SRB & SAP C4C: When Out-of-the-Box in the Cloud Is Not Enough
SAP refers to and promotes the Cloud for Customer (C4C) as an 'out-of-the-box solution'. But does this comprehensive customer management tool, which combines Sales and Service Cloud, deliver on its promises?
The SAP Cloud for Customer is powerful. This comprehensive suite reflects today's customer needs, with numerous pre-built features, a mobile app, and integrations to SAP ERP and other systems, such as SAP Field Service Management or SAP Marketing Cloud, making the tool a realised dream for modern sales
and service processing in large corporate environments. For example, SAP C4C offers various options by default to tailor the system to individual customer needs. All objects can be relatively easily supplemented with additional fields, and system processes can be adjusted through rules. Surveys, PDFs for summaries, and access restrictions in system access can also be personalised just as easily. But what if processes need to be even more individualised or comprehensive?
Where SAP C4C Falls Short
As strong and comprehensive as C4C is, the challenge we at SRB encounter repeatedly in various customer projects is fundamentally the same: The workflows and field rules available in C4C by default have their limitations. Specifically regarding the timing of when these are executed, but also concerning the overall possibilities.
If one wants to populate or calculate fields and/or data upon page load or after changes, one cannot avoid custom development. Pre-filling fields based on document type is a common customer request. However, this can currently only occur through workflow rules upon saving. Often, this would be necessary earlier on the creation screen, so that the user can see the pre-filling and adjust it if necessary.
Further limitations also exist with more complex calculations or data retrievals. Normally, one only has access to data from the object currently being edited. However, if one wants to use data from a ticket in an activity, this can only be solved through additional development.
Options for Customisation in SAP C4C
However, SAP offers the possibility to extend C4C with custom objects. This can be used to build completely custom 'work centres' that cannot be represented in an existing one. These objects can have their own workflow rules, approval processes, or the ability to attach files. More often, however, these custom objects are used to enhance existing objects with embedded components.
The Technology Behind It
In the SAP Service and Sales Cloud, development occurs in the Cloud Application Studio. The Cloud Application Studio, in turn, is based on Microsoft Visual Studio and uses the scripting language ABSL. This allows for custom developments for C4C to be created and integrated into the cloud system.
A simple and often implemented example by our clients would be an extension that adds a list to an object where additional data is collected. But more complex use cases are also possible. For example, linking a custom-developed object to several other objects and making the data collected available to an online portal or a telephone system via OData.
SRB as Your C4C Plus
So, if the out-of-the-box solution touted by SAP in the cloud for C4C is not sufficient, it is not the end of the proverbial road. Especially not when there are experts like us at SRB. In our customer projects, we have already implemented all the scenarios described above, and our experience shows that the possibilities for developing C4C in the (SAP) cloud are often much greater than many realise. If you also wish to tailor your system even more to your needs, we are here for you.
