Take ECSC Processes to the Next Level With SAP ESM
SAP Employee Central Service Center (ECSC) has been a core, longstanding SAP offering for organisations looking to standardise their internal HR service processes and ensure consistent HR service delivery, with self service capabilities.
SAP Enterprise Service Management (ESM) extends ECSC HR capabilities to other business functions, including IT, Finance, Procurement, and Facilities Management. More than that, ESM brings additional capabilities that take service management beyond what ECSC offers, providing further service efficiency, flexibility and scalability.
In this post we will explore the most common requested of these functionalities.
The Top 5 Additional Capabilities of ESM
Having implemented ECSC many times across varied industries and geographical regions, we have observed the same top five capabilities requested by our clients:
1. Closed Loop Processes / Workflow and HR Data Handling
Whilst ECSC includes employee profile data integration from SuccessFactors, it does not feed SuccessFactors workflow triggers into the Service Cloud ticketing solution, nor does Service Cloud feed request data back into SuccessFactors once an inquiry has been dealt with.
Employees trigger process workflows in SuccessFactors and raises a separate ECSC ticket requesting HR agent support, either by phone, e-mail, or the AskHR portal application. HR teams then handle the ticket in Service Cloud and carry out any related actions in SuccessFactors via a Service Cloud mashup. The opportunity exists to reduce the duplication, which can result in data inconsistencies, delays, and potential compliance issues.
Additionally, automation can be used to minimise the bottlenecks caused by manual case management processes, which will enable shorter resolution times and reduced administrative effort.
Key Opportunities:
- Reduce administrative burden and the risk of errors through integrated processes and automation.
- Provide a unified view of service interactions across multiple systems.
- Empower decision-making due to accurate and up-to-date information in one place.
Where we have previously implemented an e-mail workaround to automatically generate Service Cloud tickets from a SuccessFactors workflow, a fully integrated workflow would negate this requirement.
2. Customisable Ticket Handling
ECSC provides a single generic ticket form designed to simply handle all types of service requests, which simplifies request raising but can restrict organisations with diverse service needs. Where different issues—such as payroll inquiries and employment contract requests—require unique data inputs and workflows, these will need to be provided separately or in the generic description of the ticket.
From the agent perspective, ECSC does enable limited customisation, tailoring the ticket in Service Cloud using layouts and rules. The options to customise the AskHR employee portal application are less extensive, as covered in a later section on the topic of the portal.
Key Opportunities:
- Service request customisation to reduce inefficiencies.
- Tailored workflows for different scenarios to reduce manual effort for agents.
- Improved employee experience, by tailoring the data capture form to the specific request type.
3. Capability beyond HR and Payroll Scenarios
ECSC is a HR-focused solution. Where cross-departmental collaboration is needed this means multiple service requests being captured using other solutions if available, or off-system collaboration using email or the like. It is not uncommon for agents to have access to multiple service management solutions across different business areas.
The opportunity therefore exists for a unified service management solution across all enterprise departments. Requests that cross department boundaries, such as onboarding a new member of staff who requires a HR record but also IT equipment and a building pass, require careful manual coordination and central ownership to ensure that all process aspects are fulfilled.
Key Opportunities:
- Breaking down siloed departmental operations for a holistic view of service requests across the enterprise.
- Track requests centrally in real-time to identify service bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
- Deliver consistent service quality using centralised governance and metrics.
- Provide strategic insights for process improvement by measuring service performance across all service-delivery departments.
- Prevent redundant work practices and reduce the inefficiencies that arise from disconnected service management tools and workflows.
4. Process-Tailored Portal Capability
The AskHR portal in ECSC is designed to facilitate HR service interactions with a simplified and standardised interface. This uniform approach to collecting request data results in a portal application that is consistent and easy to support, but one that lacks process customisation and user personalisation. Additionally, the portal is tightly coupled with and embedded within SuccessFactors, meaning it cannot be integrated with other enterprise service applications.
