SAP has updated its spend management solutions, SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass, with its generative artificial intelligence (AI) copilot Joule to assist companies in strategic collaboration, higher productivity, effortless compliance, and more business insights.
The company announced these updates at SAP Spend Connect Live in Las Vegas on October 15. It indicated that embedded AI would help companies automate their spending processes and actively manage them for better control and savings.
Joule is available within SAP Ariba and will be introduced in SAP Fieldglass and SAP Business Network in Q4 2024. Moreover, starting from the fourth quarter, the generative AI will manage 80% of the most common or frequently performed tasks in these solutions in a phased manner.
The updates with Joule will benefit SAP Ariba, SAP Fieldglass and SAP Business Network users as follows:
- Make it easier to manage routine inquiries, such as status updates, summarization, and frequently asked questions
- Assist users in performing time-consuming hiring tasks and service requests with speed and accuracy
- Recommend best-fit templates to generate job postings and statements of work (SOWs) with prefilled information such as start date and the number of skilled workers needed
- Facilitate tasks in logistics and asset management for Business Network users while analyzing, categorizing and transforming unstructured invoice rejection errors into structured, actionable insights to reduce the cost of resolving exceptions
- Help match suppliers with new business opportunities for SAP Business Network users.
During the SAP Spend Connect Live event, SAP introduced an analytics add-on for external workforce management for SAP Fieldglass. The add-on has AI capabilities which help procurement, vendor management, and HR professionals implement better talent strategies. For users, this add-on can:
- Review performance against over 50 external workforce key performance indicators.
- Access global market intelligence, including rates, talent supply and demand, and time-to-hire trends.
- Track sustainability initiatives such as spending with diverse suppliers and worker health and safety while observing cost overruns, worker fatigue, and onboarding and offboarding compliance.
Simplifying procurement and supply
SAP has also introduced the SAP Ariba Intake Management solution to streamline procurement, handle employee requests, and orchestrate processes. The solution will provide one place for employees to go for procurement inquiries and visibility status.
The Intake Management solution, which will be available in Q1 2025, collects employee requests, orchestrates processes across varied business landscapes and applications, and provides visibility on status while safeguarding employees from complex processes driving adoption and improving compliance.
The company’s updated SAP Business Network will launch in Q1 2025 to promote subscriptions and help suppliers grow their business. The solution will have value-added features to help suppliers attract new buyers and accelerate their growth.
