As the world’s attention has increasingly turned towards the COVID-19 virus over the course of 2020, most shared services organizations have already triggered their business continuity plans and adjusted their operations. The uncertainty associated with a risk such as a virus – unbounded by location or other formal borders – will continue for some time and require sustained diligence and proactive efforts to adjust as new information becomes available. In this viewpoint, we offer a recap of the standard responses that most organizations have taken, some best-in-class industry practices, and a view on how the new normal, post-COVID, would look like. These perspectives are drawn from both our previous experience with organizations reacting to pandemics (such as SARS, MERS, and Zikka) and specific responses in the current COVID-19 situation. It is critical to acknowledge that the impact from COVID-19 is different from other forms of crisis such as natural disasters or civil unrest, as it can potentially disrupt multiple locations across geographies at the same time, as well as the uncertainty attached to the duration of impact. Membership(s) Catalyst™ Locations Insider™ Market Vista™

On February, 4 Everest Group hosted a webinar titled, "Top Concerns in Talent Management for Shared Services: Lessons to Future-Proof Your Workforce." Changing expectations for how Global Business Centers deliver value and innovation, combined with the increasing adoption of intelligent automation technologies, are dramatically impacting the talent equation across shared services and outsourcing activities. To address these challenges, this session will provide you with actionable insights on related topics, including: Workforce planning for the future Talent scarcity challenges and options Getting more from the existing workforce We will answer the following questions: Why and how are talent needs evolving? What are the options to address future talent needs? How do you balance the talent demand-supply dynamics? What are best-in-class organizations doing to cultivate a future-ready workforce?

On May 21, Everest Group held a webinar titled, “How Enterprises Are Leveraging Data & Analytics to Deliver 2X More Value from Their Shared Services Centers.” As technology adoption increases exponentially, organizations are challenged by the proliferation of data that the technology generates. Increasingly, Shared Services / Global In-house Centers (GICs) are leading their organizations’ efforts to tame data and derive key insights from it. Based on our recent Pinnacle Model research on data & analytics maturity in SSCs/GICs, this webinar will show executives how they can build capabilities in their SSCs/GICs to turn this challenge into a strategic asset, generating value and enhancing service delivery. In this fast-paced session, we’ll answer the following: What roles do best-in-class GICs play in global data & analytics programs? How do best-in-class GICs attract and retain talent with relevant skills for data & analytics? What supporting programs have they developed to support these efforts? How are best-in-class GICs funding these initiatives? How are best-in-class GICs addressing associated technology challenges that impact their data & analytics teams? What actual cost savings and operational and strategic impacts are GICs creating for their parent organizations through data & analytics leverage?

On January 31, Everest Group hosted a webinar titled, “Is Your Shared Services Strategy Future Ready? 5 Differentiating Talent Capabilities.” Findings and insights discussed: How does your approach to Shared Services (or Global In-house Center) talent create cost, operational, and strategic impact? How do best-in-class GICs acquire talent with niche skills? What supporting programs must you have to develop and retain top talent? How are GICs enhancing their employee value propositions? The bottom line: what is the actual impact of various talent initiatives? As the accelerating pace of technology disruption impacts every area of the business it’s vital for in-house delivery centers to get their talent strategies right. Some delivery centers are ahead of the curve, adapting with these changes and even assisting their parent organizations to adjust to the changing talent model. This webinar will help senior enterprise executives to understand how different elements of their talent strategy can enhance their delivery centers’ future readiness.

