Day in the Life of an Attendee
The 23rd Annual Shared Services & Outsourcing Week
kicked off last month with hundreds of industry leading executives and
like-minded professionals connecting to discuss the future shared services
landscape. With inspiring keynotes from Robert Richmond, Co-Creator of Zappos
Insights, to the black tie SSON Impact Awards Gala and everything in between,
SSOWeek delivered an unforgettable event at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Experienced SSOW Chairman, Brad DeMent of ScottMadden, highlights the speaker
faculty’s most-talked about topics in his Chairmen’s Key Takeaways presentation.
In his review, DeMent covers subjects such as improving and automating
processes, securing SSO systems, managing change, just to name a few.
The first day of site tours set the mood as attendees
received an inside look into the shared services centers of industry leaders
like Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Citi, and Bristol-Meyers Squibb. These
site tours delivered an array of different focuses like intelligent automation
for HR, leveraging customer experience, and global financial services. After a
compelling behind-scenes-experience, attendees had time to unwind in the
Florida sunshine with live music and cocktails during our Welcome Fiesta.
SSOW’s first main conference day was jam-packed with
innovative workshops dedicated to providing our attendees with the knowledge
they needed to advance their shared service operations. From strategizing a
shared services plan for beginners, to ways of leveraging RPA for advanced
shared service leaders, attendees had a morning of thought compelling activity.
After an insightful afternoon of keynotes and discussion panels on current
shared services opportunities, the night wrapped up with an elegant Welcome Reception
equipped with champagne for a celebratory end to the day.
The following morning began with an insightful keynote from
Blockchain Researcher, Entrepreneur, and Educator, Bettina Warburg elaborating
on ins and outs of blockchain including its most appropriate uses. Warburg
explained how “It’s just automated business logic in computer-readable code”
and how blockchain is useful for asset tracking. She gives an example of the
“blocks” in blockchain as “the carbon paper after your checks run out... but you
don’t need the bank”. Later in the day, attendees gathered together for their
interactive discussion groups to exchange their insights on topics like HR
excellence, design thinking, and business process management, just to name a
few. After an afternoon of thought
exchanging, attendees enjoyed a keynote from Culture Architect and Customer
Experience Expert, Robert Richman, who delivered inspiring tips on how to build
a customer service that crushes the competition. Richman highlighted the
importance of having a customer experience-focused culture within your
organization. Richman explained how, “culture is driven by feelings – you know
it when you walk into the room [and you can affect it]”. He elaborated on
the value of experience and how to create a great experience for your customers
in order to take your company to the next level.
The evening finished with a bang as we rolled out the red
carpet for the SSON Impact Awards Gala. Industry experts were honored at the
black tie affair for their impacts on the industry ranging from creative talent
management to business transformation. As guests enjoyed a delicious 3-course
meal accompanied by wine and champagne, actor and comedian Dave Coulier of Full
House took the stage for a belling aching performance that filled the room with
laughter. Later in the evening, our esteemed judges honored the winners and
runner ups, finalizing the night with handshakes and photo ops.
The final day of SSOW was wrapped up by explorer Cathy
O’Dowd, 1st woman to Climb Mt Everest from Both Sides and Author of Just For
The Love Of It. Cathy presented a motivating keynote comparing the challenges
of a mountain climbing expedition to the challenges of business operations and
other everyday challenges. She tapped into the importance of team structure,
the complications of unexpected reality, and how to conquer your obstacles by
doing what has never been done before. O’Dowds keynote highlighted how to
examine challenges in a high-risk environment and coming up with solutions
during stressful projects with a team oriented perspective. With a
well-rounded, exciting, and insightful agenda, Shared Services &
Outsourcing Week came to close leaving attendees with new ideas and strategies
to implement back home with their teams.
Shared Services & Outsourcing Week covered an array of
topics all driven towards enhancing your SSO and GBS organizations. From
improving and automating your processes, securing your systems, to driving
customer experience, pioneering professionals presented an elaborate event
dedicated to exploring the current and future trends of the shared services
industry. Of all the key takeaways, a few took the mainstage as the key factors
for exceling your organization. Although some are still skeptical, automation
has proven itself a key factor in improving operations across organizations,
refining tedious manual process like payroll and customer service. With the
influx of technology and automation, it is important to keep in mind the
security of your data, knowing what data is most valuable, important, and how
to secure it. The most notable takeaway was driving customer experience to take
your organization to the next level. With the combined dynamics of insights on
internal management, security, and customer satisfaction, SSOW Chairman’s KeyTakeaways from SSOW 2019 outline the landscape of the shared services and
outsourcing industry.