The move to Shared Services provides companies the opportunity to have large repositories of data in one place, captured and organized, ready for analysis and data mining. Gone are the days, for example, when negotiating favorable purchase terms required buyers to contact the vendor to find out what was purchased, and how much, because data […]
Having a talented pool of employees is a key success factor for any Shared Services organization to achieve in order to reach the highest levels of performance. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult objectives to accomplish, with the demand for top-quality talent always high both inside and outside the company. Making this […]
For companies that have moved beyond a country-by-country model to leverage scale across geographies, while a few might consider a location that delivers services globally, the most common model is to have a physical location that supports one or more geographic regions. With only two primary languages (Spanish and Portuguese), making the location decision for […]
A Kaizen Blitz is a very focused and intense short-term project to improve a process. This approach has an impressive track record in many Shared Services operations. Typically, a team of 4-12 members consisting of employees from the area of focus, supporting areas, and internal customers, carry out a detailed evaluation of the area or […]
Too often, mid-level managers are the “forgotten layer” of Shared Services, with the investment made more frequently at the senior leadership level and at the process level of the organization. Creating the opportunity for mid-level managers to formally meet to discuss issues and share ideas is a low-cost investment that can pay big dividends with […]
Outsourcing back-office processes that are often found in a Shared Services center continues to grow in popularity as external service providers improve the quality of their services. It is important that Shared Services leaders develop a strategy related to outsourcing so that they clearly understand how this alternative fits into the overall strategy. In addition, […]
Unlike a traditional corporate activity or a move towards centralized processes, Shared Services has typically considered an independent “business within the business”, following a customer-focused approach and often charging out for services using a pricing/charge-back model. While pricing can be a method for recovering costs, it can also play a role in the change management […]
Shared Services organizations are typically adept at gathering process-level performance metrics for use internally within Shared Services to provide performance feedback and set priorities for improvement for Shared Services staff and management. Communicating results to stakeholders and key internal customers, while equally important, is not typically given the same level of attention. In addition, the […]
Whether you are setting up Shared Services for the first time or expanding your portfolio after a decade of service, you likely have a set of criteria to determine the order for consolidation, and to assess the probability that expected benefits will be realized. An effective decision process is critical: while a larger base of […]
With the advent of ERP systems and a myriad of data warehouses and analysis tools over the past 20 years, companies often find themselves in the position of having plenty of information, but little in the way of actionable analysis and reporting as a result of implementing new technologies. Yet the truth remains that accurate […]