18 Insights from the 2018 Global Business and Shared Services Conference

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18 Insights from the 2018 Global Business and Shared Services Conference

November 29, 2018 | Article

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

–Bill Gates

Embrace Digital to Deliver True GBS Value

Increasingly, shared business services are about customer service and operational improvements, not just cost savings. More than ever, realizing the promise of global business services means employing the best people. That can help companies stem the value leakage that is an inevitable part of outsourcing. As companies develop robotics capabilities, management and talent continue to be crucial. And as the field of global shared services evolves, so does the art and science of the shared services professional’s career.

The shared services function is shifting from a cost-control emphasis to a customer service one. And no matter how advanced your automation, customer service requires that you employ the best people.

There are many ways to add value quickly in global business services: through labor arbitrage, by closing scores of locations in a day, by aggregating all accounts payable departments into a shared services environment, reducing float time and outstanding credit. But while all these actions make your company look good to the street, they may hurt it in the long run, especially in customer service. No matter what the financial gains, going from a person to a phone number feels bad to customers.
“Do more with less” gets more difficult as more processes are automated. There is a danger that companies will lose talent, influence, value, and relevance as their stakeholders perceive them to be inwardly focused,