After the Go-live: Ten focus areas for effective Shared Service delivery - Part 5 - Invest in Training

Training is one area that often gets short-changed as part of the Shared Services process.  Personnel are often left to learn on-the-job or to be taught by another person in the department without the benefit of a standardized training curriculum. 

A formal training program is always relevant, but particularly so when positions are moved offshore and processes have been substantially transformed.  In an offshore move there is typically little to no continuity of personnel, and the tribal knowledge that has been built up over time is lost.  Formal training will be required to ensure that the personnel driving the processes are performing consistently with the processes as designed for the new service center.

Also remember that the Shared Service Organization will be working to perform to the Service Level Agreement and silence any remaining critics of the move to Shared Services.  It’s critical that employees understand not only their job but also the commitments of the Shared Service Organization and the expectations of the Business Units as codified in the governing documents. 

Equally important is an ongoing commitment to training to bring new recruits up to speed and to keep existing employees’ skills fresh.  Too often new employees are taught by the existing employees.  Sometimes that works out but far more often the training becomes diluted and further away from the original vision.  The training curriculum should be standardized so that new employees are receiving the same instructions as the existing employees.