How SAP Consultants Can Make It Right
By Gurvendra Suri, CEO, Optimal Solutions Integration

 

We are optimists at heart.  And although we would like to think that each and every project will play out perfectly, it is the reality of business that sometimes things go wrong despite the best intentions.  This is especially true in the consulting business, where client situations can be very dynamic and unpredictable and where the project may require that a client change processes or behaviors that may be deeply entrenched.  Today, I want to talk briefly about how we as SAP consultants should think about making things right when things go wrong.

My personal approach has always been to expect the unexpected.  However, almost two decades in this business has taught me that it is usually impossible to predict what will go wrong (although sometimes we see clear clues).  That said, we can predict that the minute the project plan is published some event will soon make it obsolete.  Clients’ business circumstances change – for better and for worse, their priorities shift – quarterly, monthly, even weekly – and as much as we would like to focus on the tangible activities that result in a go-live – we oftentimes have to adapt, and adapt quickly.

So in light of this, I have put together a list of my own Do’s and Don’ts vis-à-vis challenging client situations – I hope you find them useful as guidelines for dealing with the inevitable hiccup:

• Do collect the facts and work through them with the client

• A satisfactory resolution can only be achieved if all pertinent information is collected and carefully considered. While gathering the ‘facts,’ it is important not to jump to a conclusion or focus on gathering information that supports a foregone conclusion. It is vital that all parties involved are given the opportunity to present information and, most important, that the client is professionally and patiently walked through a structured, thorough, and objective fact-finding process.

• Do work with the client to understand their expectations, constraints and objectives

• The key here is active listening. The client places trust in SAP consultants, and we can preserve and build on this trust only if we have a clear understanding of the client’s objectives, expectations, challenges and frustrations. Is the current situation connected to other factors or problems? What is the history of the situation? What recent changes have impacted the situation? What pressures is the client facing? How has this pressure changed since the project started? Do you have a clear understanding of the entire situation?

• Do be flexible

• Don’t assume at the onset that you know all the contributing reasons for a problem situation and that, from experience, you know exactly how the situation will play out.  Be open to discovery, opportunity and creativity during the fact-finding and listening phases of problem resolution. By being flexible we show clients that we listen, we care and that, at bottom, we place their success above everything.

• Do provide coaching on client deliverables

• Every project is packed with deliverables. Some are the consultant’s responsibility. Some are the client’s responsibility. All are vital for success. It is our responsibilities as trusted SAP consultants to not only deliver the work that we are responsible for but also to closely track client deliverables – and provide the requisite coaching and guidance to ensure the client fully understands the time-sensitive nature of deliverables and that deliverables must be executed in an appropriate manner and format.

• Don’t get frustrated even though a situation may be difficult or tense

• Remain patient and professional at all times. It is during these most difficult moments where we must do our very best to let the client know – through our patience and professionalism – that we are committed to achieving a satisfactory resolution.

• Don’t let the client walk off a cliff

• Above technical expertise, it is our experience across numerous projects that is of greatest value to our clients. As experienced SAP consultants, we’ve probably seen things go wrong in past. More to the point, from experience we often know in advance the ‘when,’ ‘how,’ and ‘why’ things go wrong. It is our professional and ethical responsibility to point out these potential cliffs, and do everything in our power to educate a client on the risks they present and how they are best avoided. It is never acceptable to let a client walk off a cliff.

• Don’t reference the client contract to prove a point

• The first sign that frustration has gotten the better of you. Remember, as SAP Consultants, we are in the client service industry. Being right is second to doing right by the client. In most situations, there is a well-established escalation process for resolving seemingly intractable problems – this process includes careful treatment of when and where contractual points are reviewed.

• Don’t circumvent the escalation process

• Problem-escalation processes ensure that no potentially serious problem goes unaddressed and, equally important, that a mutually satisfactory, fair-handed resolution to the problem is achieved. This escalation process is constructed to protect both the client and the SAP consultant’s interest. Circumventing the process can lead to bigger problems down the road.

 

There is research that demonstrates that consultants are judged by their customers based on how they respond to difficult situations.  The research shows clearly that consultants who go above and beyond the call of duty to correct a bad experience build much stronger loyalty in the long term.

What this tells us is that difficult situations are actually opportunities to build a stronger client relationship. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, this is a powerful observation that SAP consultants should use to influence our thoughts and actions when things go wrong.