Following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic last year and subsequent vaccine availability, employers felt the need to track the health and vaccination status of employees as a critical measure for bringing them back to the office and planning for work-related travel.

Leveraging the open innovation model of SAP.iO Foundry Singapore, one of SAP’s global network of equity-free startup accelerators, Accredify aims to enable SAP customers to reopen safely during the pandemic. SAP.iO Foundries are designed to help startups like Accredify in integrating with SAP solutions and accelerating their entry into a curated, inclusive ecosystem with offerings that SAP customers can easily access and deploy.

Through SAP SuccessFactors integration, the Singapore-based company that creates and issues verifiable documents intends to assist clients in verifying an employee’s COVID health credentials through its verification portal. Eileen Chua, Managing Director, SAP Asia Pte. Ltd., Singapore, stressed that this timely collaboration with Accredify through the SAP.iO open innovation model revolutionizes the future of work in reimagined workspaces.

“People are our business and core to the success of any organizations globally. Every employee experience matters, and more so as we are returning to the new normal. Workplace health and safety management measures will be top of mind, and companies who are intending to enhance existing policies or implement new processes will need to leverage technology to enable a seamless, exceptional employee experience,” she maintained.

Managing Workplace Health Through SAP SuccessFactors Integration with Accredify

As businesses prepare to reopen physical office buildings safely, questions have been raised among organizations concerning the availability of a cost-effective and efficient mechanism to check an employee’s COVID health status. SAP SuccessFactors integration with Accredify’s app aims to address this concern.

Commenting on the collaboration, Quah Zheng Wei, Co-Founder and CEO at Accredify, said: 

“As economies around the world look toward reopening workplaces, employee welfare and safety remains a key concern for organizations. We are delighted to be working with SAP to provide assurance and an easy way for businesses to manage workplace health.” 

COVID medical credentials like swab test results and vaccination records should be uploaded by employees into Accredify’s verification portal on the SAP SuccessFactors platform. Employers will then be able to keep track of an individual employee’s COVID medical records on the platform once data has been uploaded and verified.

Moreover, organizations using SAP SuccessFactors can validate medical records that have been issued by different healthcare providers as Accredify’s verification portal is agnostic to various COVID medical standards and schema issued around the world. Accredify’s application in the SAP SuccessFactors platform, on the other hand, will not be limited to COVID health credentials verification.

SAP customers will be assisted with the provision of valid corporate training credentials, as well as the verification of academic credentials presented by potential candidates. The app will be available to all SAP SuccessFactors subscribers. The platform is currently used by more than 7,400 customers globally.

Last year, the German software giant released similar key updates to the SAP SuccessFactors Visa and Permits Management solution plus partner app Guardian by AlertEnterprise. This allows organizations to gain control of the process of safely bringing employees back to the workplace while automating enforcement of evolving and complex COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

The post SAP SuccessFactors Integration with Accredify Revolutionizes the Future of Work appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

According to The Japan Times, local governments around the country are now following in the footsteps of the national government in establishing additional mass vaccination sites in an effort to speed up the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. A recent Kyodo News poll has found that 28 prefectures and major cities, including Aichi, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, as well as the city of Kobe, have either planned to set up or are considering opening large-scale vaccination facilities.

To help track the city’s progress in real time as well as manage the logistical aspects of the vaccination of thousands of its residents, Okinawa City has selected solutions from Experience Management (XM) provider Qualtrics and SAP VCH — the software giant’s vaccination support platform which has since been used by the city in early May.

The Qualtrics Vaccine Management + Citizen Experience solution included in SAP VCH assists governments — from state and local to national — in prioritising who gets vaccinated, gauging sentiment about immunisation to encourage greater adoption, scheduling vaccinations, and tracking patients after the vaccine has been administered for any adverse reactions and follow-ups.

