Future-Proofing Your Business: Seamless CRM Modernization with SAP

With the 2027 SAP maintenance deadline rapidly approaching, organizations are reevaluating their SAP ERP Business Suite strategies to ensure seamless business operations and future scalability. As companies assess their transition paths, SAP S/4HANA migration has emerged as a key focus, enabling enterprises to modernize their IT landscapes, enhance automation, and unlock real-time data insights.

However, SAP recognizes that not all organizations will be ready to migrate by 2027. Many businesses operate in complex, highly customized environments where an immediate move to SAP S/4HANA might be challenging due to factors like resource constraints, ongoing digital transformations, or the need for significant process reengineering. To address these varying readiness levels, SAP has introduced a phased maintenance approach beyond 2027, ensuring customers have flexibility while maintaining essential support. Starting in 2028, organizations that have not yet migrated to SAP S/4HANA will have the option to subscribe to extended maintenance. This option is available until 2030, providing an additional three years of full support, including regulatory updates, security patches, and performance improvements. However, extended maintenance comes at a cost—businesses opting for this service will incur a two-percentage-point premium on their current maintenance fees.

The Need for CRM Modernization

As organizations continue their digital transformation, modernizing their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) landscape has become critical. Enterprises are striving to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and leverage advanced analytics, AI-driven insights, and automation to stay competitive in an increasingly digital-first world.

SAP CRM 7.0 has served businesses for years, but with the mainstream maintenance ending for SAP CRM 7.0 EhP 0-1 in 2025 and SAP CRM 7.0 EhP 2-4 ending in 2027, companies must evaluate their next steps. Extended and customer-specific maintenance options come with limitations—no legal changes, no new support packages, and no guaranteed technological updates. Migrating to modern SAP solutions enables organizations to benefit from enhanced sales, service, marketing, commerce, and interaction center capabilities, seamlessly integrated within the latest SAP ecosystem.

However, CRM transformation presents several challenges. Complex system landscapes with heavy customizations make migration a daunting task. Many businesses have significant on-premise enhancements that add complexity, while fears of a disruptive transition create uncertainty. Additionally, intricate business processes require careful planning, and limited stakeholder buy-in makes change management difficult. Without a structured approach, these obstacles can slow down innovation, limiting agility in an evolving digital landscape.

How the SAP Customer Evolution Program Helps

SAP CX Customer Evolution Program is a global program designed for SAP’s on-premise CRM customers to convert their legacy on-premise solutions to SAP Customer Experience (SAP CX) solutions including SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Service Cloud, SAP Marketing Cloud, and Backoffice Processes (SAP S/4HANA). SAP CX is an integrated suite of industry-leading cloud solutions for customer data, CRM marketing, sales CRM, service, and e-commerce. By migrating to the cloud, customers can streamline their operations, enhance customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge.

SAP provides a structured approach to help customers move confidently from legacy CRM systems to next-generation solutions. Migrating from a legacy CRM system to a next-generation solution can be a complex journey, but SAP provides a structured and guided approach to make the transition seamless. With the free-of-charge SAP Customer Evolution kit, organizations gain valuable insights early in the process, allowing them to focus on key transformation areas. The journey begins with customers connecting with their SAP Account Team to align on the assessment catalog, followed by a Preparation & Information Call, where SAP shares details about the SAP Customer Evolution kit and helps define the transformation focus. Before moving forward, SAP conducts an SAP Readiness Check and Questionnaire prior to the engagement, helping organizations assess their current state and align transformation efforts with regional and process-specific requirements. The customer engagement starts with a Solution Presentation and Demo based on the customer’s questionnaire inputs, followed by an Interview Session with a Solution Architect to refine requirements. A Tailored Value Case is developed to highlight business benefits, leading to a Final Session where SAP Readiness Check outcomes are reviewed. The process concludes with a Handover Session, ensuring a seamless transition and setting the stage for the next steps in the customer’s SAP evolution.

By breaking the migration into clear and manageable steps, SAP minimizes disruption while maximizing business value. This structured approach not only reduces the risks associated with system transitions but also ensures that businesses are well-prepared to leverage the capabilities of modern CRM solutions for enhanced customer engagement and operational efficiency.

Case in Point – Bosch

Many organizations have successfully leveraged SAP’s transformation framework to modernize their customer engagement platforms. One notable case is Bosch, which transitioned from SAP CRM to SAP CX, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction. Bosch Automotive Aftermarket faced difficulties in managing and tracking contact center operations due to multiple portals and siloed databases. Service agents struggled to get a clear view of customer requests, leading to inefficiencies in handling orders and inquiries. The fragmented IT landscape also made it difficult to provide a seamless customer experience and optimize after-sales services.

To streamline operations and improve customer service, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket implemented SAP Service Cloud, integrating it with its existing SAP ERP system. This consolidation created a single repository for customer service data, replacing multiple ticketing systems and enabling agents to access all relevant information in one place. The integration also extended to a new customer portal, allowing service agents to track both direct customer interactions and self-service actions from the portal. Additionally, seamless connectivity with billing, logistics, and third-party carrier systems reduced the need for agents to navigate multiple platforms.

With all service data centralized, Bosch could monitor service ticket statuses, optimize workflows, and enhance the customer experience. The company is also planning a transition to SAP S/4HANA, further integrating field service management to drive innovation, streamline service repairs, and add greater value for customers.

SAP provides a structured, low-risk approach to CRM modernization. The SAP Customer Evolution Program serves as a guide for organizations looking to transition to future-ready customer engagement platforms.

Get started today! Register for the SAP Customer Evolution kit and take the first step toward a seamless transformation.