10 Best Shared Services Statistics We've Seen Last Year!

1. More than 2/3 of Shared Services

leverage a Center of Expertise (COE). Three of the top five competencies supported are automation, continuous improvement, and data analytics. 

2. “Fewer but larger”

trumps "more but smaller" as the leading Shared Services strategy next year.

3. Most Shared Services

productivity improvement targets fall into the 7-10% range. 

4. Nearly 30% of Shared Services

define their work as 50% knowledge-based. However, many are struggling with defining knowledge services, accessing skill sets required, and transitioning. 

5. Half of Shared Services

outsource work. They expect more problem-solving, technology leadership, and data analytics from their BPO partners in future.

6. Only 15% of Shared Services

that outsource are moving towards output-based contracts. Even fewer are incorporating analytics-based services in contracts. Gain sharing is rare.

7. “Control, standardization, and optimization”

significantly trumps “cost and time” as the most important benefits of Shared Services. 

8. Shared Services leaders

are most likely to hire external consultants to reassess their delivery model. Change management support is in second place. 

9. A quarter of Shared Services

believe outsourcing is still significant as a means of tapping into new and emerging technologies and skills. Less than one out of five Shared Services believe they will be shifting work back in-house as a result of process automation.

10. The top Shared Services

talent challenge for 2019 is “an innovative mindset” and “the ability to think outside the box”. “Innovative thinking” is the single biggest skills deficit.

Finally, in a year where gender issues exploded onto our collective radars …

Less than half of Shared Services have a formal diversity agenda in place. 13% say diversity is not actively promoted. Where diversity programs exist, they focus mostly on gender and nationality/culture. Less than 10% focus on age.

Source: SSON Annual Survey 2018 and SSON Analytics