Charlene Li’s Altimeter Group’s recent report that deep brand engagement correlates with financial performance – do you think that’s true? Or is it the reverse? SAP was listed as a brand using best practices for engagement – your engagement is not limited to a few social media experts, but extends across your brand.
A: It’s a chicken and egg question. Are successful companies more engaged in social media because they can be – because they are successful, or are they successful because they are engaged in social media? There is a correlation…we don’t know if there is causality. I can say that being engaged in community and social media has brought SAP tremendous benefits, including product adoption, market penetration, and so on — and also richness of relationship which can translate into customer satisfaction and success – and I would guess that would translate into customer loyalty. I know that these communities have brought SAP tremendous financial and non-financial benefits.
Popularity: 24%
Voice of the Community
Geez, I am really glad we have a community of believers surrounding us here at Four51. Without our community, we might think all our ideas are pure brilliance. Luckily, we have a community that is supportive, honest and courageous enough to tell us like it is.
Popularity: 75%
Community Of Believers
Your customers and prospects will buy eagerly from you when they belong to a community of believers in you, your
brand, and your product or service. Do this well, and you will feel like Steve Jobs and his colleagues at Apple. Do this poorly, and you will feel like Rick Waggoner and his ex-team at G.M.
Popularity: 75%
On-Brand Behavior
I really enjoy Jim Morrison and the Doors. And I really enjoy Italian food. Last night I learned I don’t enjoy
them together. But that’s what my wife and I experienced when we were out for an evening of fresh pasta, fine wine, chitty-chat and perhaps a moonlight drive.
Popularity: 76%
Do Something Diffferent
What good is an economic recession if it doesn’t make us try new stuff? I love hearing about people trying new stuff, no matter what field they are in. When it comes to looking at the world differently, it helps to see how others are turning their little part of the planet upside down and getting better results when they try.
Popularity: 73%
Distributor of the Future
Have you heard of Seth Godin? He writes a pretty good blog. His latest post is especially interesting for people who make a living as dealers, brokers, distributors and agents.
Popularity: 71%
A Completely Different IT Environment
Charlie Rose interviewed SAP chief executive Leo Apotheker a couple of weeks ago. To see the complete clip, click here. Basically, Apotheker said business is going change a lot as we move through this economic crisis.
Popularity: 100%
Four51, SAP and the “R” word
Jack Welch, the former General Electric (NYSE: GE) CEO, had a great insight on CNBC’s SQUAWK BOX a few weeks ago when discussing America’s unfolding economic crisis: This is the beginning of the restructuring of America’s financial and business landscape. Then about a week later I listened to the views of industry analyst Gartner Group. They predict CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and other C-level executives will have one word on their minds as they prepare for 2009: The ‘R’ word.
Popularity: 85%
