Unlock the Power of SAP Hyperautomation for Business

SAP is powerful, but not always agile

I've lost count of how many times I've heard this from enterprise teams: "SAP runs our core business, but we can't move fast enough."

It's the classic enterprise dilemma. SAP is mission-critical, stable, and handles billions in transactions. But it's also rigid. Customizations require ABAP developers who charge $150-300/hour. Simple process tweaks need consultants. And departmental workflows? They often fall completely outside SAP's structure, forcing teams to rely on email chains and spreadsheets.

Here's the frustrating reality: 61% of organizations cite integration with existing business processes as their top automation challenge in 2024, marking a 22% increase from 2023. As companies adopt more automation, the complexity of making everything work together grows exponentially.

That's where hyperautomation becomes critical.

By integrating low-code, RPA, and workflow automation platform around SAP, you can keep SAP's stability while adding the agility, intelligence, and adaptability your business actually needs. Hyperautomation doesn't replace SAP. It unlocks its potential.

This article explains how SAP customers can achieve that through smart hyperautomation strategies, and how a platform like Kissflow plays a vital role.

Why SAP alone doesn't solve every process problem

SAP excels at core transactional processes like finance, HR, procurement, and supply chain. But let's be honest about the challenges:

Change is glacially slow Custom developments need ABAP programming, extensive testing, and change management cycles that take months. Integration emerges as the leading challenge, affecting 61% of organizations.

User experience is inconsistent Navigating SAP often means jumping between multiple screens and memorizing obscure T-Codes. It's powerful for experts, confusing for everyone else.

Processes lack flexibility Non-standard workflows or exception handling? SAP wasn't designed for that. When real-world scenarios don't match the rigid process SAP expects, things break.

High dependency on expensive consultants SAP implementation costs range from $20,000 for small businesses to well over $100,000 for enterprises, and that's just the beginning. Even minor changes require vendor engagement at $100-300 per hour.

Process gaps remain Despite your massive SAP investment, many steps still rely on emails, spreadsheets, or external portals. These gaps create inefficiencies, delays, and compliance nightmares.

These limitations force business teams to work partially outside SAP, creating shadow IT and operational risks. Hyperautomation provides a way to extend SAP intelligently without heavy modifications.

What is SAP hyperautomation?

SAP hyperautomation is the strategic integration of automation technologies (RPA, AI, workflow automation, and low-code platforms) with SAP systems to:

• Automate high-volume, rules-based tasks like invoice matching or data entry

• Create workflows that interact with SAP without modifying its core

• Handle exceptions, approvals, and custom logic outside SAP's native modules

• Enable business users to manage process changes independently

• Connect SAP with third-party systems in a process-driven manner

Think of it as wrapping SAP in a digital layer that's smarter and faster.

Importantly, 48% of organizations now recognize the value of citizen developers, up from 38% in 2023. This highlights the growing adoption of low-code/no-code platforms to address automation needs without overwhelming IT.

Key areas where SAP hyperautomation drives value

1. Finance: Automating procure-to-pay and order-to-cash

• Use AI to extract and validate invoice data automatically

• Deploy RPA bots to post transactions into SAP

• Route exceptions through Kissflow workflows

• Track SLAs and cycle times through real-time dashboards

Impact: Faster closing cycles, fewer errors, and dramatically reduced reliance on expensive SAP consultants for exception handling.

2. Procurement: Vendor onboarding and PO processing

• Digitize vendor onboarding outside SAP using no-code forms
• Route approvals through Kissflow workflows
• Push final records into SAP via integration or RPA
• Automate follow-ups and status tracking

Impact: Improved supplier experience and accelerated onboarding (often by 70% or more) without touching SAP master data processes.

3. HR: Streamlining employee workflows

• Automate onboarding checklists, approvals, and document uploads
• Trigger SAP role provisioning and employee creation through APIs or bots
• Route exception handling or compliance checks outside SAP
• Provide self-service portals for HR requests

Impact: Higher employee satisfaction and reduced HR ticket volumes. 69% of daily managerial operations will be entirely automated by 2024, freeing HR teams for strategic work.

4. Manufacturing & logistics: Tracking, compliance, and handoffs

• Trigger automated checks from SAP alerts
• Track inspection approvals or safety audits using mobile workflows
• Integrate IoT data outside SAP for field-level automation
• Provide department-level dashboards with workflow history

Impact: Faster response times and improved traceability without modifying SAP core modules.

Why Kissflow is ideal for SAP hyperautomation

SAP environments need external platforms that are both powerful and user-friendly. Kissflow fits this requirement perfectly:

1. No-code workflows for process owners

Business users can build and modify workflows with drag-and-drop tools. HR, finance, and operations teams can digitize their own processes without waiting months for IT. This eliminates reliance on expensive consultants for minor changes.

2. Low-code extensibility for IT

Developers can integrate APIs, write custom scripts, and manage workflows centrally. SAP consultants can focus on core system configuration, not custom workflow code.

3. RPA compatibility

Kissflow works seamlessly with tools like UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or SAP's own iRPA. Bots can fetch data from SAP, trigger events, and post results back automatically.

4. Strong governance

Role-based access, audit logs, and deployment controls ensure SAP compliance isn't compromised. All automation remains transparent, traceable, and auditable.

5. Fast rollout without SAP disruptions

Since Kissflow operates outside SAP, teams can deploy workflows in weeks, not months. Only 4% of companies report no automation adoption in 2024, down from 13% in 2023, showing rapid market maturation.

Real-world example: Vendor onboarding with SAP + Kissflow

Challenge

A global manufacturing firm using SAP ECC struggled with vendor onboarding. The process involved multiple email loops, document uploads, and constant status confusion. SAP customization wasn't approved due to projected costs exceeding $250,000.

Hyperautomation Solution

• Vendor submits information via a Kissflow form

• AI engine validates document quality automatically

• Kissflow workflow routes approvals across procurement and legal teams

• Once approved, an RPA bot enters vendor information into SAP

• All communication, SLAs, and audit logs are managed within Kissflow

Result

• Reduced onboarding time by 70%

• Full visibility across all departments

• Zero changes to SAP backend

• Estimated savings of $180,000 in consultant fees annually

Building your SAP hyperautomation roadmap

Here's how enterprises should start:

Digital transformation spending reached $2.5 trillion in 2024 and is set to reach $3.9 trillion by 2027. Companies investing in hyperautomation now are positioning themselves to capture this growth.

Overcoming typical concerns

"Will we compromise SAP security?" No. Kissflow follows strict access controls and doesn't alter SAP core. All interactions happen through standard APIs or controlled RPA bots.

"Will it need lots of integration work?" APIs and RPA handle most handoffs with minimal effort. 41% of respondents are using SAP BTP in 2024, with integration being the most utilized feature at 79%.

"Won't this just create another platform to manage?" Kissflow simplifies work by consolidating scattered tools and reducing dependency on IT. It doesn't add complexity; it removes it.

"What if SAP's roadmap changes?" Kissflow is loosely coupled and agile enough to adapt without expensive rework. You're not locked into rigid customizations.

Final word: SAP doesn't need to do it all

SAP is your system of record, but not your system of innovation.

Hyperautomation platform like Kissflow provide a layer of agility, intelligence, and user-friendliness on top of SAP. They free departments from dependency, reduce change costs, and let IT focus on what actually matters.

With only 35% of businesses accomplishing their digital transformation objectives, the difference often comes down to execution strategy. SAP as the engine and Kissflow as the experience layer gives you both stability and adaptability.

The result? Faster workflows, happier users, and measurable efficiency gains without the pain of endless SAP customizations.