Satoru Kumashiro, Managing Director at Qualtrics Japan, said in a LinkedIn post:

“We are so pleased to support the vaccination process for Okinawa City and its citizens leveraging Qualtrics XM. We integrate with LINE AiCall and OCR locally to make reservation, scanning printed coupon from government when checking in at the site, record of vaccination, and capturing any symptoms after the shots all in one location.”

“Hope we can continue to support faster and smooth vaccination to the rest of the citizens to get out from this pandemic crisis,” Kumashiro further said.

Okinawa City Selects Qualtrics and SAP Solutions to Manage Residents’ Vaccination

After the 26th of May, Okinawa City residents will be able to book vaccination appointments online, over the phone, or using the automated calling feature of LINE AiCall — a Japanese messaging app. All appointments are controlled on a unified platform, allowing the city to secure the required number of staff for each immunisation day.

Qualtrics XM and SAP VCH solutions also assist in managing other COVID-19 vaccination processes such as:

• Verification of a person’s identity at the vaccination facility by scanning their vaccination ticket with a dedicated tablet at the site.
• Management of records by scanning residents’ tickets after the vaccine has been administered. The information is instantly displayed on an Okinawa City dashboard, allowing the city to track immunisation in real time. The data will also be incorporated in the government’s Vaccination Record System (VRS).
• Scheduling a second vaccination appointment immediately after their initial appointment. Residents will receive a reminder for the second immunisation through LINE AiCall and email three days prior to the appointment.
• Monitoring of side effects through a web-based questionnaire that vaccinated residents are asked to fill out. The results of the survey will be used by Okinawa City to track its vaccination progress, with information shared publicly as needed.

Moreover, Qualtrics and SAP have been leveraging the latest technologies to develop emergency response communications platforms since the start of the pandemic.

Last year, the SAP APJ Innovation Office launched the Bridge-IT app, an open-source tool that equips employees with up-to-date information about COVID-19 and accurate guidance on how to deal with the pandemic. The platform was built using SAP Qualtrics Surveys, SAP Cloud Platform, SAP HANA, and SAP Analytics Cloud, as well as SAP Conversational AI technologies.

The post Qualtrics and SAP VCH Solutions Support Okinawa City’s Vaccination appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

With the global health crisis compelling businesses to embrace digital technologies to survive, thrive, and reach out to consumers, business leaders can take into account the recent Qualtrics survey results when mapping their strategy during and post-pandemic.

Following the release of the Qualtrics survey on consumer behaviors and expectations of brands they engage with during a pandemic, the Experience Management company’s latest survey results highlighted the consumers’ preference for e-commerce in the time of COVID-19.

“After months of disruption, we are beginning to see new behaviours and preferences emerge that are likely to remain post-pandemic. There is no doubt that there has been a massive shift towards digital, making it critical for brands to ensure they are able to optimise the experience they deliver on their digital channels including mobile applications,” said Qualtrics Southeast Asia head of CX solutions strategy Harish Agarwal.

“Simultaneously, even though consumers are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments. Businesses can deal with this ambiguity using tools like Qualtrics to get an “always-on” and integrated understanding of their customer experience across touchpoints, equipping them with end-to-end insights to continually deliver superior customer experience,” Agarwal further explained.

In this article, we look into the Philippines and Singapore consumers’ preferences during the pandemic and in the coming months. Over 300 respondents were surveyed in each country.

Filipinos Switching to Digital

Though 94{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents are still very concerned by the pandemic, the Filipino consumers have quickly adapted to utilising online platforms since COVID-19 hit the country.

• 67{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online, which is evident in the frequency increase of online banking (62{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of respondents said that visit to retailers have been lessened, reflecting an increase for online grocery shopping (53{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 76{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of Filipino consumers said they will continue online shopping over the next six months
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents still prefer food pick up versus dining in despite the 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase for dine-in capacities of restaurants in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas and 75{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in modified GCQ areas in the country

Looking at the next six months, 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said it is likely they will choose to eat at a restaurant; 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} were planning to take a family holiday; 36{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they are ready to use public transport. For air travel, Filipinos are still quite ambiguous about it saying it’s unlikely they will travel internationally (57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) or domestically (54{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

The number of people in the Philippines expecting COVID-19 to affect their day-to-day life for more than a year has increased to 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} (up from 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in June 2020).

