SAP has introduced the Advanced Success Plan for its Customer Experience suite, positioning it as a way to bring specialised expertise directly into implementation teams. The pitch is faster execution and smarter outcomes. The subtext is more interesting: SAP knows that many CX projects are failing not because of the software, but because organisations lack the internal capability to operationalise it.
This is something we hear constantly from hiring managers across the DACH region. They invest in SAP Customer Experience licenses, then struggle to find professionals who can bridge the gap between technical configuration and business process transformation. The result is projects that drag on, budgets that balloon, and CX platforms that never deliver on their promise.
The talent implications are significant. SAP wrapping more hands-on support into its success plans suggests demand for standalone CX implementation consultants may soften over time. But the need for senior professionals who can lead these initiatives internally, working alongside SAP’s own teams, is likely to grow. We expect to see more hybrid roles emerge: part programme manager, part CX strategist, with deep SAP fluency.
For candidates currently building expertise in SAP CX, the message is clear. Technical skills remain essential, but the premium will increasingly sit with those who can drive adoption and business outcomes, not just configure modules. For hiring managers, this announcement is a prompt to reconsider whether your internal team has the seniority and breadth to extract value from these new support structures.
We will be watching how quickly DACH enterprises adopt this model and what it means for the mix of internal versus external CX talent.
Prompted by reporting from SAP News Centre.