SAP FKOM: Experience Matters 2019

Over 6,000 SAP employees and Partners were in attendance to hear about SAP’s theme and messaging for 2019: Experience Matters.

#ExperienceMatters is the center of everything SAP has been doing to change the digital landscape. Leveraging its five decades of expertise as an ERP company, SAP is applying all the technology, industry experience, and lessons it’s learned to focus its future on the experience.

If you’ve been paying attention you’ve seen this transition over the last 5 years as SAP’s redesigned ERP with S/4HANA, pioneered in-memory computing with the HANA database, and focusing on its Customer Experience (CX) portfolio of products in the C/4 suite (such as products formerly known as Hybris, CRM, etc).

FKOM began with the always engaging and charismatic SAP Executive Board Member Jennifer Morgan, who got the honor of unveiling the Experience Matters slogan to kick off the conference.

Experience Matters was the central theme of the keynote, the guest speakers, and every breakout session over the next few days. SAP is taking a deep self-reflective on their experiences, their customer’s experience when using SAP products or services, and ultimately the experience of the end consumers.

In the digital economy the experience is the epicenter. Consumers don’t purchase a product, they purchase an experience. People want a connection, to feel part of something. The experience doesn’t end at the purchase, it continues as the brand, the service, the social media aspect, the entire interaction lifecycle you have with your customer.

SAP’s push is to help their customers provide these experiences and connections through their 360-degree portfolio of products. Not just provide that end-customer experience, but also to allow organizations to leverage that 360-degree experience to provide insight and information that allows an organization to adjust, adapt, and improve their product and customer experience.

What really stuck out at this year’s FKOM was that for the first time, probably ever, SAP didn’t mention or rely on technology or products as a focal point. There were no notable product announcements or pitches to “go out and sell product X”. SAP understands it has amassed the right toolbox of solutions to meet organization’s needs. The key now is talking to organizations, understanding their needs, the struggles, and their aspirations.

The goal is to show how SAP can exceed their needs, move organizations toward their goals, and to alleviate their struggles. That starts with listening. That starts with understanding. That starts with experience; 47 years’ experience to be exact. Experience Matters: 2019 and beyond will see the focus of SAP and its partners on experience and helping organizations drive experiences that matter to their customers.