Singaporeans Embracing E-Commerce

Commenting on Singaporeans’ behavior during the pandemic, Agarwal said:

“Even though Singaporeans are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments.”

The recent Qualtrcis survey revealed that consumers in the city-state are embracing e-commerce. 

• 57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online and have used online banking
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they visit retailers less, reflecting an increase in shopping for groceries online (44{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 73{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of surveyed Singaporeans said they will continue shopping online even after six months
• 56{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} still prefer picking up their food order instead of dining in restaurants

In the next six months, contrary to the Philippines survey results, a higher percentage of the Singaporean respondents are willing to eat at a restaurant (58{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and are most likely to use public transport (61{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). However, more than 60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents said they are not ready to travel by air, a bit higher than the Philippines’ number.

The number of Singaporeans expecting COVID-19 to affect their everyday lives for more than a year has also doubled to 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} from May 2020.

The post Qualtrics Survey Reveals the Need to Find the Best E-Commerce Solution appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

During the virtual conference that gathered leading experts from all over the world who discussed the development, application, and trends in artificial intelligence technology, Li commented,

“As a global technology company with both business and R&D headquarters in Shanghai, SAP will help build a world-leading artificial intelligence co-innovation and technology center in Shanghai and actively promote the integrated development of artificial intelligence in China.”

He also notes that the key to making enterprises resilient is digital transformation—and that the advancement of artificial intelligence in China shows the most promise in ensuring companies are transformed into future-ready intelligent enterprises. He said,

“Just as digitalization has enabled China’s consumers to access life-essential services and stem the deadly chain of infection, digitalization in the business-to-business (B2B) sector to create intelligent and integrated enterprises will be the engine for economic recovery.”

According to SAP, digitalization is widely viewed as one of the key solutions for a sustainable recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Through digitalization that leverages the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, businesses are better equipped in:

• navigating volatile supply and demand
• adjusting to disruptions in business operations and supply chain
• allocating workforces efficiently
• adapting to abrupt changes in consumer behavior, confidence, and priorities

Investing in Artificial Intelligence

In March, it was reported that 13 major cities and provinces in China declared major investment plans and projects for 2020 in response to the global pandemic. Eight of these cities and provinces announced their budgets which in total amounts to 33.83 trillion yuan or US$4.8 trillion. 

The plans aim to promote new investments and speed up construction on existing projects for the advancement of data centers, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, and 5G networks that are expected to revive the country’s economic activity. These investments are also anticipated to reinvigorate China’s manufacturing industry which saw a significant drop in productivity since 2008 due to the global financial crisis.

Indeed, a global study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) states that the advancement of artificial intelligence in China will greatly contribute to the country’s economic growth. The study estimates artificial intelligence could contribute up to a 26 percent boost to the country’s GDP by 2030.

In the manufacturing industry, artificial intelligence, as well as machine learning, contribute to the creation of supply chain redundancy, enhanced remote operations, the advancement of process automation, industrial robotics, predictive maintenance, machinery inspection, and autonomous materials movement.

SAP’s digital manufacturing solutions (SAP ERP, SAP S4/HANA, SAP Manufacturing Execution, and SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence) help organizations integrate their digital supply chain directives with the use of artificial intelligence and other future-facing technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, blockchain, analytics, and Big Data. Leading manufacturing companies who have successfully implemented these SAP solutions include Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Pharmaniaga Berhad, Harman International Industries, Inc., Hanon Systems, and Landis+Gyr.

The post SAP to Boost Development of Artificial Intelligence in China appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In September 2019—less than a year after its establishment—the SAP Customer First initiative was credited by Gartner for inciting significant improvements in the quality of SAP’s support and account management. According to a report, SAP Customer First helped change the perception of the German multinational software company from a sales-driven business to one focused on customer success.

