SAP Sales Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) software and represents the sales solution in the SAP Customer Experience (CX), formerly C/4, portfolio. In modern companies, this solution represents both operational and strategic customer and contact management in sales. Reason: A CRM helps the sales department to obtain a so-called 360-degree view of both new and existing customers. To do this, it aggregates data from various contact points through which a customer comes into contact with the company in order to buy products and receive service and support. This knowledge is essential for companies in the medium to long term to provide their customers with the best possible service at all times and to keep an eye on their interests. With the help of analyses, customers can be optimally accompanied and strategically supported in their projects.
In a nutshell: On the one hand, a CRM process pursues the goal of converting prospects into customers. On the other hand, it aims to identify the needs of new and existing customers in order to provide them with sales support in the further course of the process.
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In a CRM system, a company can document all relevant interactions (e.g. appointments, phone calls, e-mails, documents, etc.) with customers and thus significantly increase transparency for employees in all areas involved. Nowadays, a great product is no longer enough. Customer service must be just as convincing. Therefore, access to past customer service contacts such as inquiries, complaints, etc. is crucial to gain a comprehensive view of customers. Thus, a CRM serves to accompany and analyze the development phases of a customer from the initial contact to the first purchase / order to follow-up orders. From a technical point of view, a distinction is made between master data level (customer level) and transaction data level (document level).
Particularly due to the digital transformation in the company, it is indispensable to rely on a modern CRM system.
THE CLOUD: FLEXIBLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE
Cloud solutions in particular have proven their worth in the CRM market because, on the one hand, they can be implemented quickly and, on the other hand, they reduce operational costs because they do not require any hardware or investment costs.
With the Sales Cloud, SAP offers an innovative cloud CRM solution that is continuously being developed further and has modern features such as a responsive and intuitive user interface (UI). This means that the interface adapts to the device used and is therefore browser and device-independent.
SAP AND NON-SAP CUSTOMERS WELCOME
Whether already an SAP customer or not, SAP Sales Cloud is open to everyone as a stand-alone solution. SAP offers standard interfaces to connect SAP Sales Cloud with SAP backend systems as well as third-party ERP. The solution can be used to maintain, manage and analyze all (data) customers, contacts, products, prices, etc. Another advantage is that the solution can go live in around 4 weeks in a stand-alone implementation with the help of an experienced partner such as CONSILIO.
Although the Sales Cloud is basically suitable for all users, SAP customers have some advantages. For example, they benefit from integrated processes in the back end and can thus replicate data between the systems in the interaction of front and back end and optimally map sales processes across applications. Since dovetailing with existing SAP systems is not trivial, users should rely on experienced partners such as CONSILIO - this not only relieves the burden on IT but also saves time.
THE LEAD-TO-CASH-PROZESS IN DETAIL
The following practical example from the automotive sector shows how SAP Sales Cloud as an innovative CRM solution maps the lead-to-cash process and thus optimally supports sales. The process usually comprises the following five steps:
1. A suspect is created:
At the weekend, sales employee Andreas meets Bernd from the company Car Innovation at the trade fair stand. After an intensive conversation on the topic of e-mobility, Bernd fills out the contact form on the tablet.
By sending the contact form, a lead is now created in the CRM system in real time. In addition, ad hoc business cards can also be scanned, which also create a lead in the CRM system in real time.
2. The lead is generated:
Andreas logs into the CRM a few days later and searches through the list of new leads from the weekend. Here he notices Bernd, who indicated an interest in the e-mobility products.
Andreas calls Bernd, who confirms the interest in e-mobility products and explains that battery technology in particular is of interest to their company. Andreas then creates a telephone call for this lead to document what he has said. In addition, he creates tasks around this lead and documents and tracks them at all times.
Andreas maintains the lead in the system and adds possible products in the lead object.
Due to the high level of product interest, Andreas converts the lead into an opportunity. In parallel, the CRM system automatically creates a customer master record with the role of interested party.
3. An opportunity arises
Sales assistant Claudia makes an appointment for a product presentation at Car Innovation. This is confirmed by Bernd via e-mail and the Outlook integration is used to a) attach the e-mail to the opportunity and b) also create the appointment in the Sales Cloud directly from Outlook.
Andreas receives a notification (e-mail or notification) that he has been assigned to a new appointment. He now creates a task for preparing the presentation directly on his cell phone.
Claudia retrieves the daily updated prices from the backend system (e.g. SAP ERP or S/4HANA) for the battery variants; these are now also visible to Andreas in the opportunity.
Andreas carries out the presentation and convinces Car Innovation of the battery technology of the highest capacity. Afterwards, Andreas receives an email from Bernd with a quote request, which he files directly as an attachment to the opportunity via the Outlook integration. In addition, a task is created for Claudia with the request to create a quote.
4. An offer is made
Claudia now creates an offer from the opportunity. The data (customer data, product data, etc.) is automatically transferred from the opportunity.
After checking, Claudia sends the final offer PDF via e-mail directly from CRM. She also enters Andreas as a cc recipient so that he also receives the e-mail directly.
Bernd checks the offer and accepts it via e-mail.
5. The order is concluded
Claudia sets the opportunity status to won and creates an external follow-on document, i.e. sales order from the Sales Cloud.
Through integration, this order is now created in the ERP (e.g. S/4HANA) backend.
The order is now invoiced in the backend, etc. (ERP SD processes).
Andreas and Claudia can now track the follow-on documents in the CRM via the document flow and also, for example, retrieve the order and the invoice as a PDF from the ERP in real time.
Summary
A 360-degree customer view is a holistic, uniform and constantly updated view of all of a company's customers. It is an essential component for understanding customer relationships and responding to them individually. CRM-supported work provides insights about customers that the company needs in order to identify customer needs and trends in good time, which can be used to strengthen customer loyalty, and to make more accurate forecasts about customer behavior (predictive analytics). This results in personalized customer communications for an optimized customer experience. To tap the full potential of SAP Sales Cloud and connect it to an SAP system landscape, users should turn to partners like CONSILIO. They have in-depth experience in different industries and know which functions offer the greatest potential for established business processes.
Only through the targeted use of a CRM system can companies optimize their marketing and sales processes and thus build strategic customer relationships with a 360-degree view.
![[Translate to English:] SAP CX](/fileadmin/_processed_/a/3/csm_AdobeStock_298000277_e0106a8ce8.jpeg "[Translate to English:] SAP CX")