If you are planning to build or restructure your HR Systems Support Team you are at the right place. Transforming HR systems can be a daunting task for clients. Often, the challenge lies not just in the implementation but in establishing the right support team post-transformation. Crafted by a team of HR Technology experts with over 15 years of experience, this blog draws from our extensive background in implementing and supporting HR Systems for some of the largest organizations worldwide. We aim to guide you through the process of setting up an efficient internal HR systems support team, ensuring your transition is not just about change, but about progress.
The Role of a Successful Internal Support Team in Transitioning to Success
The transition to a new HR system isn’t just a technical switch; it’s a strategic evolution that demands a nuanced understanding of support and maintenance post-implementation. It’s here that the true value of a dedicated internal support team becomes unmistakable.
An effective internal support team acts as the backbone of this evolution. They are the champions who ensure the HR system runs smoothly, handle technical issues proactively, and adapt the system to evolving business needs. Their work is critical to minimizing downtime and maximizing the system’s value to the organization, thereby directly influencing your workforce’s efficiency and satisfaction.
The Foundation of Efficiency and Innovation
But what lays the foundation for such a high-functioning team? The answer lies in understanding the various factors that influence team setup and operation.
Key factors to consider to setup a successful HR Systems Support Team:
1. Scope of Original Implementation
The initial scope of your HR system’s implementation can significantly influence the future support requirements. If the original setup was accomplished with a minimal viable product (MVP) approach, and there are pending enhancements or significant functional rollouts, your team will need design and consulting capabilities. These are critical for extending the system’s functionalities and ensuring they align with business goals.
Actionable Step: Evaluate upcoming project roadmaps and secure system designers or consultants with the necessary expertise to guide these expansions. Ensure these roles are filled by individuals who not only understand the technical requirements but can also foresee the impacts on and benefits to business processes.
2. Number of products/modules and integrations live in production
Every additional module or integration within your HR system adds layers of complexity, demanding not just more hands on deck but also greater cross-functional expertise. It requires a team that’s not only technically proficient but also capable of understanding how different modules interact and impact each other. They need to ensure these components work in concert to deliver a seamless user experience and support the broader HR objectives.
Actionable Step: Audit the current modules and integrations to identify interdependencies and potential complexities. Train your team on these specifics or hire experts with a proven track record in managing similar ecosystems.
3. Company size and employee count
The scale of your operations is a critical determinant of your HR support team’s scope. Larger enterprises may grapple with a broader range of issues, necessitating a more substantial, more varied skill set within the team. On the other hand, smaller organizations may require a leaner team that can wear multiple hats effectively.
Actionable Step: Benchmark your organization against similar-sized companies in your industry to determine an optimal support team size. Your HR Platform vendor can provide you with such insights. Consider not just the number of employees but also geographic dispersion and operational complexity.
4. Complexity of processes
Intricate HR processes often involve nuanced problem-solving and a deep understanding of organizational workflows. A support team for a complex environment must not only troubleshoot issues but also anticipate and mitigate potential disruptions before they impact the business.
Actionable Step: Map out all HR processes in detail, highlighting areas that require specialized knowledge. Develop a training plan to upskill your team or hire specialists for these areas.
5. End User technical acumen
The variance in user technical skills across your organization means that the support team must balance between addressing advanced technical queries and assisting less tech-savvy users. This dynamic necessitates a support team with strong communication skills and the patience to educate, as well as the technical chops to solve complex problems.
Actionable Step: Conduct a survey to gauge the technical proficiency of the user base. Tailor your support strategy to provide varying levels of assistance, ensuring that users receive the right level of help.
6. Existing resources and skills
Conducting a thorough inventory of your current resources and skill sets can highlight potential gaps in your support strategy. This assessment will inform whether you can upskill existing personnel or if you need to bring in specialized talents from outside the organization to bridge the skill gap.
Actionable Step and Example: If you have an existing help desk team, consider training them to handle L1 and L2 support queries, such as pay statement inquiries or account resets. For more complex HR-specific processes, establish a specialized team that works closely with HR to address intricate system needs.
Adding HR Systems Support Team to organization structure
Centralized vs. Decentralized Structures: A Strategic Decision
The choice between a centralized and decentralized HR systems support structure is pivotal and should be made with careful consideration of your company’s culture and operational needs.