By equipping employees with the tools and resources to deliver the right experience and cultivating a company-wide mindset of customer empathy, SAP customers and partners are provided with a proactive end-to-end engagement experience.

Today, as the world faces a huge crisis and economic disruptions brought by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the SAP Customer First strategy is proving to be one of SAP’s best assets in ensuring business continuity during these uncertain times:

Mrugal said in an “In Focus” interview broadcasted via SAP TV:

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprise after enterprise has proven that the safety of their employees, service to customers, and commitments to stakeholders are top priorities. It’s our job to passionately champion our customers by providing the best tools, services, and inspiration to help them meet their obligations and thrive in the process.”

Here at Inside SAP Asia, we’ve covered several SAP customers and partners which SAP successfully helped in navigating the sudden disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Amara Raja Group – The Indian conglomerate company was able to complete its SAP S/4HANA ERP digital transformation despite the nationwide-lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Grab – The ride-hailing and mobile services provider leveraged SAP Concur solutions to automate its expense and invoice management system. The solution allowed the company in playing a key role in moving people seamlessly and meeting new consumer demands and needs during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in many Asian countries.
• Gojek – Another mobile services provider, the company was able to turn real-time insights into actions through Qualtrics XM technology to provide the necessary support needed by employees during these uncertain times.

What is SAP Customer First?

SAP’s strategy with Customer First combines the operational capabilities (O-data) of the company’s traditional offerings—such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM) and supply chain management—with the experience management (X-data) capabilities of the Qualtrics platform. This customer-centric approach aims to deliver the best customer experience in the industry by leveraging SAP’s people, processes, and technology.

According the software solutions company the SAP Customer First initiative is:

• a mindset of being relentlessly focused on customer business outcomes
• an engagement methodology for delivering a simple, holistic, and consistent experience that is value-oriented, and adoption and business results-centric
• an organization of empowered employees across the cloud and on-premises

The SAP Customer First field unit consists of the Industries and Customer Advisory Group which was created in January 2020. The newly added organization unified SAP’s Industries, Presales, and Customer Advisory areas. According to Peter Maier, Industries and Customer Advisory Group President, the organization aims to connect two important SAP roles—software developers and sales representatives—to ensure the right solutions are built by making sure essential customer experiences and needs are fed back into the development process.

In an interview, Maier said that as part of the organization’s goal of balancing SAP’s capabilities worldwide, it started an incubation model to bring in experienced employees from selected markets into the Asia-Pacific Japan (APJ) region to support the growth of the region’s sales team in gaining more traction.

The post SAP Customer First: Ensuring Business Continuity In Times of Crisis appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created extraordinary circumstances and disruptions in businesses, governments, and the personal lives of the majority of people worldwide. As confirmed COVID-19 cases surpass 9 million globally and continue to grow, and with no effective vaccines being developed as of yet, many employees have concerns about returning to work as government restrictions ease.

In fact, a new survey from SAP company Qualtrics shows that the vast majority of people have no interest in returning to work and would only feel safe if there is a strong healthcare and safety scheme in place to protect employees and ensure workplace hygiene and cleanliness is achieved to the standard necessary to prevent the spread of virus. Key results include:

• 93{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of respondents said they need employers to enforce social distancing
• 90{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} want employers to limit the number of in-person meetings
• 87{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} want masks to be a requirement
• 82{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} want temperature checks done on everyone who enters the work building

How SAP Can Help Design the Future of Work Post-COVID-19

To help businesses manage the challenges of returning to the workplace, SAP offers solutions for improving environmental health and safety, providing employee training, supporting remote workers, and protecting the health of essential on-site employees.

SAP Environment, Health, and Safety Management

The SAP EHS Management system integrates risk management and asset management processes for workplace safety. To ensure employees’ health and safety at work, the system automates relevant safety measure proposals by pulling risk information into work orders. It provides standard icons and clear instructions on job cards and supports a risk-based occupational health process that’s integrated with central HR data.

