What to Look for in an SAP Ariba Consultant
Asking for help is something that a lot of people struggle with. It doesn’t matter if you’re asking for help managing emotions, moving, or even just getting through the day – admitting that you need help is hard.
The same can be said for businesses. Asking for help from an outsider can be difficult, but sometimes it’s necessary in order to move forward. When you need outside help, you’re going to want to make sure that you know where to look.
That’s actually why we’ve written today’s article. If you’ve decided that you need to bring in an SAP Ariba consultant, then this post is for you. We’ll be discussing what to look for when hiring an SAP Ariba consultant, so that you can make sure that you’re getting the help that you need.
Of course, we understand that not everyone reading this will be in the market for an SAP Ariba consultant. If that’s the case, feel free to skip ahead to the section titled “What is SAP Ariba?” – we still think it’ll be worth your while even if you’re not currently looking for a consultant!
A Crash Course in SAP Ariba
Sap Ariba is a pretty complex software, which is why it’s so important to have a consultant when it comes to using the software and making sure that you’re getting the most out of your purchase. And even if you don’t currently need an SAP Ariba consultant, this crash course will give you some insight into what SAP Ariba does and how it can help your company!
So What Exactly Is SAP Ariba?SAP stands for “Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung,” which translates roughly as “Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing.”
In other words: Sap is used by companies all over the world to organize their data processing. It’s a very powerful software with a lot of uses, and it can be difficult to learn without help. SAP Ariba is part of the SAP family – it’s an online marketplace for sourcing goods and services from suppliers. It was created in order to simlify the source-to-pay process while keeping up with the demands of the procurement guidelines of the business.
It was originally founded by Jack Welch in 1997 as “Ariba Inc” – but since then, the company has been acquired by SAP SE (which is short for Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung).
The goal behind this acquisition was to make Sap more competitive against companies like Amazon or Alibaba. The two are huge players on the global marketplace scene; however, they don’t use traditional e-commerce platforms like Ariba does. Instead they offer something called cloud sourcing: which means that these companies manage all aspects of ordering data processing themselves over an internet connection rather than going through one central source (like what happens on sites like eBay).
Some people see this strategy as risky because if either Amazon or Alibaba were hacked there would be no way to recover your information; oftentimes you have multiple backups with websites such as eBay so that if something goes wrong you’ll still have some access to your account at least!
But others point out that using cloud sources means that it’s possible to have more suppliers being offered and a lot more flexibility.
It’s actually pretty common for busineses now a days to use Ariba in order to get the best prices on goods and services – this is because Sap makes it easy for you to search through their database of suppliers, find what you need, and then send out a request.
The way that this usually works is that someone at your company will create a ‘request’ which outlines exactly what they’re looking for (like “I’m looking for 500 units of these paper clips”). Then they’ll post the ‘request’ on Ariba along with some other information about themselves (like where their office location).
This process means that anyone who has access to SAP SE’s marketplace can bid on fulfilling your business’s needs; so there are often multiple companies trying to win over your business. This system ensures competitive pricing as well as high quality products! In fact, lots of people believe it helps businesses save up an average 20% percent or more when buying things like pens or coffee makers from suppliers online.
The bidding process also tends be really quick: instead of having one supplier do all the work until you decide how much money you want them too charge (which could take weeks) – every time someone bids there are new numbers involved which means negotiations happen right away! And even if there are fewer bidders, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a bad deal.
What Qualities an SAP Ariba Consutlant Should Posess
The first step in the process of finding an SAP Ariba consultant is determining what qualities your business needs. For a lot of businesses, this means that they’re going to want someone who has experience with Sap Ariba; and if you don’t know much about SDV yet, that’s okay! We’ll be going over some basics in just a moment. But before we do anything else we need to make sure that whoever you end up hiring as your consultant will be able to fulfill these two criteria:
- They should have at least 3 years’ worth of experience working with software like SAP SE – though it’s not necessary for them to have worked specifically on Sap Ariba before; and
- They should offer competitive rates for their services (which usually range from $100-600 per hour).
When looking for an expert in SAP SE – whether it’s SDV or something else entirely – there are certain qualities that are important for any good advisor. For example:
- They should be able to provide guidance and direction for your business, which means that they have to have a good understanding of how SDV works.
- They should be easy to work with: because as the consultant it’s their job is going over how your company can maximize its use of Ariba!
- They need strong interpersonal skills so that they can keep up with both you and any other employees who are involved in the project.
- They should have a professional appearance: which means that they’re going to take their job seriously and be okay with meeting with clients in person.
- They need an understanding of the needs of your company, as well as what it is you’re trying to accomplish (because they’ll be coming up with a strategy for use based on this information).
- And finally, any good SAP Ariba consultant will have some experience working within the industry – either through past jobs or just by reading about how other companies are using SDV.
Being sure that the consultant that you hire for your business is qualified to help you can be hard sometimes; which is why there are a few questions that you should ask before making the final decision. For example, it’s important to find out:
- Where they’ve worked in the past – and what their responsibilities were while they worked there.
- How much experience they have with SDV specifically, or other types of software like SAP SE
- What type of work environment do they prefer? Is it in person meetings or over the phone? It may not seem like an important question but if this detail isn’t discussed then this could lead to frustration on both sides down the road!
And finally: The most important question that you need ask any candidate for an SAP Ariba consultant position is whether or not he/she has passed a criminal background check. This might sound simple enough but if someone doesn’t tell us up front then we’re going assume that he/she hasn’t had one done and will disqualify them from being considered for our job opening because of safety concerns!
It’s also really important that the person who is helping your company with SDV has strong communication skills, especially since they’re going to be working closely with a lot of different employees! When hiring an SAP Ariba consultant, ask them about their experience working on projects like this before.
If they’ve had any experience in a similar position then it’ll make for an easier conversation; but if not, have them sit down and talk about what type of work environment they prefer (because some consultants are more comfortable over the phone while others need face-to-face meetings). But as long as someone is willing to give you feedback when needed and actively listens during conversations then he/she should do just fine in this role!
Finding the Right Consultant for You
Every consultant is different, and making sure that you have the right consultant for the job is going to make a world of difference in the long run. While there are plenty of talented consultants out there, not every single one of them will be good for your company.
That being said, being sure that you’re picking out the best possible consultant for the job is going to help you be sure that you’re getting the most out of the money that you’re spending on this endeavor.
