{"id":2760,"date":"2016-10-25T18:20:25","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T18:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peeriosity.com\/shared-services\/articles\/?p=2760"},"modified":"2022-07-15T08:01:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T08:01:56","slug":"why-you-should-reexamine-your-company%e2%80%99s-self-service-capabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peeriosity.com\/shared-services\/articles\/2016\/10\/why-you-should-reexamine-your-company%e2%80%99s-self-service-capabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Reexamine Your Company\u2019s Self-Service Capabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the introduction of the Shared Services<\/a> model almost 30 years ago the term \u201cself-service\u201d 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.\u00a0 The initial pushback was the concern that if self-service placed additional work demands upstream, the net result was a transfer of work out of Shared Services to the originator of the transaction, rather than elimination of work through better process design and the creative use of technology.\u00a0 \u00a0However, through careful design and the leveraging of new technologies, concerns about \u201cshifting work\u201d have largely been eliminated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Peeriosity\u2019s iPollingTM<\/sup> functionality was recently used by a member who needed accurate and objective feedback from their peers regarding the success (or failure) of their self-service initiatives.\u00a0 In the words of the member: \u201cWe are expecting that implementation of superior self-help through portal initiatives and improvements will enable users to obtain information faster and with higher customer satisfaction than contacting our call centers. We want to validate this assumption with other major companies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This Peeriosity member used iPollingTM<\/sup> to draft two questions that examined this issue.\u00a0 Responses were posted in real-time, with visibility to company responses available to all Peeriosity members, allowing for direct communication with peers using Peeriosity\u2019s integrated Peer MailTM<\/sup> capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first question asked about the current status of your Shared Services operations regarding the self-service functionality that is provided to employees, suppliers, and customers.\u00a0 Interestingly, only 5% indicated they had self-service in all process areas with robust functionality and usage, with 27% indicating self-service was implemented in some process areas with strong functionality and usage.\u00a0 50% of member companies answered that self-service was implemented in some process areas, but functionality and\/or usage is less than originally envisioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"best<\/p>\n

The second question asked about the status of your Shared Services operation<\/a> in carrying out a special follow-on initiative to deliver improved performance from the existing self-service that is provided to employees, suppliers, and customers.\u00a0 The results show that 75% of companies either haven\u2019t considered the opportunity or are currently evaluating the idea of having a follow-on initiative to improve self-service performance.\u00a0 10% of the companies have seen increased self-service use after pursuing a special follow-on initiative, and at an additional 10%, it\u2019s too early to tell.\u00a0 Finally, 5% indicated that little improvement resulted from the extra efforts to reinvigorate their self-service performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"status<\/p>\n

Developing<\/a>, monitoring, and working to continuously improve<\/a> self-service capabilities can be an important enabler to streamlining processes, reducing cost and complexity, and improving overall quality and efficiency.\u00a0 While the original idea may have lost its luster, the impact of a successful implementation is no less meaningful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few of the comments from responding companies:<\/span><\/p>\n