Comprehensive joint support model provides efficient collaboration between customers, SAP and Vertex
Berwyn, PA – September 15, 2009 – Vertex Inc., the leading provider of enterprise corporate tax solutions, today announced that it now delivers integrated end-to-end support of its software products with SAP® Enterprise Support services through new integration of Vertex software products with the backbone of the SAP Active Global Support organization. Through this announcement, Vertex and SAP elevate traditional point-of-solution services and support to a holistic model, providing optimized interaction and end-to-end supportability between SAP business solutions and Vertex tax applications.
The increased global use of SAP applications, coupled with the adoption of service-oriented architecture (SOA) by SAP and independent software vendors (ISVs) such as Vertex, has challenged traditional support models. Launched by SAP in January 2009, SAP Enterprise Support has evolved to meet the needs of customers by supporting their mission-critical business process and heterogeneous software environments.
As one of the first SAP software solution partners to offer an end-to-end integrated support solution, Vertex deployed the SAP Solution Manager application management solution at its global headquarters in Berwyn, PA. This deployment provides Vertex with immediate visibility into possible Vertex issues logged with SAP, and has reduced customer-resolution cycle time by 50 percent.
“Connecting the partner support organization to the backbone of SAP Active Global Support and defining contractual obligations between the partner and SAP provides a significantly higher level of support than has been available in the past,” said Andreas Graesser, vice president, Global Software Solution Partner Management, SAP Active Global Support. “If an identified problem is related to the partner’s software, both SAP and the partner can use SAP Solution Manager as a common support platform, and leverage its root-cause analysis tools and best practices to efficiently resolve the issue quickly.”
“The adoption of end-to-end solution operations and the deployment of SAP Solution Manager have tremendously improved the support interaction with our customers,” said Steve Richard, vice president, Product Support, Vertex Inc. “The resulting diagnostic capabilities could significantly reduce customer resolution cycle times – and, in turn, lead to increased support efficiency and customer satisfaction.”
To participate with SAP on this integrated support model, Vertex was required to meet the stringent operating and quality standards set by SAP. Vertex complied with the SAP standards for solution operations and, going forward, is committed to meet them as well as the service-level agreements of SAP Enterprise Support.
In addition to integrating with SAP Enterprise Support, the Vertex support organization is also Service Capability & Performance (SCP) certified. SCP certification measures the effectiveness of customer support based upon an exacting set of performance standards and represents best practices in the industry. The SCP program was developed by a consortium of approximately 50 leading technology support organizations from around the world.
With SCP certification, enablement of the new integrated end-to-end support capabilities with SAP Enterprise Support, and adoption of the Run SAP methodology by the Vertex Support organization for SAP clients, Vertex offers a support model currently unique among ISVs and suppliers of ERP software -- delivering the highest levels of service and support. The customer and partner integration aspects of this model can exceed customer expectations and increase operational efficiency in the mission-critical SAP business processes integrated with Vertex tax applications.
About Vertex Inc.
With more than 30 years of experience, Vertex Inc. is the leading provider of enterprise corporate tax solutions and process management services worldwide.
Vertex solutions help companies streamline and integrate tax provision and compliance processes, and leverage information to discover new strategic tax savings across every major line of business tax, including income, sales, consumer use, value added, communications, and payroll. To serve its customers, Vertex works in partnership with the world’s leading providers of ERP software and related services.
Founded in 1978, Vertex is a privately held company that employs more than 600 professionals at its headquarters in the U.S. (Berwyn, PA) and its offices in Europe (London), Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Sarasota, and Washington, DC.
For more information about Vertex, visit www.vertexinc.com.
Press Contact: Cindy Spiecker |
Company Contact: Brigitte Geiss |
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