Since the introduction of the Shared Services model almost 30 years ago the term “self-service” was touted as a masterful way to reengineer work processes by having originators of transactions, whether they be employees, suppliers, or customers, complete a simplified set of tasks to yield a transaction for Shared Services that was otherwise fully automated.  […]

While a significant number of companies have transitioned the Supply Chain function to a Shared Services type design, others have been less willing to do so for a variety of reasons. One aspect of the Supply Chain area that is conducive to consolidation is the related Finance & Accounting activities associated with this critical process.  […]

There are a variety of approaches to providing the appropriate level of support to customers and suppliers of Shared Services, depending on such factors as the geographic scope of the company, the types of services provided by the center, and support levels offered by other organizations within the company. For multi-national Shared Services operations, the […]

The use of a call center, help desk, or service desk to provide a focused point of contact for internal and external customer inquiries can be effective in reducing costs and complexity, as well as a method to capture and categorize reasons for process variations and defects by formalizing the response process and analyzing the […]

Ensuring the proper segregation of duties for different roles within a company, as well as the proper assignment and monitoring of sensitive system access by employees, are both important controls that all Shared Services operations are involved into one degree or another.  As the scope of Shared Services expands at many companies, the adequate focus […]

There are a variety of different configurations that companies can utilize for the facility design of their Shared Services operation.  Whether all employees are located in the same facility, separated somewhat in the same local vicinity, or spread out across a large geographic area, emphasis needs to be placed on developing a cohesive organization, especially […]

Using methodologies that were perfected two or three decades ago, Organizational Change Management (OCM) applies a structured approach that increases the probabilities that change projects will be implemented smoothly, successfully, and with long-lasting results.  While the importance of change management as a discipline has been proven, formally using in-house experts in change management in Shared […]

The expansion of the Shared Services model continues to evolve, from single-process centers using captive resources, to multi-functional centers using captive and outsourced resources and expanding scope up and down the end-to-end process stream.  Once considered a final stretch objective, “Global Shared Services” expanded to “Global Business Services”, with a new model “Integrated Business Services” […]

As Shared Services organizations demonstrate to the senior leadership within their company the ability to optimize processes and drive out waste, the opportunity often can arise to expand its scope of services into less traditional areas of the company, such as Financial Planning & Analysis, Facilities, Office Services, and Supply Chain Finance, to name just […]