Shared service centres fall behind on technology

Managers in charge of UK centres servicing global companies are not making good use of technology developments, according to new research from outsourcing consultancy Alsbridge.

A study by the consultancy found the majority of the 50 shared service leaders interviewed believe managing shared service centres is challenging but only 20 per cent of them had implemented an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

The lack of technology take up is leading to poor customer management, noted the Alsbridge report.

“Many of the managers did not have adequate reporting processes in place,” added Elaine Harrison, Alsbridge senior manager, explaining this was why 57 per cent of the managers experience problems with regulatory compliance.

The study also found that only half the managers had Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in place to define the service they should offer customers while eight per cent had no performance management framework whatsoever.

“SLAs should provide a link between services provided by the shared service centre and the business objectives by creating cost and performance accountabilities,” said Harrison.

“However SLAs should not be seen as a substitute for an effective governance framework that encourages open communication between the shared service centre and the customer,” she added.