Joint Everest Group and Shared Services and Outsourcing Network (SSON) Survey Reveals Shared Services and Outsourcing Are Moving Beyond the Back Office into the Business | Press Release

Study’s Results Revealed at SSON’s U.S. Flagship Conference  in Orlando on March 7-9, 2012

DALLAS, March 6, 2012  ─  Everest Group and the Shared Services and Outsourcing Network (SSON) today announced the results of their joint survey reveal noteworthy trends and diversity in the of use of shared services and outsourcing, including differences related to centralization, sourcing models, technology and improvement initiatives, across vertical industries.

The first-ever study of industry-specific strategies in shared services and outsourcing titled Vertical Industry Strategies in Shared Services and Outsourcing (VISSSO), captures the current state of shared services and outsourcing strategies, as well as the initiatives organizations are using to capture increased value from their strategies. In addition to reviewing traditional Selling, General & Administrative, or SG&A, functions, such as finance, human resources, and procurement, the study looks at the patterns emerging in how vertical-specific functions – those processes that are often more integral parts of the business compared to SG&A functions – are being supported. The study included more than 160 vertical-specific functions across 26 industries. Survey respondents included shared services and outsourcing professionals working for enterprises. The survey also included an alternative branch for which service providers, consultants and analysts answered questions.

“Our analysis reveals that services industries, such as financial services and healthcare, have a greater inclusion of vertical-specific functions in shared services and outsourcing strategies than product-oriented industries, such as manufacturing,” said Eric Simonson, managing partner of Research. “Further, vertical-specific functions are less centralized and shared services are more frequently used than third-party outsourcing for these functions – even though many enterprises stated they try to follow a ‘best-fit’ sourcing philosophy.”

Other findings of the VISSSO study include:

  • Improvement initiatives and associated technology models across vertical-specific functions vary significantly by industry and the objectives for the function
  • Third-party outsourcing service provider investments are largely aligned with enterprise interest areas but primarily in the largest and most mature industries for global services, such as banking, insurance, and telecommunications
  • More mature users of shared services and outsourcing have already optimized processes and are now looking to optimize other levers, such as collaboration with end users and exploiting their strength in successfully executing change efforts
  • Mature users see additional benefits from improved technology but still do not view cloud and software-as-a-service solutions as core components of their future technology strategies

SSON and Everest Group will reveal and facilitate industry-specific discussions of the study’s results at SSON flagship conferences throughout 2012, beginning at SSON’s U.S. flagship conference, the 16th Annual North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week, in Orlando, Florida on March 7-9, 2012.

Sarah Clayton, global director of strategy for SSON said, “In recent years, attendees at SSON’s 40 flagship conferences from Panama, Shanghai, London and Berlin to Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Bangalore have been expressing an increased interest in industry-specific information that they can use to help plan their outsourcing and shared services strategies. We are pleased to be able to arm them with the important results of the Vertical Industry Strategies in Shared Services and Outsourcing study.”

For a complimentary one-on-one briefing of the results, visit Everest Group’s booth at the 16th Annual North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week in Orlando this week or submit a request to [email protected].

For more information about Everest Group and its consulting and research capabilities, please visit www.everestgrp.com, email [email protected] or call +1-214-451-3000.

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