Let’s start with the key assumption: Most customers are still learning about the vast use cases for GenAI.
Our customers immediately think of ChatGPT and yet, many don’t understand why GenAI is so significant and groundbreaking to their individual work.
However, because of industry requirements to compete or due to investments in cloud enabled technology, many customers are eager to learn about GenAI.
Customers want to understand how to take advantage of the capabilities that are embedded and natively available in many SAP solutions today.
They want the benefits of GenAI without investing more time and talent in initiatives to resolve their pain points and challenges.
The ERP transformation journey discussion with a customer often occurs during a Discovery session. In those sessions, we learn how certain activities and tasks should be automated and that there are foundational barriers to solving these issues with their current solution platform.
This discussion often leads to explaining how the combination of well-thought-out business processes, good data, and great tools can help resolve these issues while also adding tangible and quantifiable business value. This eventually leads to questions about automation, optimization, and predictive capabilities through GenAI.
As we explain concepts in business terms—and not in technical speak—it becomes clear to leaders that there is hope for a brighter future.
They begin to see a path that offers productivity and efficiency gains made possible through the use of GenAI and the capabilities it provides.
If the customer already has a solid grounding in GenAI concepts, then the discussions quickly jump to the more in-depth questions. They want to discuss use cases for their industry, ethics, data privacy, security, and protection of their intellectual property.
Early Adopters are already gaining traction.
Some of our customers were already investing in early AI approaches before GenAI. They used machine learning algorithms to train models based on pictures that could help predict outcomes, such as quality checking of painted parts during manufacturing processes. These customers tend to focus quickly on GenAI tool sets, such as SAP’s GenAI Hub, and how they can accelerate their GenAI programs.
Several of our customers are excited about being able to take advantage of the available use cases through SAP S/4HANA and want the flexibility to create their own library of use cases. Many have adopted the Document information extraction capabilities and are beginning to explore the “Just Ask” features for SAP Analytics Cloud. There is also interest in leveraging Joule features to work faster with an AI Copilot which provides new insights and faster answers on demand.
As leaders, we all have to prioritize which initiatives receive funding, resources, and the business focus for the organization. As you embark on your GenAI journey to drive value for your company, I encourage you to keep an open mind and remember the fundamentals: People, Process, Technology, and Value. They all matter. These concepts never get old and allow you to decide with confidence where to invest and how to secure long term benefits for your organization.
Kimberley Reid provides people focused commentaries for the ASUG Executive Exchange Digest. Reid draws on everyday technology, project, people, and leadership experiences of her career, and is planning a forthcoming book based on these experiences and reflections.