SSONext Seth Adler

This week’s episode provides something a bit different, a glimpse into SSON’s largest event Shared Services & Outsourcing Week North America. The event, which ran at the end of March, attracted over 150 speakers and 1000 attendees. For those of you who weren’t able to make it, we wanted to provide a sneak peek and some of the key takeaways from onsite.
Note: Listeners to SSO Next are entitled to discounts of the ticket price for selected in-person events around the world by quoting the code SSO Next when they register. Details of upcoming events can be found here. 

Last month, at SSON’s flagship event in Orlando, Allianz Services received the award for the World’s Best GBS.  The award, which is hosted by SSON Research & Analytics, aims to identify a Global Business Services that represents "the world's best" based on contributing core value to the business in terms of cash, impact on working capital, margin and market growth. This shifts the focus from transactional efficiency, which defined shared services in the past, to supporting business success in a far more strategic way. 
 In this conversation, we discuss with Turan, Allianz’s transformation in the space of process mining, customer experience and talent development, that led to them winning this award. We also get a sneak peek into the keynote presentation Turan delivered onsite in Orlando, “Redefining GBS in the Next 10 Years.”  If you enjoy the podcast please do sign up for our webinar on the World’s Best GBS 2024: Winner Spotlight & Interview

Digital workflows are replacing paper-based processes, streamlining operations and improving efficiency. This trend is driving SSO/GBS to equip their workforce with the necessary digital skills to operate and excel in the new technology-driven ecosystem. As a result, talent capabilities are under the spotlight, with organizations focused on upskilling and reskilling employees, developing new talent models, and embracing flexible work arrangements to attract and retain the really key talent they so desperately need to meet their objectives. One GBS who is doing a particularly good job here is Commerz Global Service Solutions (a subsidiary of Commerzbank AG). That’s why we invited Arne Graeber their CEO to talk to us about his talent strategy.
This podcast is in conjunction with Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Malaysia. Mr Graeber is speaking at the event, which is held in Kuala Lumpur on June 10-13, on the topic of Creating a High Performance Culture at Commerz Global Service Solutions. Listeners of the SSO Next podcast can access discounts off the ticket price for SSOW Malaysia:
Promotion: 15% off 3 Delegate Passes  Promo period: 15 April 2024 – 3 May 2024  Promo code: MY15OFF  Enquiries to sally.fletcher@iqpc.de

In this episode, Sally Fletcher, Head of SSON Digital, speaks to Akhilesh Kohli, GBS APAC Head, Philips, about the pivotal role played by Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in nurturing talent and fostering future value creation. Upskilling and ongoing learning are areas that Philips GBS has long prioritized. They also aim to fuel innovation through cross-functional collaboration and equipping their talent with emerging technologies. All with an eye to the future and ensuring they’re prepared for whatever comes their way.
Akhilesh is a keynote speaker at Shared Services & Outsourcing Week India. Listeners to the SSON Next Podcast can access a Buy2Get1Free promotion for the event, on the 4-day pass only, valid till 5 April 2024. 
Promo code: BUY2FREE1

Cost saving has always been an absolute fundamental for shared services, however in the last few years, cost as a theme has slipped into the background, being overshadowed by a drive for value. This is all about to change. Cost as a focus is back, in a big way.  With an age-old topic such as cost-savings, it’s important to re-examine best practices and make sure you’re still ticking off all the obvious opportunities. However, with AI tools becoming cheaper and new techniques being developed in areas such as digital transformation and process improvement there may also be new opportunities to drive down costs and impress your CFO.
In this episode Phil Searle CEO and Founder, Chazey Partners, and Lee Coulter, Global Head of Transformation, Chazey Partners discuss their top tips for cost savings. Including supply-chain transformation, investing in the right technology and the areas that will make an impact today!
If you enjoy this podcast – you can catch the Chazey Partners workshop at SSO Week North America, which is focused on Unleashing the Force of Digital Transformation for Autonomous Operations.

In SSON’s most recent state of the industry report, we found that 63% of shared services are providing Order to Cash services to their enterprise! So we wanted to provide some advice and best practice in this area.
That’s why this week on the podcast we invited Keith Cowart, from FIS to talk about what he sees as the trends set to transform AR. Some of these trends are risks to consider and some are very much opportunities, but all will make your accounts receivable team more powerful, robust and ready for whatever life throws at them.
To hear more on the topic of AR excellence, register for our webinar on March 21st focused on Accelerating Cash Flow & Reducing Risk with AI
https://www.ssonetwork.com/finance-accounting/webinars/accelerating-cash-flow-reducing-risk-with-ai