Digital transformation is advancing rapidly. Your SAP customers have never before needed IT – and, specifically, cloud expertise – like they do today. Your practice will have a strong competitive edge if you can deliver in-demand solutions and services. However, it takes a team of consultants with expertise in modern technologies, and even the most experienced IT consultants face the challenge of staying current in a continuously evolving space.
SAP Certifications offer a practical solution for gaining deep knowledge of the SAP products you provide and validating your expertise.
What Does “SAP-Certified” Mean?
When consultants achieve the “SAP-certified” designation, it means that SAP recognizes their competency, expertise, and skill. Upon certification, a digital badge is provided, signaling to customers and prospects that they can expect excellence from your team.
SAP Certification is also highly specialized, showing customers that your consultants have the particular expertise to meet their needs. More than
150 certifications, ranging from associate to professional levels, cover areas such as SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration, SAP Fiori Administration, SAP HANA Cloud Provisioning and Administration, and more.
SAP also offers partners all the tools consultants need for certification through SAP Learning Hub. The platform contains self-paced educational content that you can tailor to your team members’ skill levels and goals. Additionally, the hub offers live online sessions where your consultants can interact with SAP professionals and peers, as well as SAP Live Access – 60 hours of hands-on experience in training and sandbox environments – before taking certification exams.
The Benefits of SAP Certification
Smart business leaders always consider the return on investment before launching new initiatives, and after evaluating the benefits of SAP Certification, you’ll see the ROI is there:
SAP-certified consultants are trained, skilled and self-assured, which results in faster implementations. A study of SAP-certified consultants revealed that they typically complete implementations 15% faster than their non-certified peers, which correlates with a 10% to 20% increase in productivity. While the time consultants spend on certification is not billable, the productivity and time savings that result when you have SAP-certified consultants on your team will more than compensate by enabling your team to provide solutions and services to more customers, without hiring additional consultants, improving your bottom line.
Given the choice between a business with SAP-certified consultants and one without, customers are more likely to choose the practice that SAP recognizes as having the expertise their businesses need. You can leverage SAP Certification in your marketing and sales processes to differentiate your business from your competition.
SAP-certified consultants are better equipped to position their clients to reach their business goals when using technology. They know how to implement and configure solutions to address their unique needs, train users and encourage adoption, and provide ongoing support that helps users get the maximum value from their solutions. SAP-certified consultants are capable of assuming the role of “trusted advisor” with their clients, building stronger, long-lasting relationships – and customer lifetime value (LTV). Satisfied customers are more likely to respond positively to upselling. A Chargebee study found that about half of SaaS companies report that 10% or more of new revenue is due to upselling, which can substantially increase LTV.
Some business leaders hesitate to support their employees’ continuing education for fear that they’ll take their new skills and expertise elsewhere. However, organizations that invest in their people are more likely to keep them. In fact, companies that invest in their employees are 30% to 50% more likely to retain employees. Furthermore, you save the costs of replacing them, which can range from six to nine months’ salary when you factor in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training.
Grow via a Learning Culture
Successful SAP partners have changed their mindset about SAP Certification from just earning the badge on their websites to leveraging a valuable tool that can help them compete, increase customer satisfaction, and grow their businesses.
For more information on how to get started building an SAP-certified team, visit
SAP Learning Hub.
