The Balancing Act of Digitization, Compliance, and People Management

Hi and welcome to the next edition of Shared Services Weekly!?This week, we’re looking at the unique considerations modern GBS leaders must face, particularly in the digital age:?

How the Digital Era is Increasing Risk

The rise of e-invoicing has undoubtedly impacted the finance landscape, adding immense efficiency for AR and AP teams. There are clear benefits of implementing e-invoicing: reducing manual errors, faster payments, and the environmental impact of moving away from paper invoices.

However, these changes go hand in hand with increasing e-invoicing mandates. Although countries began assessing e-invoicing regulations in 2024, 2025 marks a huge shift in mandate adoption. Countries such as Poland, Spain, Singapore, and the United Kingdom have either already implemented new regulations or will do so in the near future.

Struggling to make sense of it all? Comarch 's?upcoming webinar, Navigating Mandate Mania: Managing The Rise Of E-Invoicing Mandates Worldwide, will tackle the current e-invoicing mandates and delve into best practices to ensure compliance. Register today?to gain top tips for transitioning to e-invoicing, future trends you need to keep on your radar, and a break-down of global mandates!

The increasingly globalized and digitized world modern GBS leaders are operating in has, in some ways, brought as much complexity as it has opportunity. For example, VAT compliance can be inhibited by poor data, varying requirements per region, and increasing expectations to provide insights in real-time. As such, many organizations are turning to automation to make up these efficiency and accuracy gaps.

Vertex Inc. 's upcoming webinar, Mastering VAT Compliance in the Digital Age, will highlight cutting-edge strategies for navigating complex VAT requirements globally. Learn how to leverage technology to streamline compliance, minimize risks, and empower your team with essential skills for sustainable business growth. Register today?and don’t miss out on transforming your VAT management approach.

The increasingly digital world has opened the flood gates for fraudsters. As fraud tactics evolve, outdated controls can’t keep up, and traditional methods are failing to stop it. Factors such as technological advancements, remote work, and increasingly global supplier bases are key contributors to these more sophisticated fraud tactics.

However, to maintain a competitive edge and vigilance, organizations are turning to automation and AI to tackle modern fraud risks.

onPhase 's recent whitepaper, The Role of AI and Automation in Preventing AP Payment Fraud, explores how fraud prevention is an incredibly strong use case for AI adoption. Download your copy?to explore the biggest drivers of payment fraud, the power of AI to mitigate the risk, and best practices for implementation.

The Buzz Around AI Only Continues to Grow

In recent years, claiming AI caused some buzz?would be an understatement. In fact, SSON research shows that 76% of shared services say they are planning on implementing AI in the next 12 months- so the hype around the technology is here to stay.

Many organizations are well-versed in the potential of AI, but the reality of implementing is not as clear. Less than 20% of professionals consider themselves knowledgeable and ready for AI adoption, and 44% class themselves as pure beginners. There is clearly a long way to go.

维布络 's?upcoming webinar, AI Unleashed: Transforming Global Business Services, aims to bridge this gap. Adopting a more practical lens, the session will cover top tips for achieving ROI for your AI projects, supported by a case study that demonstrates how AI can drive value at scale. Register now?to understand the fundamentals of AI adoption- it’s time to move from the theoretical to the practical!

Although it may feel as though businesses are just getting their heads around AI, technological innovation waits for no one! Agentic AI (or AI agents) has emerged as a top technology trend for 2025, as it is defined by its ability to make decisions and act independently without direct human input.

However, like any new tool, it can be difficult to identify strong use cases to implement. Base64 's upcoming webinar, Intelligent Document Processing in the Agentic Era: Turning Documents into Decisions, highlights IDP as a key use case for Agentic AI. The session will explore how businesses can achieve 95%+ first-pass accuracy rates using next-level IDP.

Register now?to learn about real-world case studies and discover how organizations streamline claims processing, onboarding, and IDP adoption.

