Shared Services in 2020: Where are we?

This report is produced as a result of SSON’s annual survey and highlights the current status and strategies of European-based shared service delivery centers.

Over the past two decades that we have been covering the global Shared Services market, we have seen extraordinary shifts in the underlying model - view the report to find out what these are.

The Shared Services model is now roughly three decades old and in that time, it has shifted from a cost-based, centralisation-driven approach to one that, today, offers transactional efficiencies as table stakes.

With insights from Rob van den Wijngaard, Director Finance & HR Shared Service Centre at Leiden University and Chris Gunning, Manager Transformation Service, Global Finance Process & Services at The HEINEKEN Company we take a look at the key milestones from the last 20 years of Shared Services and future predictions, including;

• The rise in Outsourcing in the early 2000's
• The geographical expansion of Shared Services in 2010
• Optimizing process and enhancing customer experience with the introduction of new technology

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COVID-19 - it's what everyone is talking about and is in every media outlet. But have you taken a second, taken a deep breath and thought - how can we use this as a lesson and a springboard for positive change.

We might be being optimistic, but all situations are to be learnt from.

What defines a modern HR operation? While many enterprises are still bogged down in traditional models, stuck in what we might call legacy mode, the reality is that digitalisation is hitting HR like a mallet. True, technologies like SuccessFactors and Workday have been driving this trend for years. What differentiates today, however, is the realisation that a global role pays dividends. Not just in standardised processes but also in more effective talent management and leadership.

In collaboration with SSON, this interactive report provides exclusive insights on:

• Sourcing models,
• Intelligent automation (IA),
• The digital workforce
• and talent management across Europe's Shared Services industry.

Here's a quick statistic from the report: 9 in 10 European respondents state that their organisations are currently in the midst of redefining and rewriting career paths. Where is yours at?

Download now for your copy of the complimentary market report.

With business across 170 countries and over 144,000 passionate employees, Microsoft are dedicated to fulfilling their mission of helping you and your organization achieve more. In this exclusive interview, SSOW Europe discuss Rita’s experience as CFO for Microsoft Portugal while exploring the industry-wide evolution of the CFO role and how finance professionals can navigate the shift.

In 2020, excellence is defined not only by an organisation’s ability to cut costs and increase efficiency. Today, excellence requires a capacity to provide an outstanding experience for the business’ internal customers by equipping shared service organisation (SSO) and global business service (GBS) employees with an optimal environment and skillset to do so.

With insight from Shared Services and Outsourcing Week 2020 speakers Steve Rudderham, Head of Global Business Services at AkzoNobel and Nadia Hutchinson, Global HR Operations Director at Kantar, we explore how the SSOs of two of the world’s leading organisations are managing and driving change among their employees.

"Across all GBS organisations, there is a lot of education still to be done. That comes through communication as people need to understand the strategy and end-game of centralising processes..." - Steve Rudderham, AkzoNobel

Read the interactive article "Empowering Employees for the Future of Shared Services" for more.

Over the past 20 years the definition of ‘excellence’ in shared services has undergone a significant transformation. In the early days, we saw a strong focus on an organisation’s ability to impact bottom-line savings through standard- and centralisation, then off- and outshoring and later automation. Today, however, the provision of excellent customer service is emerging as a critical component of successful shared service operations.

This content piece examines the shift of SSC focus and identifies the critical components to achieving customer excellence in 2020. Access and learn how to create a working culture that produces a truly exceptional customer experience by increasing employee engagement and motivation.