HR executives today are focused on improving the efficiency of their operational processes. Whether through self-services, shared services, business process outsourcing, or any combination of these, world-class HR organizations are centralizing and standardizing their core operations to gain efficiency, lower costs, and increase service quality and transparency on a global scale.

Software and services from SAP and our partners support your preferred business model whether it is shared services or business process outsourcing to achieve world class HR efficiency.

With SAP software and services, you can:

• Provide self-service access to standard processes via kiosk, laptops, telephony, or mobile devices, so employees can complete routine tasks without the aid of HR staff
• Support a shared-services model for centralizing expertise, which improves quality and consistency while lowering costs
• Reach all employees in a cost-efficient manner via a centralized help desk

Self-Service Is The First Step

The first step in driving efficient HR operations is to automate standard processes and provide self-service access through the use of portals or familiar, friendly environments such as Microsoft Office using Duet, IBM Lotus Notes and SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe. These tools interface with SAP's human capital management application, enabling employees and managers to perform required activities and access personnel data – and, in many cases, without having to learn how to use an entirely new system.

Utilizing Shared-Services Strategy

Once considered a vehicle for simple cost savings, centralized and standardized service delivery is being used to increase the quality of HR services across the organization. Centralizing expertise enables your organization to provide superior training for your HR experts and enable knowledge-sharing – leading to consistent and more accurate answers to employees' questions that cannot be handled via self-services.

Strong Options for Business Process Outsourcing

Another option for companies looking to meet their strategic HR goals is to outsource core HR operations to a third party. Business process outsourcing lets you leverage your services that are optimized and dedicated to excellence in specific areas, freeing you up to focus on more strategic activities. SAP is not a business process outsourcing provider; however, SAP provides enabling solutions and services to a wide range of business process outsourcing providers that deliver industry-leading services that meet your goals. As a result, SAP ensures that select business process outsourcing providers have the solutions, know-how, and support required to create sustainable business value for their clients.

Learn More

Get involved: Visit a discussion forum for SAP ERP Human Capital Management at Inside Access..

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