Thank you all for your replies. To give a broader explanation:
I work for a capability consultancy called Brand Learning which specializes in lifting the performance of marketing, sales and HR teams.
At the time I was doing research into what drives growth in organisations - and collaboration was a key theme. Margaret Heffernan, in her TED talk referred to this SAP network as an example of helpfulness and collaboration - and so I was curious and wanted to verify how it worked before deciding whether to cite it as an example. You can find out more about the research - it is called The Growth Drivers Study on www.brandlearning.com.
It sounds like this is a broader support and collaboration tool for the SAP community than for inside the company - although employees are part of that community. And it is a great example of that if I'm reading your responses correctly. In our own company we use Yammer for internal communication and support in a similar way, but haven't extended that to customers.
I'm still looking for great examples of how companies involve their employees in shaping direction and solutions so thank you for continuing to respond. Although do not feel obliged, naturally.