Running a business can be very complicated. What makes a business successful today, might not be irrelevant in less than two years from now.
This is why major players in the market invest huge numbers in research & development activities to keep themselves updated about the ever-changing scenario and attain that tiny edge over their competitors. Having so much put on the line, it is smart to have an ERP solution to ensure efficiency, productivity, better decision making capabilities, consistent operational maintenance, and customized solutions.
Approyo is one disruptive company that provides full SAP service technology with extensive capabilities in consulting, solutions architecture, hosting, and managed services, in order to develop the right solution for the customers.
Founded by Christopher M. Carter, the Chairman and CEO, Approyo supports global organizations and their applications with its headquarters in Milwaukee, and offices across North America, Europe, and South America. It supports over 300 SAP landscapes worldwide, from production to live environments.
The journey of Approyo commenced over a bottle of scotch when the former Vice President of SAP & a good friend of Christopher encouraged him to get back into SAP. They discussed about what SAP HANA was going to be potentially.
Christopher took it as a sign and flew out to Waldorf, Germany, to work and learn with Vishal Sikka and Hasso Platner. Later they became one of the first 20 SAP Startup Focus program partners within the first year and have only grown further over the years.
The name of the company is created using the term “app” which is short for application, and the last name of Bronson Arroyo, a baseball player, who Christopher is fond of. A huge baseball fan himself, Christopher was at a Milwaukee Brewers game against the Cincinnati Reds when he was looking for a company name. One day, he thought he heard his daughter say Approyo rather than Arroyo and the rest became history.
The Wealth of Experience
Being the CEO of Approyo, Christopher overlooks the entire company, however, he works closely with the company’s partners and prospective customers. He boasts over 20 years of experience in the SAP industry and created Approyo with the vision of helping improve businesses by upgrading them onto the SAP HANA platform.
SAP HANA was relatively new when he began the company, and Christopher knew there was an opportunity to help improve the business world itself. He is also a Forbes Technology Council member, and his experience has earned him recognition by the American SAP Users Group, SAP, Hadoop World, and Cloud Expo.
Given a choice to start again, Christopher believes, “He would have listened more and taken more notes, rather than thinking he knew everything”.
According to him, he was lucky to be on the forefront of SAP technology on SAP R/3 and thought he was the greatest man in SAP at times. “What I should have done is shut up & listen to the true experts from around the globe and really learn more about how to run a business from the top down.” admits Christopher.
The biggest challenge for the company is and has been to bring the best talent in SAP and to make sure that they fit its corporate culture. Approyo as a team is very proud of its culture, what it is, and how everyone in the team fits together.
Customer Experience is the Key
According to Christopher, confidence, knowledge, extensive learning, and turning that into expertise makes a company head on the path to disruption. He believes that if one truly understands every aspect of the work one is doing, it will drive the business to success. Christopher also believes that disruptive companies are the ones that sneak up on their customers and surprise them. Also, creating the ultimate customer experience will make a lasting impact.
Using innovation, new ideas, and tactics enable the company to be ahead of the competition. For instance, when someone finds something like SAP difficult, Approyo provides the solution to fix that problem with ease. It makes SAP simple, and that takes a lot of stress off the customer, allowing them to focus on what their business is really about. It’s creating simple solutions for complicated problems that make customers the most satisfied. Combining affordability, unique services, and convenience is the best way to bring them to the top.
Specializing SAP
Approyo offers SAP as a Software as a Service. It currently specializes in SAP only, making it a true expert in the field. The company offers SAP consultancy services, managed & hosted services, and operates implementations, migrations, and upgrades onto SAP S/4HANA and other SAP platforms. It offers the flexibility of choosing the services package including the choice of services the business requires to utilize and pricing.
Approyo’s team comprises global group of SAP professionals, allowing it to provide 24/7 service to its clients. Having locations throughout the US, as well as Europe, Brazil, and India, it allows the company to help customers with any problems or requests they may face.
The Process
According to Approyo, before starting any project with a current or new customer, the company needs to make sure that it understands its goals and objectives first. It requires every detail about its customers and how they run their business. Based on the details, it designs a package that would best fit their organization’s needs, whether that be hosted infrastructure, SAP basis support, etc.
The company has 24/7 help desk and SAP Basis Administrators that take requests & questions at all times. The company believes that its reliability is what drives its client satisfaction.
Industry Landscape
According to Christopher, SAP is just one of the many ERP cloud systems in the market today, making it a niche category. Within the SAP community, there are hundreds of companies who offer their services & platforms, but each offers its services uniquely. Some may only offer hosting services, others may only offer SAP support. Some companies might offer cloud platforms other than SAP, such as Microsoft Azure, Dell Boomi, and Oracle
With the current 2027 deadline put in place, customers will need to migrate their systems onto S/4 HANA. What makes Approyo the expert for the job is that it currently manages 200+ SAP landscapes, and has done over 100 migrations. The company has the experience, great relationship with different industries, and drives results with its SAP solutions. Its team of SAP experts is certified in these programs, which grows every day.
Understanding Cloud
The initial years of Approyo were good but not great as it continued to learn how to position its cloud-based solution in a world that is still trying to understand what cloud was. It needed to educate executives & technology teams on what the true value of a cloud was, as well as what cloud is, which made for some very long & deep conversations.
With advancements in technology, several people now have a better understanding of what the cloud is. Since then, the company has gained numerous customers and added more staff to its team. It has seen great growth, and Christopher looks forward to what the future holds.
He states, “I have grown day in and day out with stronger knowledge on how to run a company, how to manage more staff, and how to rely on my leadership team to help me and the company grow.”
What Future Holds
In the future, with just seven years due to the SAP S/4Hana deadline, those who are currently on SAP platforms will be forced to move to the next biggest & brightest platform. According to Approyo, with the success that SAP has shared over the past year alone, it will attract more and more companies to join the SAP community.
Most businesses have ERP systems in place. Those who have not implemented one yet, will soon realize that having one is what will take them to the next level. With the growth in customer base, the company will need an ever-growing team to adequately help them.
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