Explaining the Service Quotation Process Steps

The customer service manager receives a request for a service quotation from a customer. This is the start event for the business process covered by scope item Service Quotation (4GA). Based on this customer request, a service quotation is created in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, service with the status Open.

This service quotation can then be sent to the customer as a document representing a legally binding offer with fixed pricing conditions for the performance of the services detailed in the document.

The quotation provides a cost estimate to the customer requesting it before they place an actual service order. Both Time and Material (T&M) and Fixed Price cost estimates are supported with related validity period(s). The validity period of a service quotation can be changed by the customer service manager. The manager can also perform repricing for the new validity period.

Using Output Control (/Output Management) settings in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, service, you can choose if the service quotation needs to be printed. You can then send it to the customer as a paper document. You can also choose if it needs to be sent to the customer as an e-mail. If so, you can decide to send it with added text or as an e-mail with the service quotation attached to the e-mail as a PDF.

After sending, the service quotation status changes to Sent to Customer in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

When the customer receives the service quotation, negotiations for example, regarding the pricing of the service quotation, can begin. As illustrated in the figure, Process Steps - 2 of 2, a customer can request changes to the service quotation.

If the customer service manager decides to change the quotation (for example, a repricing is needed because of a validity period change), the service quotation status changes to Under Review. When the customer service manager finishes updating the service quotation and sends it to the customer again, the status returns to Sent to Customer.

The customer decides whether or not they want to proceed with the service quotation. If the customer rejects the service quotation, the status changes to Rejected. This ends the Service Quotation (4GA) process.

It is possible to configure rejection reasons for both service quotations and service orders.

Using Central Business Configuration (CBC) in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, it is possible to first define rejection reasons and then to also define a rejection profile. As a next step, the relevant rejection reasons are assigned to each rejection profile.

The rejection profiles are then assigned to the transaction types (that is, the document types) for which they are to be used. Every transaction type can have one rejection profile assigned, but one rejection profile can be assigned to multiple transaction types.

If a customer rejects a service quotation, a rejection reason out of the valid rejection profile for the used transaction type (that is, document type) can be entered. The status of the service quotation changes to Rejected.

If the customer decides to proceed with the service quotation, the service quotation status changes to Accepted. Note that a partial acceptance of the service quotation is also supported. It is also possible to have the system automatically create the service order for the (accepted) service quotation. This ends the Service Quotation (4GA) process in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

A customer service manager can also provide a cost estimate when including service parts in the quotation that are available as part of the stock.

An item category called Stock Service Part (Stock SrvPrt (Qttn)) is available to enable working with these (inventory managed) service parts.

Externally procured services can also be included in a service quotation. The item category Ext. Service Item is available for these externally procured services.

Both types of service bundles can also be created and/or used in service quotations.

Simulative ATP (Available To Promise) features are available in a service quotation. To better understand the current stock situation for a stock part required for the service planned by a service quotation, a simulative ATP check can be executed.

Prerequisites for such a check are:

• The ATP check needs to be activated for the stock part item category, using a SSCUI.
• The service part material needs to support an ATP check.

To activate the check using the required settings in Customizing, navigate to your Central Business Configuration (CBC) environment, and search for Service → Activate AT Check for Service Parts. Choose the action called Configure and then choose the item category for which the simulative ATP (Available To Promise) check needs to be executed.

The simulative ATP check runs for quantities greater than zero. The service order item must have the status Open, In Process or Released for the simulative ATP check to run. The results of the simulative ATP check are not stored in the system.

In a service quotation, the check can be executed for a service part by clicking Check Availability. After triggering the simulative ATP check, Availability and Available Quantity values are displayed in the corresponding columns. Using a color, the availability status column shows:

• Green: Fully Available

• Yellow: Partially Available

• Red: Unavailable

A customer service manager can also assign a service team to a service quotation, for example, on the quotation header. The service team influences the plant and plays a role in fetching the right costs for procured parts/services using purchasing info records. When the service team is assigned at the header level, it is copied to the items. The service team can also be explicitly assigned to a service item. Once the service team assignment is done and a service quotation is accepted, the follow-up service order is generated automatically, with the service team details copied to the service order.

Another feature for service quotations is the Service Performer role. This role enables the customer service manager to request a preferred external personnel number to be maintained as the service performer in a certain service quotation.

As stated previously in the units about service contracts and service orders, in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, service, there is a flexible way of defining whether a service contract, a service quotation and/or, a service order is relevant for output. Rules can be defined for each type of document individually. As an example, the figure, Flexible Configuration of Output Relevance, shows rules set up for a service order. This can be done in a similar way for a service contract and/or a service quotation.

The fields Error Status, Cancellation Status, Release Status and Open are available as columns in the decision table used to set up the output relevance for a service order. For a service contract, the field Error Status is available to do this. For a service quotation, the field Release Status can be used.

You can use the following simulations to work your way through the main process steps for solution process Service Quotation (4GA):