(CFO World, 30 April 2012) In Brief: Orange Business Services, the B2B unit of France Telecom, is using a new e-invoicing system to boost efficiency; it eliminates the need to manually key data from invoices, saving time and reducing errors. The company is working to help its smaller suppliers submit statements electronically and has offered [...]
Read more(CIO, 8 May 2012) In Brief: Don’t rush off to spend money on new big data systems, software, and services without considering the overall benefits, this writer says. Use open source tools for a trial. Avoid big data bundles that include many tools you don’t need. Our View: Don’t throw money into big data without [...]
Read more(Business Standard, 7 May 2012) In Brief: Successful companies achieve sustainable growth by using a business model that incorporates continuous improvement, allowing quick adaptation to change without the need for a total overhaul, according to a new book. Our View: Injecting continuous improvement into your business model is only step one. To get the full [...]
Read more(Nextgov, 3 May 2012) In Brief: The US government’s chief information officer, Steven VanRoekel, says that federal departments should implement a shared services strategy for one business function at a time before attempting to do so across agencies. He suggests starting with IT and then moving on to HR and Finance. Our View: In the [...]
Read more(CFO Daily News, 27 April 2012) In Brief: Companies are increasingly considering switching to electronic invoicing, according to a new study. Nearly half of A/P departments surveyed said they are evaluating electronic invoicing practices. Only 29% said they had no foreseeable plans to look into electronic payments. Our View: Shared services organizations in our network [...]
Read more(Area Development, April 2012) In Brief: When choosing a shared services location, consider the economic incentives offered by and for certain cities, and the stakeholders who will ultimately make the decision, according to a consultant. Two other factors to take into account: the labor supply and cultural differences. Our View: Companies expanding their shared services [...]
Read more(ITBusinessEdge, 1 May 2012) In Brief: If you start your master data management with a business process automation tool, you can map all the processes that create, consume and eventually govern changes in customer information—making a real difference from the beginning of your MDM initiative, according to this blogger. Our View: Maintaining the integrity, quality, [...]
Read more(CFO World, 30 April 2012) In Brief: Many CFOs aim to use shared services to further transform the finance function to achieve greater efficiency and standardization, according to this article. This writer says that finance leaders, however, often overlook the importance of great customer service when working toward shared services success. Our View: Customer satisfaction [...]
Read more(Wall Street Journal, 26 April 2012) In Brief: The toughest challenge in getting the most out of big data is finding talent with a deep understanding of the business and the ability to turn analyses into actions, according to this article. A good data scientist must know the right questions to ask, and for companies, [...]
Read more(Forbes, 24 April 2012) In Brief: There is no tried and true method for all customer service, just three crucial attributes for success, this writer says. Build trust with your customers. Give your customers consistency with no unwanted surprises. Be loyal to your customers and they will be devoted to you. Our View: The client [...]
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