SAP SuccessFactors Visa and Permits Management

To allow people back on-site in a controlled, secure, and compliant way while minimizing business risk, organizations need to manage a combination of health documentation, global and local regulations, self attestations of fitness to work, and physical access controls.

With SAP SuccessFactors Visa and Permits Management plus Guardian by AlertEnterprise, organizations are enabled to gain control of the process bringing people back into the office while automating enforcement of complex and evolving COVID-19 health and safety policies.

Bridge-IT by SAP and Qualtrics

Launched by SAP APJ Innovation Office, the Bridge-IT app is an open-source application that provides employees with real-time facts on COVID-19 and accurate guidance on how to cope with the pandemic. Technologies from SAP Qualtrics Surveys, SAP Cloud Platform, SAP HANA and SAP Analytics Cloud, and SAP Conversational AI were used to develop to create this emergency response communications platform. Features include:

• a personalized walk-through that allows respondents to input their situation and be routed to appropriate resources based on their needs.
• connecting WHO and country data to provide up-to-date and localized information
• situation monitoring through real-time data and public sentiment
• a chatbot for 24×7 access to company-specific FAQs, travel information, and healthcare guidance

New Adaptivity Academy

The New Adaptivity Academy is a free-to-access training content that provides critical information to help organizations adapt to the new realities of business during this global health crisis and to successfully design the future of work post-COVID-19. The courses included were designed to supplement an organization’s COVID-19 policies and guidance. The free access is available until the end of September 2020 and offers the following learning paths:

• Building your Career and Brand
• Leading the Future of Work
• Managing a Return to the Workplace
• Microlearning for a Positive Mindset
• Respect and Safety Back at Work
• Wellbeing for a Better Working Life

The post Designing The Future of Work Post COVID 19 with SAP appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The resumption in local train operations will begin slowly—just around 20{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} to 30{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of use initially—before being re-examined in 3 to 4 weeks as new data is collected. Additionally, a specified report with different suggestions should be there in 1 or 2 weeks, according to Sandeep Juneja, Professor and Dean of the School of Technology and Computer Science at TIFR.

On Monday, June 1st, the Indian government started the three-phase plan to lift the nationwide lockdown—allowing more states to open up, as well as allowing hospitality, retail sectors and places of worship to open from June 8.

As the country slowly transitions to more-relaxed lockdown measures, having an extensive understanding of how the COVID-19 virus might spread and estimating its future course is key to driving policy decisions for logistics, health, demand & supply circumstances.

According to Sindhu Gangadharan, managing director of SAP Labs India:

“It is essential to know that we look at such intercessions to reduce the spread of coronavirus & support the government authorities to take the required and right steps.”

The IISc in Bengaluru and the TIFR in Mumbai, started utilizing the comprehensive city-scale epidemic simulator in May with technological support from SAP Labs India to assess the impact of restrictions imposed explicitly on some spaces and to enable the government to make informed decisions in implementing the nationwide lockdown. According to Gautam Menon, a professor of physics and biology at Ashoka University, the simulator is a high-quality study that implements a detailed agent-based model approach to an Indian city for the first time.

Further, Rajesh Sundaresan, a professor of electrical and electronic engineering at IISc, said:

“An agent-based model gives us an ability to study targeted interventions like closing schools and colleges alone, home quarantining, social distancing of the elderly, implementing odd-even strategies at workplaces, etc.”

India’s SAP Labs-supported epidemic simulator models a city with agents (i.e. individuals or groups) distributed across municipal wards, considers public spaces where interactions are likely to occur and accounts for the variations in demographics as it “seeds” the virus infections in the city-scale replica to see how the virus is transmitted based interactions among citizens.

The simulations compared the impact on infections and death rates of a scenario where lockdown is implemented for an indefinite period of time versus less stringent interventions—such as a return to normal activity after April 20, 2020, after May 3, 2020, and partial restrictions for a period after these dates.

