In-house Vs Outsourcing SAP Support: Which Should You Choose?

Should you outsource SAP support services to a specialized service provider or maintain SAP support in-house? Here is what you need to know to help you decide

Enterprises today are faced with the challenge of doing more with less. Limited budgets along with the pressure to reduce costs and improve response time has brought outsourcing to the forefront. You could either invest in training or maintaining an in-house team who could immediately deal with your SAP issues. Or you can turn to outsourcing, wherein you could save on costs while having a team of SAP experts work on your projects.

Each model has its pros and cons. Understanding the factors can help you make informed business decisions on SAP support. Find out the pros and cons of maintaining an in-house support team and the benefits of outsourcing SAP support.

Cost and overheads
Maintaining a comprehensive in-house SAP support team would cost more than outsourcing. To get the best of both, you can outsource SAP support to a specialized service provider along with a small in-house team who will support the vendor.

Training
Training a SAP team requires ample time and money. With outsourcing, you can be free of this burden and invest your precious time and money into growing your business. Through outsourcing, you can get in touch with a team of SAP professionals who own SAP certifications and are thoroughly trained by the vendor to address any SAP related problem.
Understanding business processes
An in-house SAP team will have a better understanding of your business and its unique processes, including the terminology you use. With outsourcing, you will have to communicate details about your business processes and how it may affect the SAP system. Since the outsourced team is separate from your enterprise, there could be gaps in understanding.
End-to-end solutions
An in-house team will be able to provide you with a better end-to-end solution as they are more aware of your business processes. With outsourcing, you may have to assist the offshore SAP team for a specific problem. Make sure to provide exclusive details of the problem while outsourcing, so that the offshore team will not face any delays while addressing it.
System upgrades and enhancement packages
Typically, an in-house team will only make system upgrades on a need basis. However, an outsourcing service provider will install the latest support patches and system upgrades on a regular basis. You can also avail post-installation support from the vendor.
Knowledge continuity
Your in-house team members can leave your enterprise or be transferred to another business function, thereby creating a knowledge or expertise gap. With outsourcing, you will not face this problem, as the service provider will always have a stable team of in-house and freelance consultants at hand.

As mentioned above, there are several factors that you should consider when deciding the in-house vs the outsourcing question. Having said that, there are definite advantages that come with outsourcing SAP support services. Find out more about SAP consulting services.

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