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What is HR Service Delivery?
HR Service Delivery is the function that supports and provides services to employees, whether they’re a short term freelancer or the CEO. Unlike other functions, such as Compensation and Benefits or Talent Acquisition, HR Service Delivery is the one function that spans the entire employee lifecycle—from application to departure and all the moments in between.
While every HR function sets out to help people, HR services is the first line of defense when an employee or a manager needs anything. In the same way our interactions with customer service paint our entire view of a business, the service HR provides can leave a lasting impression of not only the HR team, but the entire company—and we know how important employer brand is in the war for talent. To ensure HR delivers the best possible service to employees, here are some HR Service Delivery best practices to abide by:
1. Provide on-demand self-service
It’s easy to believe that a high-touch interaction equates to a positive experience. Talking to a live human is how HR can show that they’re people-focused, right? Not always. In most cases, employees value ease and expediency. When we have any type of question today, we type it into a search box and receive a relevant answer within seconds. Employees want the same convenience when they have a work-related question. They no longer have the patience for calling an HR representative during business hours and waiting on the line as that person searches an internal knowledge base. HR Service Delivery best practice is to give employees access to a knowledge base so they can quickly find answers to routine questions on their own, whenever and wherever they need.
2. Offer transparency into resolutions
No matter how comprehensive your knowledge base is, employees still need to contact a live HR rep for personalized support or submit a request for more complex cases. For cases that take some time and research to resolve, transparency is key. Employees want clear insight into their case so they know what steps to expect. Who was it transferred to? What’s the latest action that’s been taken? When can they expect an answer? In the same way we can follow the location of our Amazon package, best practice is to give employees the ability to track the status of their HR request.
3. Personalize whenever possible
Think about how Uber knows exactly where you are when you request a ride. Or how Netflix suggests a series that will instantly have you binge-watching. To apply this kind of personalization to the workplace, HR will want to leverage the employee attributes in their HRIS to personalize the service they deliver. When it comes to a self-serve knowledge base, employees should receive contextualized information when they log in. Instead of sifting through several versions of a policy or process, they’re served only the content that’s relevant to their role, tenure, location, employment type, etc. As more HR-employee interactions are conducted digitally, adding a personal touch ensures these experiences still feel human while being more efficient.
4. Empower frontline HR
Needing to access multiple different systems to find information or wait for legacy tools to load can impede HR from providing stellar service. HR ends up spending time searching for data or navigating clunky processes, instead of focusing on the attention and care employees deserve. HR Service Delivery best practice is to equip HR with the technology and tools they need to quickly resolve a case. For example, case management technology lets HR easily monitor the turnaround time for requests, automatically route requests to the right person and streamline any processes associated with closing the case. As well, a central repository for employee files makes it easy for HR to pull the information they need to quickly and accurately respond to requests.
5. Meet employees where they are
When today’s diverse workforce needs HR assistance, it’s no longer a given they will be sitting at a desk, in an office, between the hours of 9-5. Remote or “gig” workers may be spread across the world and need to contact HR outside of normal business hours. Employees in retail, manufacturing and trucking are not at desks for a majority of day and may not have a laptop or corporate email address issued to them. HR Service Delivery best practice calls for a consistent employee experience across all employee types, so it’s important that employees can connect with HR on their mobile devices and find information 24/7.
As the HR industry shifts focus to employee experience as a way to impact engagement, ensuring a delightful interaction with HR is paramount. Effective HR Service Delivery boils down to reducing all friction points in getting employees what they need so they can be productive, happy and focused on the work they were hired to do.
Want an easy way to put these best practices into action? Learn how an HR Service Delivery platform can help your HR Shared Service Center boost productivity and employee satisfaction. Download our helpful guide, Drive Results in Your HR Shared Service Center: Why You Need an HR Service Delivery Platform.