A centralized structure is akin to a hub of expertise, providing uniformity and simplified governance but can risk becoming a bottleneck if not managed properly. Focus is on creating a cohesive team with central oversight, which allows for streamlined communication and consistency in support standards.
Conversely, a decentralized structure can offer specialized support that aligns closely with individual departmental needs but may result in a lack of consistency across the organization. This model encourages departments to have their own specialized support staff, enhancing their ability to address unique departmental challenges.
A large number of clients have setup Hybrid models as well where only a part of the organisation is centralized, eg. Talent and HR whereas the business operation structures are decentralized. This is a big topic and we may write a blog about it later depending on the response of this one 😊
Actionable Step:
Conduct a thorough evaluation of your current and future operational models. If your organization values uniformity and centralized control, opt for a centralized support model. If responsiveness and local expertise are priorities, consider a decentralized approach. Ensure there are clear procedures for communication and escalation regardless of the model chosen.
Different Roles and Responsibilities you should be considering
System Owner: Oversees the entire HR system, ensuring alignment with business goals.
Functional Analyst/s: Focuses on the HR system’s functionalities and user needs.
Technical Analyst/s: Handles the technical aspects, including system maintenance and troubleshooting.
Change Analyst: Manages changes in the system, ensuring smooth transitions and end user training.
These are fundamentally required but depending on the product and complexity, your organization may need workstream leads.
Testing Structural Variations in Organizational Support Teams
Some organizations opt for technical resources to be housed within the IT department, while functional resources are placed under HR also referred as People and Culture. Others prefer an integrated approach with all team members within the HR department. Again, what your plan for the year is will play an important role. For instance – if recruitment is an area you want to focus on this year, you will be creating process configurations and integrations so it will make more sense for the team to be working with HR and Recruiters as IT team might have their own plans for digitisation and if the technical team is sitting in IT, they may not be available for the end to end testing all the time.
Most organisations have an AMS Partner as well. Deciding whether to build your support team internally or to outsource requires a balance of considerations including cost, expertise, and long-term strategic goals. Perform a cost-benefit analysis of developing in-house expertise versus outsourcing. Consider the long-term implications of each option on your organization’s agility and knowledge retention. AMS partners offer different type of support options such as monthly L2/L3 tier hours, augmentation of staff etc. See what works best for you.
Actionable Step:
Review the pros and cons of each structure in light of your organization’s workflow, communication patterns, and support needs. Map out the common issues and inquiries received by your HR system. Develop a tiered support framework that guides users through self-service for simple issues and escalates more complex issues to higher levels of support. Pilot different structures if necessary to find the best fit for your organization.
The Key to Sustainable Support (Secret Ingredient): Educating End Users
The efficiency of an HR support team isn’t just about the size or skill set of the team; it’s equally about the proficiency of the end users interacting with the system. Even the best-equipped support teams can find themselves overwhelmed if end users are not adequately trained, leading to an unsustainable volume of support requests. Our extensive experience with clients across various industries has revealed a common pattern: frustration arises not from the HR system itself but from a mismatch between the system’s capabilities and the users’ understanding of them. A system is only as effective as the way it’s utilized. When end users are unsure of how to use the system or are unaware of best practices, they generate a high volume of support tickets for issues that, fundamentally, are not system errors but training deficiencies.
Actionable Step: Invest in role-specific training programs that target the actual use cases and challenges your employees face daily. This approach ensures that each user is equipped with the knowledge and skills to utilize the HR system effectively, thereby reducing the number of basic support tickets and allowing your support team to focus on more complex queries and system enhancements.
IMPORTANT: QRGs don’t work! Text-based Quick Reference Guides often lack engagement and can overwhelm with dense information. Interactive video-based learning, however, offers visual, engaging, and practical learning experiences, enhancing understanding and long-term retention for HR systems users.
We have a solution for you!
At Anemative, we specialize in creating custom onboarding and continuous learning programs tailored to your organization’s unique HR processes. Our training solutions are designed not just to educate but to empower your workforce, fostering a culture of self-sufficiency that reduces the reliance on support teams and maximizes your HR system investment.
If you’re looking to enhance your team’s productivity and streamline your HR system’s operation, reach out to us. Let Anemative’s bespoke eLearning content development services transform the way your organization engages with its HR system. Contact us to start developing your tailored training program today and watch as the number of support tickets decreases while user competence and satisfaction soar.
