The SAP Partner Center of Expertise (PCOE) Certification is essential to become an SAP Value-added Reseller (VAR). PCOE certification is a rigorous process which ensures that the certified partner is equipped with the right knowledge and staff to deliver the highest quality of support. Certification is achieved with the help of standardized and streamlined procedures for corrective and preventative maintenance. PCOE recertification is required every two years to ensure that all VAR partners are following the changes/additions to the certification process.

SAP Partner Center of Expertise Re-Certification Audit



The SAP Partner Center of Expertise certification audit consists of three main criteria; processes, infrastructure, and people.

Processes

There are over 20 documents that must be submitted with the PCOE certification checklist. These documents include items such as Customer User Guides, Sample VAR, Delivered Support Agreements, Complaint and Escalation Processes, Corporate Presentations highlighting Enterprise Support and Various Solution Manager incident reports.

Infrastructure

Centers must have a support hotline and SAP Solution Manager installed with a remote connection to the SAP Support Center for production or test clients. In addition to the Solution Manager, each VAR must have test clients set-up for each product they support. Test clients are essential to consultants for testing and simulating customer issues and finding solutions.

People

The Partner Support Team must have the following roles enabled; Dispatcher, Support Processor, Support Coordinator, Support Manager, and SAP Basis Administrator to confirm that all tasks and responsibilities are completed for each customer.

In addition to product-specific certifications, each support consultant should have a general support operations web-qualification (Q_SUPP_1) and Solution Manager training.

Readiness Audit

SAP performs remote checks on all the mandates in terms of certified people, infrastructure, and support processes to help partners optimize their customer’s business performance. This happens once every two years.

Why Choose a PCOE Certified Partner for Your Support Services?

PCOE certified partners work diligently to complete the necessary support certifications, document all the required support processes, set-up the necessary support infrastructure, and test systems to enable them to provide the highest-quality support to their clients. The PCOE certification process is complicated and requires a commitment to detail in order to achieve SAP’s level of excellence. Only a small percentage of SAP partners pursue and pass the PCOE certification process due to the complex requirements. PCOE certified partners are dedicated to maintaining a strong partnership with SAP and providing their clients with the highest standards in SAP solutions and support services. This commitment to excellence is mandatory when striving to meet the rigorous requirements for PCOE certification. Those elite few partners who achieve this certification can be trusted to provide consistent, uniform, and high-level SAP expertise and quality to their clients.