Business Services at Cross Roads

There is nothing new in writing about going digital. Digital growth is all-pervasive, like rapidly shifting sands and the shifts seem to happen every hour of every day. As in business, technology now has become integrated with our daily lives. Today it is almost impossible to hail a cab or even drive on the roads without a deep intervention of the Ubers and Google Maps of the world. These applications are prime examples of real time support and have become an integral part of our existence.

The integration revolution has created both significant opportunities and threats. It has impacted every aspect of life, including every industry, every business and every region. At the same time, commoditization of services has created an urgency to dramatically simplify and transform the efficiency of the existing business. However, it is folly to believe that going digital is the same thing as integrating technology into the organization. Digital, as it is widely understood, is just one part of the process – of integrating technology AS the core of the business – and not merely integrating technology applications AT the core of the business.

At SSF it is our belief that the revolution that has presented itself in the nature of technology integrated business solutions and services is a golden opportunity for the services industry, especially the business services industry to lead from the front. Global Business Services or GBSs such as Shared Service units and GICs (Global In-House Centers) have all the ingredients required to be the torch-bearer of such a revolution. The problem as always has been, how to measure and evaluate the extent of tech integration into the organization, and hence its capability to provide a cutting edge service. GBS are complex units, originally created by a varied set of assumptions and purposes. The units have several service lines of businesses, engagements and stakeholders at different points of preparedness or execution. The TIBS Capability ModelTM developed by SSF is one-of-its-kind tool that can be used to make an assessment of the unit. Its various levels and parameters provide a simple set of 30 touch-points, each representing a defined state of deployment. The industry veterans would do well to map their own units’ deployment levels with the grid provided by the TIBSTM model and assess their own levels of competency to provide superior service to both internal and external customers – and to ultimately create long term value for the enterprise.

While use of technology is clearly beneficial to the interests of the entire eco-system, it comes with a few risks and exposures. Do ethics get compromised more now in the ‘digital’ world than in the ‘analog’ world of the past? How can we maintain a culture of ethical behaviour even in the seemingly cold environs of intense technology deployment? But surely, it is most gratifying to see the impact that technology on the welfare programs for the less privileged. Organizations such as Sampark are doing stellar jobs in the social sector by leveraging the cognitive and automation power of the technology, coupled with the advancement in social media and cloud networking, to reach out to hinterlands of the country and make a huge difference by ensuring basic education to the children of the country. Using technology to deliver social welfare activities ensures that the underlying processes are simple, rapid and transparent.

This edition also talks about a unique scientific approach to a relatively less researched area of work, the science behind workforce planning resulting in substantial benefits, when implemented.

Edition Publish Date: December 2018

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Table of Contents
COVER STORY

Business Services at Cross Roads
THE BIG SHIFT FROM ITeS (TECH ENABLED) TO ITiS (TECH INTEGRATED)

8th Annual Global Business Services Conclave
THE BIG SHIFT TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED BUSINESS SERVICES – The Art and Science of Delivering Value and ROI

Transforming Public School Education at $1 Per Child Per Annum
7 MILLION SMILES AND 1 BOLD IDEA

Ethics and Trust in a Digital Age
KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACCA’s SURVEY REPORT

The Burning Need for Workforce Planning Analytics
THE SCIENCE & ART OF WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

ReWriting the Playbook of Finance Transformation
A REPORT ON SSF’s 2nd FINANCE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2018