The results of the epidemic simulator showed that coronavirus-related deaths would be reduced by 98{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in Mumbai and 99.9{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in Bengaluru with an indefinite lockdown period. While results on less stringent interventions showed that by July 1, 2020 death rates in Mumbai would be reduced by up to 82{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}, while in Bengaluru it would be reduced by up to 99.5{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}.

Moreover, the epidemic simulator has been forming sets of data to come up with practices and information over various locations to predict the number of beds or ICUs needed in hospitals, as well as draw up a plan on tackling a surge in COVID-19 active cases with the country’s existing health infrastructure.

The post SAP Labs India Powers the Country’s Epidemic Simulator appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In today’s COVID-19 environment, SAP Labs India remains unfazed implementing initiatives for its team and customers to help them thrive in these challenging times. Programmes such as SAP Transformation Demo webinar session, All-Hands Meeting with Thomas Saueressig, COVID-19 City Scale Epidemic simulator, and the CSR initiatives of the company keep SAP’s community together.

In a recent interview with Business Line, SAP Labs India’s SVP and Managing Director Sindhu Gangadharan talked about the company’s plans and outlook during and after the coronavirus pandemic. An SAP Veteran who has been with the company for about 20 years, Sindhu has deep technical expertise, business knowledge, and leadership skills that led her to manage several global teams.

Explaining what she foresees after COVID-19, Sindhu shared that COVID-19 has forced companies and employees to adapt to the ‘new normal’, which includes remote working. Before, working from home is not widely accepted in India. She exclaimed:

“…overnight, customers and companies had to get comfortable with online communication, collaboration and delivery. “

“In doing so, companies will realise that a digital transformation is no longer an option, but essential to their survival. They will also realise that only by transforming into an intelligent enterprise can they future-proof their operations against disruptions,” Sindhu stressed.

In Keeping Businesses Running

The SAP Labs India MD shared that business continuity plans developed by SAP business, support, and cloud delivery teams have always been in place in case disruptive incidents such as the coronavirus pandemic happen. This ensures that there will be minimal impact on the delivery of services to customers while also safeguarding the health of its employees. 

“We have been entrusted by our customers to run their mission-critical business processes,” she emphasized.

Some of the company initiatives and plans in place to help employees and businesses going are:

Working from home as an option. SAP Labs India was one of the first companies to introduce flexible working hours and work-from-home options so transitioning to it as needed during the pandemic was seamless. Rotating schedules were also implemented for onsite business-critical work.

Prioritising employees’ well-being. Virtual platforms, applications for communication, group work, and data backup were set up to ensure employees’ health and safety while working remotely. SAP Come Alive initiative, which delivers online fun, wellness, and motivational programmes, was launched to keep employees’ spirits up.

Constant contact with suppliers. To ensure SAP maintains its service levels and manage supply operational resources, the company is focused on scheduling and in-office practices to reduce the impact of any potential event. SAP also maintains a database of updates and feedback from suppliers concerning COVID-19.

Seizing the Digital Supply Chain Solutions. Recognising the growing digital supply chain management, Sindhu indicated that SAP’s supply chain software would be an area of growth for the company as well as of significant assistance to customers in terms of operational visibility and intelligence in managing their entire supply chain digitally, future-proofing their business with flawless execution. In a report from Transparency Market Research, the global supply chain management solutions market to grow at a CAGR of 11.2 percent within 2018-2026 and anticipated to reach a value of $32.9 billion by 2026.

Sindhu shared a bit about her recent blog on the future of work that encourages agility, flexibility, and security. She explained:

“At SAP, agility and flexibility have always been a part of the work culture. SAP has consistently been identified as an employer of choice due to the forward-looking and innovative policies that we have introduced in our journey towards becoming the workplace of the future.”

