Getting end users to adopt new technology is vital to your digital transformation success. Here is how SAP’s new UX is bringing a consumer-like experience to business software and empowering innovation.
Migrating your legacy systems to SAP S/4 HANA allows you to optimize your processes and gain advantages, such as increased agility and innovation, that will keep you competitive in today’s digital economy.
But, to see real benefits from digital transformation, you must do more than move workloads to the cloud – you must ensure that end users adopt your new technologies, systems, and processes.
A successful transformation requires digital adoption, which is defined as “a state in which people reach the capability to use digital tools to their fullest extent.”
Many enterprises have difficulty getting to this state. According to Forbes, 84 percent of companies fail with digital transformation. Much of this failure stems from the inability to change user behaviors.
If employees aren’t comfortable with your new technologies, they won’t use them. The reasons for their reluctance can vary. For example, employees may fear doing something wrong and looking foolish in front of their coworkers or customers. They may also think that their current processes are fine, stemming from the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Meanwhile, many employees have tight schedules and don’t want to devote time to learning to use a new tool – even if it will make their lives easier in the long run.
How SAP is Improving End User Adoption Rates
To drive digital adoption, you must make it easy for employees to use your new technologies. Any application that you introduce should be as intuitive as the consumer technology that your employees use every day, such as a smartphone or Netflix.
SAP is taking steps to boost digital adoption of its products and ensure that you quickly achieve the benefits S/4 HANA has to offer. Its new user experience, SAP Fiori, is based on consumer design to make business technology easier to use.
According to SAP, “SAP Fiori 2.0 is the latest evolution of the user experience for SAP S/4HANA. The user-centered design concept focuses on the way employees work and offers a variety of business benefits.”
These benefits include:
- Simplification. SAP transactions can be complicated, and most users won’t need all of the options that are available to them. Fiori reduces the number of options on the screen so that users only see what is necessary to make quick and informed decisions.
- Increased user satisfaction. Fiori’s simple interface gives users a better experience. Since the system doesn’t get in the way of the end user, employees are less likely to get frustrated and stop using the technology. They also won’t need to call your IT team for support because they will know how to use the new tool.
- Mobile access to data. In the past, users had challenges accessing SAP data from their mobile devices. Since business data was locked behind a firewall, sales reps and remote workers couldn’t view it from outside the office. Fiori allows for easier mobile access to data. Fiori also harmonizes the look and feel of the applications by using the same “Tiles” across different platforms.
- Develop apps faster. Fiori is built on web standards so that anyone who develops mobile apps and sites can launch Fiori applications. Since you don’t need SAP programming skills to work on the front end, you can open your environment to more developers so that you can launch apps faster.
Here are five features that Fiori offers out of the box to improve your UX:
1) Fiori Notifications
Users will receive automatic notifications when they need to act. Instead of getting email notifications that end up getting lost in their inboxes, users will see all of their alerts when they log into the Fiori Launchpad.
Image: SAP Fiori Notifications
Source: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/06/21/fiori-for-s4hana-top-5-fiori-features-that-bring-value-to-every-business-user/
2) Fiori Enterprise Search
Users can enter any reference, from a customer name to a few numbers, and instantly receive a list of business objects that match their search – either completely or partially.
Image: SAP Fiori Enterprise Search
Source: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/06/21/fiori-for-s4hana-top-5-fiori-features-that-bring-value-to-every-business-user/
3) Fiori Default Values
Users can pre-set values that they enter on a regular basis, such as company codes and G/L accounts. This allows them to quickly enter and search for data within Fiori applications.
Image: SAP Fiori Default Values
Source: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/06/21/fiori-for-s4hana-top-5-fiori-features-that-bring-value-to-every-business-user/
4) User Assistance
This feature provides first-time users with tutorials on how to make the most of the Fiori interface. It also provides ongoing help when users want to learn more about a specific tool or term.
Image: SAP Fiori User Assistance
Source: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/06/21/fiori-for-s4hana-top-5-fiori-features-that-bring-value-to-every-business-user/
5) Fiori Personalization
Users can customize their Fiori UX. For example, they can adjust their display’s colors, contrast, and fonts. They can also specify how many groups and titles appear on their home screen, along with which notifications should appear as high priority.
Image: SAP Fiori Personalization Settings
Source: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/06/21/fiori-for-s4hana-top-5-fiori-features-that-bring-value-to-every-business-user/
3 Ways to Drive Adoption of Digital Technology
SAP Fiori makes it easy for users to work with S/4 HANA applications. However, you can take additional steps to drive adoption and ensure the success of your digital transformation initiatives. Here are three ways to get users on board:
- Show the benefits
Employees will see new technology as a hassle if they don’t know what’s in it for them. Explain why you are bringing in a new SAP tool and how it will make their lives better. For example, will it eliminate repetitive tasks that keep them late at the office? Will it streamline their processes so that they can spend more time on high-value projects that push their careers forward?
- Partner with employee evangelists
Find at least one evangelist from each department who is excited about digital transformation and will help you promote it to others. For example, they can offer informal support to their team and answer questions about how to use SAP applications. This will speed up your onboarding while reducing calls to your help desk.
- Provide training
Comprehensive training is vital to driving adoption and preventing shadow IT. If employees aren’t comfortable using your new technology, they may turn to services that you don’t authorize.
Since everyone learns differently, offer employees a variety of training options that will bring them up to speed on your new SAP applications. Here are just a few, convenient training options that employees can fit into their schedules:
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- A knowledge base
- In-person training, such as a lunch and learn
- Video tutorials
- One-on-one sessions with someone from your IT team or an employee evangelist
- Helpdesk support
Driving adoption is an ongoing process. Continue to educate end users after you migrate to S/4 HANA and every time you bring in a new service. For example, you can offer employees ongoing training. You can also provide senior leadership with regular updates on how your digital transformation initiatives are helping you gain efficiencies, innovate, and drive revenue.
How to Get Started with SAP Fiori
Fiori is built into S/4 HANA, so if you are planning a migration your users will automatically get the consumer-driven UX. Fiori is also native to new SAP products, such as SuccessFactors and Ariba. In fact, SAP now offers more than 1,000 Fiori applications for S/4 HANA across approximately 140 business roles. Check out the Fiori apps library to find one that will make a good proof of concept.
As SAP moves more of its products into S/4 HANA, they will retire legacy transactions and replace them with Fiori applications. If you work with legacy products, you will find Fiori with your SAP licenses. However, you must install it separately.
While Fiori offers a clean UX, it’s configuration can be complex. Look for a partner with extensive SAP experience who can manage this complexity for you.
Contact us today to discover how we can help you improve the performance of your SAP environment, including how we can help you with an architecture design session.