This report is available only to GICs & Shared Services (GIC/SS) members. For information on membership, please contact usBusiness needs of global organizations are evolving, and so are their Global In-house Centers (GICs) or Shared Services Centers (SSCs). Having established mature capabilities for back-office and middle-office services over the last two decades, GICs/SSCs are now stepping up to focus on delivering value beyond arbitrage. This includes higher focus on driving revenue impact, improving end-customer experience, developing global leaders, supporting innovation, and new product development, among other things. In this journey, GICs/SSCs are intentionally increasing cross-functional collaboration among different teams within the GIC/SSC to make the most of their internal capabilities and work in an agile, more efficient manner, to deliver better business outcomes. In this document, you will find answers to the following questions: Why adopt cross-functional collaboration in GICs/SSCs? How will my GIC/SSC benefit from cross-functional collaboration? What are the different types of cross-functional collaboration? How are GICs/SSCs approaching cross-functional collaboration? What’s the current adoption level? (including case studies) Which are the areas where I can benefit from this? How do I prioritize where to implement first? What are the key enablers for success adoption? What are the best practices?

Shared services centers have offered organizations a strategic approach to realizing efficiency, while at the same time protecting themselves from economic uncertainty with onshore/offshore models that not only generate cost savings but also spread risks of disruption. Today, they are expected to deliver top-line impact as well as serve as cost centers. As such, shared services centers enjoy greater strategic importance than ever before. Organizations increasingly look to shared services centers to function as strategic partners in their transformation journey. In this paper, we explore how shared services centers can play a key role in the digital transformation of their parent organizations through automation. We explore the following themes: The past and expected evolution of the shared services centers The business case for automation Benefits of RPA beyond cost savings When and where to begin the RPA journey? A summary of process- and business-specific factors affecting suitability for automation Key lessons from early adopters The way forward for shared services centers as they advance on their automation journeys Membership(s) Banking and Financial Services (BFS) - Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Service Optimization Technologies (SOT)

With the unemployment rates in the United States hitting a 16-year low and the digital revolution impacting the global services delivery, shared services in the United States are going through very interesting times. In the recent years, there has been a growing interest in the onshore delivery of global services, especially using the shared services model by leading enterprises in the United States. The growing interest in shared services delivery is driven by changes in regulations, evolving geo-political scenario, rise of digital services, and focus on enhancing customer experience by focusing on tenets of context, culture, and proximity. However, the talent market is becoming increasingly challenging, as multiple enterprises and service providers have accelerated their onshore delivery presence. Scope and content This report provides perspectives on the shared services landscape in select verticals in the United States including: Landscape of the United States shared services market (details of key delivery locations (states), key verticals supported, etc.) Industry-level insights into the shared services market in BFSI and Technology & Communication (T&C) verticals including analysis of: Key delivery locations Key functions delivered Talent demand-supply dynamics Overview of digital delivery landscape in BFSI and T&C verticals as well as the role played by shared services in digital delivery This report is based on Everest Group’s proprietary onshore shared services database that is updated quarterly with new set-up activity, expansion/contraction of existing shared services, and capability additions Analysis of talent demand and supply trends based on job postings and activity of job-seeking candidates on various career portals Ongoing interactions with shared services and parent stakeholders Membership(s) Catalyst™

Introduction Organizations have continuously experimented with shared services / Global In-House Centers (GICs), third-party outsourcing, and hybrid sourcing models to deliver global services. As the scale of operations grows bigger and organizations expand geographically, managing multiple functions across multiple geographies through a confusing set of contracts, delivery models, practices, and processes becomes cumbersome. GBS offers a solution to this sourcing model maze, as it offers integration of locations, functions, governance, and processes across shared services and outsourcing contracts within the enterprise. In this report, Everest Group highlights the key components of GBS model components including business-aligned strategies around sourcing model, location decisions, talent model, scope of work, and service delivery/management. We also discusses the business drivers for firms adopting the GBS model and the key differences between GBS and traditional shared services and outsourcing models. In the process, we have also highlighted multiple case studies of enterprises that have adopted the GBS model. The report also addresses key considerations for organizations to implement GBS adoption and key pitfalls to avoid as shifting to GBS could be a daunting task due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders, geographies, Business Units (BUs), and functions. Scope and content This report presents views on the following topics: Introduction to GBS and its key constituents Key business drivers that influence GBS adoption Difference between GBS and traditional shared services and outsourcing models GBS implementation and key pitfalls to avoid