SAP Ariba simplifies procurement and sourcing process, and when integrated with S/4 HANA and other ERP software it provides unprecedented transparency and scalability beyond just supplier risk, compliance, and sustainability management.

As a cloud-based solution you can access it from anywhere and setting it up requires lower initial capital costs than anything previously available “on prem”. We introduce you to SapienceS2P, a company that brings you skills and expertise its consultants have built up over the last 20 years, making it a great choice for all your procurement needs.

SapienceS2P has a proven track record of helping its customers build a stable yet flexible procurement pathway that meets their needs both today and tomorrow. Their opinion is that every business challenge is unique, so keeping a positive mindset and focusing on client needs are both an essential part of meeting the expectations of today’s companies.

Working closely with its clients from the first meeting through to the final Go-Live and beyond, it offers innovative solutions to a range of business problems. In addition to having developed several in-house developed SAP Ariba add-ons to the SAP App store, SapienceS2P also offers.

We got in touch with Lovkesh Kapur, Ravi Pachauri, and Emily Gray-Fow, the core team members who have been working hard to develop SapienceS2P over

the last three years:

Q. How is your organization unique and how does it level up with today’s requirements?

“SapienceS2P uses its in-depth knowledge of the digital procurement landscape to identify weak areas in your procurement and supply chain management systems. For example, we noticed many larger consultancies were relying heavily on recent graduates. This can lead to hidden problems that build into major issues over time. We also offer some of the fastest turnaround times and most budget-friendly options in the industry, without skimping on knowledge or skills” – Emily Gray-Fow, Marketing & Communications Manager

Q. Why should customers trust SapienceS2P?

All our consultants have a proven track record in the industry, with many of our top consultants boasting more than 20 years in procurement transformation.

Q. How do you enhance supply chain workflows?

There are several times we can do to enhance supply chain workflows, depending on the client’s current situation. First, we do an in-depth audit assessment to identify the client’s needs and wants, while carefully assessing any existing systems and practices. Then, we use this to produce a roadmap that takes the customer through the next few months or years, creating a journey that maximizes ROI, employee engagement while making the most of the latest digital transformation capabilities as they become available.

Brief us about your solutions and services:

We deploy and upgrade SAP Ariba and SAP S/4 HANA and their immediate predecessors to boost our client’s ROI as they digitally transform their procurement and supply chain operations. We also develop and/or install several bolt-ons for SAP Ariba, SAP SRM (supplier relationship management) and a range of ‘off-the-peg’ budget-friendly upgrade roadmaps for clients wanting to move to the latest cloud procurement solutions. SapienceS2P’s in-house developed SAP Ariba virtual assistant, Satori, and RPA solution, RPAwesome, are SAP approved and are published in the SAP App Store as part of our Silver-Level Partnership with SAP.

Q. What is SAP Ariba? How is it useful?

SAP Ariba is the latest in cloud-based source-to-pay software. It offers users a huge bouquet of advantages over more limited, less well-connected digital procurement solutions. Starting with the most basic example, Ariba gives users instant and up-to-date access to supplier verification data such as financial and HR issues – even transit problems like routes locked down due to the pandemic. It helps buyers in the purchasing organization pick the best supplier, either from a pre-selected list, or from all the vendors on the Ariba Network.

Additionally, SAP Ariba can help optimize for sustainability, social conscience, and workarounds for black swan events like the Covid-19 pandemic that affect the global supply chain – all driven by real-time data, plus it’s free for vendors to join. The software itself can verify and vet vendors, manage all your invoicing, purchase orders, and even manage and create supply chain contracts. With the SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway, Ariba can be integrated with SAP S/4 HANA (SAP’s ERP solution) and with existing systems from any vendor or era. Together, these attributes make SAP Ariba a force to be reckoned with in the source-to-pay sphere. The Amazon  & Spot Buy bring awesome experience to the customers who can go beyond the basic Spot Buy ability to create a custom B2B marketplace within the Ariba Network consisting of their approved suppliers, and include direct access to the Amazon Business marketplace with its catalogue of hundreds of millions of items. This brings the advantages of being part of the live cloud network with its up-to-date vendor information while making sure purchases are made within organizational parameters and contractual obligations are met.

