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Transform HR Services in Seven Easy Steps

May 25, 2017 No Comments

Featured article by Donna Woodruff, Director of Team Member Experience and Service Enablement

Behind the scenes of many organizations’ HR operations are dedicated, hard-working teams faced with a complex web of processes. Despite their dedication, often these teams are ill-equipped due to decentralized systems and a lack of modern technology tools. The resulting inefficiencies keep HR teams from providing the level of service that team members deserve. In fact, from the time it takes to handle day-to-day tasks, onboard team members, manage payroll and benefits, and answer an increasing flood of questions, HR teams struggle to meet all of the needs of employees. If it sounds like I am speaking from experience, I am. This all-too-common scenario was no different at my company, Cox Automotive, until recently.

With 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations around the world, providing a positive and consistent team member service experience was a challenge. Service centers were buried under calls and emails from team members and a backlog of routine tasks. For instance, time sheet corrections were quick to pile up when they reached volumes of more than 20,000 corrections per month. These challenges were compounded by the fact that providing self-service and self-help to team members was simply not possible with our HR platform at the time. In addition, with a small amount of data to work with, we had virtually no way to track or measure performance.

When we acquired an additional business and added 5,000 new team members, the need for a change became more obvious than ever. By replacing legacy help desk systems with ServiceNow’s HR Service Management platform, we are able to handle team member requests more effectively, all while gaining greater visibility into how processes are performing. Through automating processes, creating a HR self-service portal, and moving to a tiered support model, we have resolved many of the challenges facing our customer service centers. What’s more, the service centers that were previously overwhelmed are now able to respond and reach final resolution quicker. This frees service center agents to deal with more complex team member issues as well or work on strategic initiatives.

Most of all, with ServiceNow, we now have real data to help drive decision-making. With comprehensive reports and metrics that show how processes are performing, we can see exactly where the gaps are, what needs changing, and what is working well. Now, everything is in one place and easy to access, making it all the more efficient and useful.

With input and feedback from all parts of the business, we successfully rolled out a complete solution in just 60 days. Here’s how we did it:

1. Form an Advisory Council – This council was made up various teams and partners within the organization to provide feedback throughout the implementation process. We wanted all parts of the business represented in order to provide balanced feedback as well as ensure a smooth transition. Collectively, the council understood the needs of the business which included: increasing self-service options, improving reporting capabilities, and supporting the team member service center.

2. Start a Self-Service Portal – By creating a self-service portal for team members to access content to answer their questions, we significantly reduced the time customer service agents spend finding and sharing answers to recurring questions. Team members can now find the answers about commonly used HR services including: payroll, benefits, onboarding, etc. This one-stop-shop approach called a “Service Station” has given our team members the ability and control to find the answers they need while significantly reducing the number of cases coming into the customer service center.

3. Tiered Support Model – With ServiceNow, we’ve been able to implement a true tiered support model. Directing team members to the same self-service portal that the call center uses makes it so all tickets are under one roof. Doing so also enabled us to automatically route questions to the right specialist in a tiered approach. When a team member asks about pay and timesheet corrections, everyone knows who is best equipped to handle those requests. The same goes for more complex questions and issues that fall under a tier two or tier one specialist.

4. Build Awareness – To build awareness around the Service Station, we started with digital signage in all of the buildings and at all of our sites and introduced Service Station commercials that were accessible from the ServiceNow platform as well as our corporate intranet site. This provided a visual reminder for team members so they knew where to go to get help, rather than relying on an HR team member or IT. Other activities that promote the portal are roadshows, giveaways and pizza parties where we engage with team members. By leveraging our company’s social intranet, we stay connected with team members and keep them updated with training materials and possible ways to automate their services.

5. Create a Robust Service Catalog – As part of the HR portal, we created a service catalog that includes every benefit a team member might have questions about. By using easy, repetitive workflows and escalations to route tickets to the right HR team member, team members can easily access the information without having to make a phone call or in-person visit.

6. Stay Flexible – Along the way, it may become necessary to make changes. We received feedback throughout the implementation process that could be quickly adapted to meet the needs of HR teams. For instance, customer service agents needed more flexibility in how to route tickets without disrupting the workflow. The flexibility of the platform allows us to respond quickly, reconfigure and change the workflow with no impact on team members or the service portal.

7. Keep it Simple – We understood in the beginning that less is more. The most important thing was for team members to have a positive experience while using the platform. From there, responding to feedback was essential. We made changes to the portal based on team member responses. Simplicity keeps the flow of communication open and team members know their input is valued.

Making sure team members are having positive and meaningful interactions with HR processes is easier to achieve than most organizations realize. With the right tools in place such as process automation, self-service options, and a tiered support model to follow, organizations can make a huge impact on how HR teams and team members spend their time and resources.

 About the Author

Donna Woodruff, Service Enablement Leader at Cox Automotive is experienced in developing high performing teams in technology delivery operations, with a focus on dynamic team collaboration, agility, and continuous improvement. Donna has worked with large scale enterprises including The Home Depot, Autotrader.com, and Cox Automotive, Inc.

 

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