“We have created a workplace where our employees can do meaningful and rewarding work. We understand that advances in artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and big data are making a profound impact on how we work, learn, communicate and collaborate, thus we are leveraging the power of these technologies to make our workplace more agile, flexible, and secure,” Sindhu stressed.

SAP Labs India was recognised as the number 1 company in the list of India’s Best Companies to Work for 2019 by the Great Place to Work Institute. The same recognition was given to the company in 2018.

The post SAP Labs India:Post COVID-19 Outlook appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Back in March, WHO had warned that COVID-19 is not just another flu outbreak. The pandemic that originated from China has put tremendous pressure on every nation’s health system as well as the supply chain. Many countries around the world are experiencing a shortage of personal protective gear like masks, gloves, and gowns to protect the frontliners treating infected patients. 

In Malaysia, recognising the impending need to provide a logistics solution for the medical supplies needed to combat COVID-19, EY Malaysia has deployed SAP Customer Experience solutions including SAP Sales & Service Cloud (aka C4C) for government-linked companies (GLC) and the government-linked investment companies disaster response network (GDRN).

The application’s focus is to provide optimum logistical support and response to organisations working to assist the Ministry of Health (MoH) supply ventilators and protective equipment to hospitals as well as other health-related organisations under its wings. Through an integrated platform, the SAP application is also capable of channelling pledges from institutions and individuals looking to contribute hospital-related items.

EY Malaysia and SAP’s initiatives in tackling COVID-19 supply chain challenges were commended by Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, an impact-based foundation striving to create real and lasting positive social and environmental changes for Malaysia. Shahira said: 

“We are heartened by the support extended by organisations such as EY and SAP that have helped the GDRN-led effort to improve our relief and support for MoH and other humanitarian assistance in a coordinated and streamlined manner. “

“We are confident that this collaborative spirit and collective effort within the private sector will continue to have a meaningful impact on the overall effort against COVID-19,” added the Managing Director.

Sang Hoe Chow, EY ASEAN and Malaysia Advisory Managing Partner, expressed that, more than ever, the country’s healthcare frontliners need to be well-equipped and supported as they protect and save lives of their countrymen. He said:

“We believe that the SAP application as implemented by EY Malaysia will contribute greatly towards better coordinating the needs of the various government hospitals and facilities, including the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves,”

On the same note, Hong Kok Cheong, SAP Malaysia Managing Director, said that the key to a seamless supply chain is intelligence and integration. He said that the German ERP company is pleased to be providing its technologies to drive efficiency and effectiveness in facilitating better healthcare services.

On a global level, EY teamed up with SAP and Qualtrics to aid government and public health organisations worldwide by providing intelligent digital solutions to combat the pandemic. Together, they designed a comprehensive set of custom SAP and Qualtrics solutions made available in over 90 countries worldwide, including across the Asia Pacific, and can be applied in eight different languages through EY implementation and enablement services.

In a joint statement, the organisations said:

“Governments around the world are having to act quickly and decisively as they lead their citizens through uncertain times. These solutions and services help governments quickly interact with their citizens at scale by providing a means of collecting and analyzing data in real-time. This allows them to take immediate action amid an ever-changing situation and bring immense benefit to their citizens during the current crisis.”

The COVID-19 tools and resources available for governments are:

• Qualtrics COVID-19 Pre-Screening and Routing
• Qualtrics COVID-19 Dynamic Call Center Script
• Qualtrics COVID-19 Dynamic Call Center Script
• Critical Care Protocol Solution

The post EY Malaysia Deploys SAP Customer Experience Solutions for Medical Logistics appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

To help ease businesses’ burden, SAP has provided tools and resources to help them navigate through this historical period of uncertainty and disruptions. In an open-letter, Meaghan Sullivan, SAP Head of General Business and Global Partner Marketing, said:

“…we are helping small and midsize businesses navigate the current crisis while looking ahead to making a successful recovery. We are providing free access to proven tools that give our customers the assistance they need for the next few months. We are also actively listening to our small and midsize customers. They are sharing with us specific challenges in critical areas of their businesses.”