With the SAP Ariba Cloud Integration Gateway (CIG), all of this can be integrated with every type of SAP and non-SAP system. From a vendor perspective, SAP Ariba can be set up to allow pre-digital transformation sellers to interact with the system via email in extremis, so there’s no reason for even the smallest or most traditional supplier to be left behind.

 Explicate about Robotic Process Automation:

Many of the day-to-day processes in SAP Ariba are repetitive and thus error-prone when left up to humans to do. By automating these processes with a solution like our RPAwesome process automation suite, customers can relax knowing that these steps in the procurement workflow are being rapidly actioned and checked by machine. This frees up your human employees to focus on the more creative tasks that computers still struggle with.

Choosing RPAwesome means you get more than just an RPA solution; you get one designed and installed by our team of experts following a thorough assessment of your system.

Q. How helpful is Sapience Satori for organizations?

Extremely helpful. Essentially, Sapience Satori is an enhanced user interface for SAP Ariba and other similar API-enabled source-to-pay solutions from other vendors. It drastically enhances user experience by simplifying many common complex workflows down to just two or three steps.

Not to mention, those two or three steps like Purchase Requisition Approval. Transactional Document status, Supplier Lifecyle and Performance status report, User Trainings, FAQs, etc. can be completed on any Messenger - MS Teams or Slack that can be enabled device – e.g., smartphones, tablets, etc. Combined with rapid deployment options, easy customization, and the fact that most users in a client’s organization will already know how to use these common chat platforms, and you have a recipe for success that’s easy to repeat time after time.

Q. How are you working on improving clients’ experience?

We’re always looking for ways to improve customer experience. Aside from Sapience Satori and RPAwesome, we also offer a range of off-the-peg solutions for upgrades and more. Our consultants work with our client’s teams to build solutions that are capable of boosting ROI and productivity while streamlining workflows and reducing the number of manual touchpoints with the software. Combined with features like the advanced Sapience Satori conversational interface, we can offer our customers a range of ways to swiftly boost both user experience and overall ROI.

We’re especially skilled at analyzing a client’s existing business (no matter where they are in their digital procurement transformation journey) and creating solutions that upgrade, integrate, and optimize existing systems, all while developing and deploying a solution that works with their existing operations workflows to bring them the benefits of the latest procurement technology. This can include anything from optimizing or adding extensions to existing systems through to a new source-to-pay or procure-to-pay solution, or even just a roadmap outlining future steps at a pace that’s right for that organization.

Another core method for improving customer experience lies with our ability to offer customers anywhere in the world skilled consultants with experience that directly relates to their industry and situation. Our onshore/offshore model means customers always have access to the right support, no matter what that might be. Our consultants can work independently or integrate with a customer’s existing IT teams to always offer what’s right for that client at that point in time.

Meet the leading light of SapienceS2P

Lovkesh Kapur, Ravi Pachauri, and Emily Gray-Fow make up to the core management team, and all of them have made significant contributions since SapienceS2P was founded three years ago. The combination of Lovkesh and Ravi’s technical background with Emily’s business and communications experience inspired ideas like the extensible Sapience Satori chatbot for Slack and MS Teams.

Satori was the first chatbot integration for SAP Ariba of this type, and to this day still has more features and is more customizable than any other options on the SAP App Store. SapienceS2P now has a Silver Level Partnership with SAP due to its add-on development for SAP Ariba including these API-powered chatbots and its RPA solution, RPAwesome.

“We believe strongly that giving the right people the right opportunities can make a big difference to the organization. All our team members are vital to our operations, so it’s impossible to highlight one of them without highlighting everyone. Without each and every one of our team members we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

“We specialize in deploying SAP Ariba, SAP Ariba Snap, and SAP S/4 HANA, which will be designed and deployed by one or more of our experts depending on your requirements.”