Enterprise SOA

ESA in CRM: service request processing

As SAP continues its work to enhance its classic suite of packaged applications with enterprise services, new opportunities to extend their flexibility and versatility via xApps created using ESA principles are already starting to emerge. One such xApp was created in just 10 days by SAP's solution management team to fill a gap in functionality in mySAP Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM).

Most Customer Relationship Management (CRM) service applications were originally envisioned as tools for managing in-house teams of service representatives. But just as the business vision has changed for many companies, so has the assumption that CRM roles will remain internal. The outsourcing of these duties to third parties has increased the strain on the underlying IT, leading to difficulties in incorporating those parties into the smooth workflow enjoyed by internal participants. As mySAP CRM is currently configured, a matter as simple as arranging a repair visit by a third-party technician requires manual notification and confirmation of the appointment and inevitably concludes with the third party having to file a paper bill that then needs to be input into the CRM system. What is an otherwise automated system begins to be exposed as inefficient and error-prone when external services are required.

SAP set out to solve this problem by creating an xApp that simply extended a business process that involved the CRM Customer Interaction Center (CIC), ...