The AskHR portal provides four tabs, with the ability to hide the two optional tabs as required by the organisation: Knowledge Base (optional); Ticket Creation (mandatory); Ticket Overview (mandatory); HR contact details (optional). Adding further tabs to the AskHR portal for organisation-specific functionality is not supported.
SAP have provisioned specific configuration switches which enable given fields to be hidden on the standard limited ticket form provided. It is possible to specify whether:
- A ticket may be created on behalf of another employee, although no relationship enforcement occurs. If enabled any employee can create a ticket for any other employee.
- The employee should select one level of ticket category or two levels.
- Employees may select their own priority and thereby influence the service level agreement (SLA) of the ticket.
It has also been made possible for ticket categorisation to be tailored to the country of the employee; note that this requires a separate category schema for each country, which adds a maintenance consideration.
The following are not supported in the customisation of the AskHR portal:
- The organisation creating and adding its own fields to the webform; the standard fields allowed primarily capture a ticket name and text description, categorisation and attachments.
- Dynamic webform; the service request form is static and the field list cannot be tailored based on the data entered, for example the ticket categorisation selected. The webform will present the same fields to the employee regardless of the nature of the inquiry.
Key Opportunities:
- Customisation that allows organisations to tailor the portal to their processes and branding.
- Flexible user experience through personalisation.
- Integration with other service solutions, preventing the use of separate portals for IT, Finance, and Facilities support.
- Extending self-service content to include non-HR topics, reducing dependence on agents, and improving case resolution efficiency.
- Consistent experience across different regions and business units, leading to efficient global HR operations.
For one client, to replicate AskHR portal functionality with the capability to enhance the fields and layout within, we built a custom SAP Fiori portal application using Service Cloud APIs.
5. Untethered Service Management
As an SAP solution focused on HR, ECSC is tightly coupled to SAP SuccessFactors and the AskHR portal sits within its framework. Organisations that do not use SuccessFactors, or those who wish to extend their service management beyond HR, will find this dependency restrictive.
It is possible to provide a link to the AskHR portal from outside SuccessFactors, by embedding a URL in an intranet page for example, but to use AskHR the organisation must implement SuccessFactors.
For organisations that do not wish to use SuccessFactors as their HR solution, or who wish to extend beyond the HR scenario, this presents a challenge. Beyond ECSC, there is a desire to have a service management capability decoupled from specific use cases and systems that can integrate agnostically across all business areas.
Key Opportunities:
- Service management without dependency on specific systems.
- Service management flexible enough to work with any department or function.
- Capability to integrate to any SAP or non-SAP service solution.
- Flexibility to scale service management by adopting processes beyond HR.
How Does ESM Maximise on These Opportunities?
SAP ESM creates a flexible, adaptable, scalable and unified organisation-wide service management solution that extends the capabilities of ECSC.
AI-powered automation, machine learning, workflow orchestration and a microservices architecture streamline service delivery within ESM. Process integration rather than simple data integration enables workflows that span SAP and non-SAP systems, to ensure closed-loop end-to-end process flows.
For example, triggering an onboarding process in SuccessFactors for a new hire can start an ESM workflow where approvals are managed and fed back automatically to SuccessFactors, whilst also creating asset requests in a non-SAP IT solution. This eliminates bottlenecks caused by multiple manual tickets spanning different systems, enabling faster, more efficient service resolution.
Key Benefits:
- Reduces manual workloads through intelligent automation.
- Improves service request resolution times with AI-driven workflows.
- Enhances employee and customer experience by reducing wait times.
- Process integration handled entirely within ESM which feeds into connected SAP and non-SAP solutions.
Robust self-service and AI-powered chatbots within SAP ESM offer advanced self-service capabilities that extend beyond HR to IT, Finance, and beyond. Knowledge Base articles can be tailored to an employee’s attributes, whether that be the function they work within or their geographical location. Employees can leverage AI-driven chatbots and knowledge bases to resolve common service requests without human intervention.
