The Challenge
A top-10 US retailer’s Human Resources division needed help to shift their employees away from voice-based service and into more cost-effective channels. While corporate IT maintained a suite of tools for core HR functions integrated via Workday, the HR business function implemented a parallel system anchored by ServiceNow. The result for end users was an unworkable experience, multiple log-ins with no single point of entry or cohesive journey. Consequently, users continued to default to high cost-to-serve channels, with IT and their business partner in a stand-off on which tool should anchor the experience.
Project Description
Further Advisory was engaged to assess the current suite of tools and capabilities in order to develop a strategic technology roadmap that supports the objectives of HR and IT. These objectives included 1) Reduce or cap call center headcount, 2) Improve employee experience, 3) Improve operational efficiency, and 4) Improve visibility and governance of IT.
Outcomes Delivered
- Assessment: Further examined the suite of HR tools in use, as well as ServiceNow and Workday as hubs. We found notable redundancies in both the hub platforms and satellite services moored to them. We proposed several options on how to meet strategic goals and maintain and/or divest components in order to meet the objectives.
- Cultural Shift: We identified several endemic cultural “ways of working” that prevented the HR and IT organizations to meet their efficiency goals and serve their end users. Both organizations defended their preferred technologies, and neither knew how to start with the end-user in mind and manage and govern together with KPIs and OKRs providing the path. Further established a framework to resolve this gap.
- Design Thinking and Roadmap: Further proposed a 90-day roadmap, governed by Design Thinking principles for capturing the Voice of the Colleague, and defining the resulting Colleague Personas and Journeys. It was strongly advised that these efforts be taken on as a joint effort between HR and IT.
