When you encounter an error in the SAP HCM software, what is your first thought for moving forward? Too often I see clients skip reporting it to SAP, and proceeding to work-around it. While there are times that is the speediest way forward, it is most often not the best way forward for either SAP or the client's best interest.
I understand why people don't report software errors to SAP. Creating a good support message - many of us still call them OSS messages but I believe OSS went away long ago - takes time. And then it takes effort to shepherd SAP through the process of fixing it. Yes, shepherding - making sure SAP's support group gets on the message and then responding timely to their requests. And their requests are many - more detail please, open your system and provide a scenario please, apply these notes please, adjust your business process please. Did I miss anything?
Even when we provide all kinds of detail to reproduce the issue in any reasonable test system, clients almost always get a request from SAP to please open one of their test systems so that SAP can login and take a look at the error. But what a waste of time! If clients provide enough detail for SAP to reproduce the issue, why won't SAP make an effort to try it in their own system? If SAP tries but can't reproduce it then that's different - but let clients know that the error couldn't be reproduced.
So what happens then when clients don't report the errors to SAP? Then clients don't use the functionality, or they code & configure around it to patch the errors themselves. And, critically, SAP doesn't benefit from knowing about the error and getting it corrected to improve the overall quality of their software. It is so arduous to report, track and resolve an error that many times clients simply don't bother.
When work-arounds are easier than fixes, when putting up with the error is more attractive than attemtping to resolve it, then the support process needs work.