These challenges include, among others:

• maintaining business growth and functionality,
• creating contingency and recovery plans to face the looming global recession,
• maintaining high-productivity levels among employees,
• adapting to different work and collaboration models, opening up supply chain bottlenecks,
• redesigning how products and services are offered to ensure customers’ rapidly changing needs are met, and
• keeping communities engaged with their brands.

Below is a list of the COVID-19 SAP resources that aim to address these. Through the following technologies, businesses will be able to reinforce their competitiveness in the face of the coronavirus and the new normal:

Technological Tools/Resources

Since March 2020, SAP has opened up access to significant SAP software to aid businesses, communities, and governments navigate the challenges brought on by coronavirus and the new normal.

Preparing for a remote workforce

With Qualtrics, SAP has created Remote Work Pulse and Remote + On-site Work Pulse, a listening platform for companies to understand how employees are feeling, how they are adapting to newly placed work settings, and their experiences in using unfamiliar work collaboration models. In utilizing these platforms, SAP aims to help businesses equip their workforce not just with the right tools but ultimately with the proper mindset to help them navigate this new normal while still maintaining high productivity levels.

On the other side of this—if and when lockdown measures and mandates are lifted—to help in deciding when and how to transition to new working conditions, there is also Return to Work Pulse that provide businesses a means to address each employee’s unique needs in relation to returning to the workplace.

Managing Supply Chain Disruptions

To ensure a resilient supply chain, it was announced last March that access to SAP Ariba Discovery will be opened. Through here, buyers can easily post sourcing needs and vendors can respond quickly to show availability. SAP Ariba has a collection of 4 million suppliers in over 190 countries, and has waived the fees for vendors to respond to sourcing posts through June 30, 2020, with the promo code SAPARIBA2020.

SAP’s Spot Buy application offers a digital platform where small to medium-sized enterprises that do not have their own supply chain management systems, can source out supplies at a lower price point. With its three tier supplier vetting system, customers are assured vendors are properly evaluated for reliability.

Additionally, to be able to prepare and plan for the new normal in supply chain management, companies can utilize Qualtrics Supply Continuity Pulse. With this, leaders can identify potential supply disruptions and proactively offer assistance to suppliers.

Maintaining Quality Customer Engagement

Back to Business XM solutions is another technology from Qualtrics created to help companies build and maintain trust with customers, reinforce their digital presence, and manage customer relations effectively. In this new normal of forced distancing, business are finding it difficult to get a good understanding of their customers’ shifting needs. With tools such as Front Line Connect and Customer Confidence Pulse, and by creating a Digital Open Door to get customer feedback, businesses will be better equipped in taking appropriate action to meet expectations by optimizing their digital experiences.

#C19FREEACCESS

In another letter addressed to the SAP ecosystem consisting of more than 21,000 partners, CEO Christian Klein invited partners to also share their free resources and business solutions. These resources may be accessed on the SAP community C19FREEACCESS page.

Community Support

COVID-19 Tools for Government

With EY and Qualtrics, support for governments and the healthcare industry, has also been put in place to assist in effectively leading citizens through the pandemic and help the world run better during these unprecedented times.

Digital Learning Initiative

A dynamic initiative was put forward to assist students—the next generation of professionals—in continuing their education virtually. To facilitate a safe and ideal platform for conducive learning, SAP has opened access to massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered in the openSAP platform, provided free 90-day access to four selected learning journeys for universities, and other learning courses in the SAP Young Thinkers program.

In preparation for the new normal of virtual classrooms brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, SAP and Qualtrics are offering Remote Educator Pulse, Remote Learning Pulse, Higher Ed Remote Learning Pulse, and K-12 Remote Learning Pulse to academic institutions. With these, schools and universities will be better equipped in shifting to a remote learning model and staying connected with remote staff.

The post Tackling Coronavirus and the New Normal with SAP appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.