Intelligent Automation is the Future

As AI has been, and continues to be, a key focus for GBS leaders, many organizations are looking at wider Intelligent Automation strategies. However, the automation landscape is incredibly diverse and complex. With a stream of vendors offering tools such as RPA, ML, AI, and NLP, finding the perfect fit for your organization can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

However, SSON’s Intelligent Automation Week?is returning to provide attendees with a comprehensive playbook to craft their automation journeys. The event covers it all, from the fundamentals of developing your own CoE to tackling scalability issues when implementing AI.

Discover the future of business transformation, as the event connects leaders, pioneers, and innovators in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Over the three days, dive deep into the latest trends, success stories, and invaluable lessons to redefine your organization's processes, partners, and ROI metrics. Register now!

Do More With Less: The Next Stage of Finance Transformation

Back-office finance functions, such as AP, are a pillar of shared services. Historically, being able to centralize invoice processing and streamline payment processes resulted in unparalleled efficiency for the wider business. However, as the business landscape becomes more competitive, it is complex time for finance leaders, as they are urged to “do more with less.” So, the hunt is on for any incremental gains that can be made to efficiency and cost-savings.

SSON’s annual AP Automation Digital Summit?covers everything AP, from leveraging AI agents to mitigating the risk of fraud. The 10th iteration of the event is not to be missed as it will provide insights from front runners in AP automation: AppZen , Cevinio , Medius , Pagero , Rossum , and Xelix ! Register today?to maintain your competitive edge in AP.

Like all areas of finance, the Order-to-Cash (O2C) landscape continues to evolve, as GBS organizations aim to remain agile in the digital age. From AI automation to predictive analytics, there seems to be many avenues to reach new levels of efficiency.

However, Serrala 's upcoming webinar, Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Order-to-Cash in 2025 and Beyond,?will cut through the noise and highlight the key trends driving finance teams, offering strategic insights to help businesses navigate emerging challenges and capitalize on new opportunities. Register now?to gain a clear understanding of the future of O2C, and how it will impact process design, decision-making, and customer expectations.

Don’t Allow New Tech Cloud the Power of People

Despite the rapid technological advancements shared service leaders have seen in recent years; people are still at the core of the GBS model. However, in today's war for talent, effective talent management strategies are more crucial now than ever. Increasing skills gaps, turnover, and global competition, a key question many organizations are asking is: how can I future-proof my workforce?

In Page Outsourcing 's upcoming session Upskilling and Reskilling: Bridging the Talent Gap, we will dive deep into how effective training and development can transform your workforce into a resilient, future-ready team. Register today?to explore real-world case studies of effective workforce enhancement and unlock the true potential of your workforce! ?

As this newsletter, and many other editions, have highlighted, the business landscape is changing- and fast. This only adds to the current war for talent as many workforces are facing increased levels of burnout and change fatigue. Change management is no longer a strategic decision, but a priority.

Talent management, at its core, is all about empowering people. From upskilling to boosting staff morale, in today's fast-paced, tech-driven world, the workforce must constantly evolve to stay ahead. But what key skills make up the GBS professional of the future??

Kiran A. explores this very topic in her recent article, Empowering Your Workforce: The Key to a Future-Ready Global Business Services (GBS) Model. Discover why upskilling is critical for the modern GBS model, the top skills your organization should prioritize, and best practices for developing the workforce. Read more now?to create a workforce that drives innovation, collaboration, and business growth.

The people pillar of shared services extends beyond internal stakeholders, as Customer Experience (CX) is a key focus for GBS leaders. Whether this is introducing technology to support CX initiatives or prompting a company-wide mindset shift surrounding CX, the goals of any GBS are fuelled by customer centricity.?

SSON's upcoming CX & Service Excellence for GBS Virtual Summit?will delve into the transformative power of elevated CX and bring together service management experts, to discuss in detail how you can achieve excellence. Register now?to discover everything CX, from how technology supports CX initiatives to effectively measuring CX.?

Thanks for reading!

Bethany Brown, Editor, SSON