The combined powerhouse of /N SPRO, Aasonn, and 3D Results under Rizing HCM has more SAP SuccessFactors Professional Certifications than any consultancy in the world, more than any other SuccessFactors partner globally by a factor of five. We are very proud of that, because that’s key to our philosophy of providing maximum value to customers.
It’s important to note there are two different types of SuccessFactors certifications, and they require vastly different experience and knowledge to acquire. The basic level of certification is the SuccessFactors Associate Certification. The advanced level is the Professional Certification.
What’s the Difference Between SuccessFactors Associate and Professional Certifications?
SAP’s training materials described the Associate Certification as covering the fundamental knowledge requirements for a SuccessFactors consultant to train and implement solutions, as this is based on its own SAP SuccessFactors Academy training.
That’s where the Professional Certification becomes important. Professionally certified individuals must have real-world experience, with three complete SuccessFactors implementations in the past 36 months where they played the lead role. The consultant must also be doing a proper job on those projects—90% customer satisfaction is necessary for certification.
Earning that level of customer satisfaction over the course of three implementations requires a deep knowledge of the product, and it’s important to have people like that leading projects. They know the pain points, the best practices, they’ve experienced them first had and that’s why they know how to devise the best solution for the customer.
The Role Professionally Certified Consultants Play
When it comes to SuccessFactors implementations, not every consultant on a project needs the Professional Certification for it to be successful. However, it’s vital to have individuals with that top-level experience and knowledge in key areas.
Design, for example, is a place where intimate knowledge of current SuccessFactors capabilities is required, along with the experience to provide the best practices on how to get the most out of the solution. If the person doing the design has only an Associate Certification, they won’t have the depth of knowledge to provide that advice.
It’s all about finding the right balance. The people doing configurations in the background don’t necessarily need to be professionally certified, but it is important for the leads on the project to be at that level—the professionally certified consultants have seen the SuccessFactors solution work in a real-world situation, they can better help the customer plan for future developments and anticipate fixes before they come.
At Rizing, we consider professionally certified consultants essential to be a trusted advisor for customer success. That’s why we have more consultants with SuccessFactors Professional Certifications than anyone else by a large margin.