Logical Design Solutions, Inc. | Outsourcing and the HR Portal

LDS has partnered with many Global 1000 companies who have considered and, in some cases, implemented outsourcing relationships for their HR service delivery. Some clients have already created a business model that includes an outsourced partner or partners, while some have decided to keep their HR delivery internal. Others are still in the process of considering whether outsourcing makes sense for their business.

In virtually every outsourcing case we have encountered, we've found that the HR portal component of the outsourcing arrangement has been underestimated. This is surprising considering the critical role the portal plays in realizing the important self-service and knowledge goals associated with most outsourcing arrangements.

The Key to a Successful Portal in an Outsourcing Relationship

The HR portal should be an integral component of any HR outsourcing arrangement and one that needs to be actively planned from a business, technology and user perspective. The success of the online channel is often the key to realizing significant cost savings as more and more of HR processes are moved online and directly into the hands of our employees, managers, business unit partners and strategic HR staff.

An efficient and intuitive HR portal will:

Ensure your global HR business processes are successfully adopted
Function as an "agent of change" within the business
Ensure your transformation goals are realized as HR functions are successfully disintermediated from HR generalists and call centers, affording HR the time to focus on critical business issues and reducing calls to the call center.

Maximize the Value of Your Relationship

While it may be an excellent business move, an outsourcing arrangement complicates the requirements imposed on the portal because it often requires complex integration across many systems. In addition, your outsourcing partner may offer "standard" web products as a bundled part of their service offering. While affording scalability and integration, the degree to which those products are compatible with your company's business processes and user experience concerns will vary. The result: a fragmented, poor user experience as the burden is shifted to the user to reconcile and rationalize these dissociated resources.

When you are considering outsourcing, good planning from the beginning can avoid these pitfalls. Or, if you're already in an outsourced arrangement that is delivering less than expected portal benefits, LDS can assess your portal situation and build a plan for improvement with both you and your outsourced partner.

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