Beyond self-service, ESM offers case management functionality that extends the static ticket management capability of ECSC. Different case types can be created for each process, that prescribe the phases and steps required for that specific request. For example, a request for IT equipment can include approval steps and require a cost code to be given. Forms can be used to gather required details and integrate them directly with connected SAP and non-SAP systems.
Key Benefits:
- Reduces reliance on live support teams by empowering employees to find solutions independently.
- Enhances service speed and efficiency through AI-driven responses.
- Dynamic process-specific forms ensure that the right information is requested from the start.
- Provides personalised self-service recommendations, tailoring results to the employee.
SAP ESM allows organisations to manage tailored and process-specific service requests across multiple functions, including HR, IT, Finance, Procurement, and Facilities Management. Instead of maintaining separate service platforms, businesses can leverage ESM to create a standardised, efficient service management approach for all departments.
Enhanced cross-departmental collaboration using a centralised ESM platform, provides enterprise-wide real-time visibility into service requests across all business units. This ensures that all service departments can work together efficiently to resolve complex service issues.
Key Benefits:
- Eliminates the need for multiple service management platforms.
- Enables real-time tracking and resolution handling of service requests across departments.
- Improves efficiency by applying consistent service workflows and a centralised service approach across the enterprise.
- Enhances collaboration between different business functions.
- Provides a single source of truth for service performance metrics.
Unlike the AskHR portal of ECSC which provides a singular static form for ticket creation, ESM provides a fully tailored, process-specific portal solution where each process can have a different workflow. Each form dynamically adapts to the process being requested, enabling the capture of specific fields which can directly integrate and update the respective back-end systems.
For example, a paternity leave request can provide links to specific policy documents and capture information such as the child’s name for feeding back to SuccessFactors.
SAP ESM delivers a seamless employee experience by consolidating all service interactions into a single, easy-to-use portal. Employees no longer need to navigate multiple platforms for HR, IT, or Finance-related requests.
Key Benefits:
- Provides a single interface for employees to access all services.
- Tailored process flows reduce confusion and improve service request efficiency, gathering the specific information required without presenting redundant fields.
- Enhances user satisfaction by simplifying service interactions.
- Form integration enables provided data to be fed into connected systems effortlessly.
SAP ESM is an enterprise-wide service management framework designed to work seamlessly with SAP and non-SAP service solutions. ESM is not limited to a specific service use case, nor is there a reliance on being connected to another system.
Using a cloud-native microservices architecture, ESM has no dependency on third-party systems to handle core service capabilities. It can be seamlessly embedded into an existing employee portal or a solution like SAP WorkZone can be used.
Standard integration already exists to ESM with the likes of S/4HANA supplier invoice and payment advice, and its microservices API enables easy integration to any connectable system.
Key Opportunities:
- Service management without dependency on specific systems, which is source system agnostic.
- Service management flexible enough to handle the requests of any business function by tailoring process flows.
- Capability to connect with any integration-enabled SAP or non-SAP service solution.
- Flexibility to scale service management by adopting processes beyond HR.
For organisations looking to advance beyond the capability of SAP ECSC, transitioning to SAP ESM presents a powerful strategic opportunity to enhance service management across multiple business functions. ESM addresses common service management limits such as siloed service experiences, manual processes, and limited automation, enabling businesses to achieve greater efficiency, automation, and employee satisfaction.
Next Steps
Engage with the SAP partner of choice for SAP Enterprise Service Management, Prezien. We offer a free assessment of your service management landscape and requirements, to help you to:
- Evaluate your current service management capabilities and the limitations that you currently face.
- Engage key stakeholders to define business goals, ensure alignment and adoption.
- Plan a phased implementation strategy.
- Leverage automation and AI for maximum efficiency.
By embracing the shift to SAP Enterprise Service Management today, you will create a scalable, future-proof enterprise service management strategy that drives continuous improvement and innovation, positioning your organisation for a more efficient, agile, and future-ready approach to service delivery.
Interested in an assessment?
Ask our CX experts any of your questions and take advantage of their specialist advice.
