Introduction
Imagine a service technician having to access equipment manuals, log working hours, and order spare parts—all on-site with limited connectivity. Or a sales manager who has to approve a quote during a business trip. Mobile apps from SAP enable uninterrupted performance with SAP Business Suite, no matter where employees start working. From laptops with web apps to native mobile functionality: the experience continues seamlessly on any device, using a single point of entry anywhere with natural AI conversations and consistent processes for every line of business.
Making the Business Suite’s End-to-End Business Processes Work Anywhere
SAP Business Suite empowers companies across various industries to run their operations comprehensively. A key aspect of SAP strategy is facilitating continuous end-to-end business transformation driven by AI, adapting to constant change. This strategy delivers a holistic approach to applications, data, and AI, all running on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and powered by SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC). BDC enriches core processes with AI-driven intelligence across Financial Management, Spend Management, Supply Chain Management, Human Capital Management, and Customer Experience.
To ensure seamless execution of process steps under any circumstances, SAP mobile apps and development capabilities are crucial. SAP provides a suite of apps tailored to high-volume use cases, addressing industry-specific needs with accurate personas modeled after real employee activities.
Wherever decision-makers, knowledge workers, or front-line workers on critical assignments, these apps equip them with native device functions (like camera or location services) and embedded AI agents (such as Finance or Spend agents) that use high-quality SAP and non-SAP data. In many cases, SAP AI copilot Joule will be the preferred method for interacting with a smartwatch or accessing information on a mobile screen.
SAP’s mobile solutions support a wide array of roles, including finance managers, store managers, hiring managers, and production supervisors. Also, essential front line worker roles such as service technicians, maintenance technicians, delivery drivers, and warehouse operators benefit from SAP’s support for their daily mobile-only work environments.
Benefiting from an Integrated Technology Stack and a People-centered Design System
The suite's core qualities, such as a consistent user experience, unified data and analytics providing a "single source of truth," and embedded AI, are core to SAP "out-of-the-box" mobile apps.
SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) not only serves as the platform for the SAP Business Suite, bringing native apps and browser-based cloud apps together, but also offers customers and partners SAP Build. SAP Build is a unified and simplified visual solution for low-code or pro-code development, enabling the extension and optimization of apps, automation of processes, and the creation of AI agents with SAP Joule Studio.
These tools simplify and elevate daily work, facilitated by the SAP Design System, which ensures consistency and minimal learning curves, making the applications user-friendly. The SAP Design System provides designers and developers with the necessary information for creating apps that deliver a coherent, role-based, and simple UX across all devices.
Design guidelines (SAP Fiori for iOS and SAP Fiori for Android) and SAP BTP Software Developments Kits (SDK) and Mobile Development Kit (MDK) ensure that enterprise mobile applications are as easy to use as consumer apps on phones, tablets, watches, or glasses.
Key Mobile Apps for the Suite’s Core Processes
SAP mobile apps are designed to make workers independent from the wired workspace, extending the Business Suite beyond the desktop.
The primary mobile entry point to SAP is SAP Mobile Start with Joule, SAP’s AI copilot.
Specialized applications, such as SAP Service and Asset Manager, extend functionality to specific roles in the field, also allowing offline use.
All apps consistently use native mobile device features: Talking to a device’s voice assistant, for example, starts the conversation with a business AI agent. Notifications and life activities point to open issues, while specific apps deliver the data and the solutions needed for executing process steps.
Entry point: SAP Mobile Start
SAP Mobile Start allows users to work with all needed apps, insights and processes from a single mobile hub. Joule with its AI chat box is centrally placed on the main screen to serve as the first contact point for questions and getting solutions, embedded in a user experience that is focused on delivering what each persona needs. Mobile Start also comes with distinctive features for watches and spatial computing devices such as Apple Vision Pro.
Learn more about Setting up SAP Mobile Start with SAP S/4HANA on SAP Build Work Zone and in the following unit of this course.
Discover below high-volume mobile apps for various business areas and their advantages.
Apps for Supply Chain Management
SAP Service and Asset Manager is native mobile application for managing physical assets with SAP enterprise asset management (EAM). It empowers field technicians with the tools they need to access, capture, and work on assets and operational data directly on their mobile devices –– online, offline or with intermittent internet connection.
Learn more about it at Getting started with SAP Service and Asset Manager and in the following unit of this course.
Also you can take a course on the SAP Learning platform:
- Discovering SAP Service and Asset Manager
- Implementing SAP Service and Asset Manager (including mobile app)
SAP Product Model Viewer allows users to access and display 3D models from the Visualization cloud service of SAP Integrated Product Development. Engineers, manufacturers, service providers, and asset operators can view step-by-step work instructions, as well as product, equipment, and spare part information, in augmented-reality environment directly on their phones and tablets.
For a deep dive check this page at SAP Help: Getting started with the SAP Product Model Viewer app.
SAP Warehouse Logistics is a native mobile app that connects to SAP Logistics Management and allows warehouse operatives to execute picking operations faster and more accurately from a mobile device. It runs on Android and iOS and supports both build-in camera scanning and external scanners.
Explore it further at Onboarding SAP Warehouse Logistics.
Apps for Spend Management
SAP Ariba Shopping is a native mobile app that offers a consumer-like, compliant and secure shopping experience for employees, offering virtualization and simple configuration connected to SAP Ariba and ready for Buying 360 innovations.
Explore further at Getting started with the SAP Ariba Shopping app
SAP Concur mobile app enables management of travel and expenses on the go, including reviewing and approving expense reports, invoices, and travel requests, as well as capturing receipts and booking transportation and accommodations.
Explore further at Explore the SAP Concur mobile app.
SAP Fieldglass Manager Hub app provides remote access to the My Workers dashboard in the SAP Fieldglass application, allowing users to perform frequently used actions for managing job postings, job seekers, work orders, and workers from any location.
Getting started with the SAP Fieldglass Manager Hub.
Apps for Human Capital Management
SAP SuccessFactors Mobile helps businesses bring HR processes closer to employees, increasing engagement, productivity, and effectiveness. Users can view employee profiles and contact people directly, review applications, view organizational charts, and interact with documents, presentations, videos, and links.
Explore the SAP SuccessFactors learning center and SAP SuccessFactors Mobile | SAP Help Portal.
Apps for Customer Experience
SAP Sales Cloud mobile application provides access to SAP Sales Cloud data and processes, enabling sales professionals to gain customer insights, collaborate with their teams, communicate effectively with their business network, and make informed decisions directly from their mobile devices.
For a deep dive go to: Explore the Mobile Application in SAP Sales Cloud V2 (video) and SAP Sales Cloud Mobile Application | SAP Help Portal.
Summary
- The mobile apps from SAP extend the reach of the SAP Business Suite, enabling users to perform critical tasks from anywhere.
- AI-driven intelligence and intuitive user experiences are central to SAP mobile strategy, enhancing productivity and decision-making.
- SAP BTP and SAP Build provide the tools for customers and partners to customize and extend mobile apps to meet specific business needs.
- A suite of mobile apps addresses industry-specific requirements across various roles, from decision-makers to frontline workers.
- SAP Mobile Start serves as a central hub for accessing apps, tasks, and insights, streamlining the mobile user experience.