Helping businesses help themselves

Yet as organizations adopt self-service processes for everything from finance to human resources (HR), they're learning some interesting lessons about how to ensure a successful adoption-and the unforeseen benefits that can occur along the way.

'Self-service applications give employees the knowledge they need to do their jobs better,' points out David Link, vice president of HR Transformation at the Baltimore, Maryland-based Cedar Group, a professional services firm that focuses on human capital technology systems. 'It's no longer just an interesting idea; it's a business imperative.'

Check the Numbers
According to the conclusions of Cedar's most recent research, self-service processes have been around for a long time, but their popularity has risen markedly in the last year.

In the firm's annual Workforce Technologies Survey, Cedar observed a 162 percent surge in spending on change management in 2003, as well as a 55 percent increase in the use of self-service applications by managers who are performing strategic functions. 'We are rapidly moving beyond things like online name and address changes to compensation planning and skills management, which is helping companies drive more performance out of their organizations,' Link says.

Executive Support Is Critical
John Van Decker, a vice president at the Stamford, Connecticut-based META Group, believes that executive sponsorship is the best way to communicate the value of self-service applications and improve adoption rates.

'You need to develop a business case with targets for the expected numbers of users, required ROI, and the value that a new application will bring to the workforce,' he says. Then, point out hidden benefits. For example, in addition to streamlining an ad hoc expense reimbursement process, a self-service financial application can help a company improve its asset utilization and cash flow.

'This is an overarching principle that extends beyond self-service applications,' adds Van Decker. 'Users should know that it is a strategic initiative that influences the cost structure of the organization.'

Training Versus Orientation
David Link of the Cedar Group makes a distinction between training and orientation. Most of today's workforce understands how to use browser-based information systems, he reasons.

Self-service applications that echo familiar Web applications, such as a favorite online store or search engine, require little or no training. Users simply need an orientation to explain why a new process is being performed. 'The change management philosophy is no different today than it was five or ten years ago, but it is tailored to help users understand why a change is important,' he says.

It's also important to emphasize that a new online channel is being implemented not just to streamline routine transactions but to improve the business process. Often, everybody benefits.

For example, instead of a basic pay stub, workers using today's self-service HR applications are now able to access total compensation statements that include charts and graphs for reviewing salary histories, benefits, sick time, and a host of other items.

The most successful self-service implementation are often those that foster a 'training is mandatory' approach, and there is no turning back once a new self-service process is adopted.

Setting Expectations
Achieving 100 percent utilization is not necessarily the goal for all self-service information systems, and it's important to establish realistic expectations for each project.

'You could achieve your objectives with an e-procurement solution that is rolled out to 10 percent of the organization, if that's all it takes to target the individuals who are primarily responsible for buying indirect goods and services,' META Group's Van Decker points out.

'Every self-service application will have different targets. You can make incremental steps until you achieve your objectives.'
Many self-service advocates agree that eliminating paper-based processes is a gradual undertaking.

Even with firm ultimatums, good intentions, and well-defined plans, the transformation to self-service information systems is rarely an easy one. Businesses considering self-service adoption should not underestimate the need for training, maintenance, and testing-particularly in the case of critical processes like payroll and benefits.