Self-service HR

User stories from the knowledge front

It may seem impersonal to provide human resources over the Internet. But sometimes self-service is the best service. No cumbersome paperwork. No delays arranging time with the HR department. And when technology provides expeditious, accurate responses to employees’ important but routine questions, the HR staff can focus on more complex matters.

That was Boston Scientific’s reasoning for selecting Authoria HR as part of its enterprise employee self-service system. The medical device company employs about 13,500 people worldwide.

To end its dependence on paper-based processes to deliver information to employees, the company sought a system that would personalized responses to employee inquiries via the Web. With the new software, employees can receive customized answers to such HR and benefits question as, “How do I add a dependent to my health insurance?” or “How do I contact our 401(k) provider?” And the responses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Boston Scientific will implement the system in phases, first rolling it out in a centralized call center environment, enabling customer service representatives to provide domestic employees with consistent information. The next phase of the project will provide employees with direct access to the same information via their workstations or through kiosks located at their sites. Future phases may include the company’s global population.

“Our goal for HR,” explains Nick Messerschmidt, Boston Scientific’s VP of HR, “is to move away form laborious, manual processes and provide employees with a dynamic self-service solution. Web browsers and employee portals free up HR employees to add real value to their companies by doing what they need to do--acting as high-level consultants to employees.”

Says Tod Loofbourrow, president and CEO of Authoria, “Boston Scientific has taken a strategic step in connecting with its most valuable asset, its employees, through the delivery of personalized answers to their most significant questions. Research consistently demonstrates that strong employer-employee communications reduce administrative costs, increase the understanding of benefits and HR policies, promote employee self-service and enhance an organization’s overall image.” Boston Scientific uses PeopleSoft 7.5 as its core HR system, and PeopleSoft has pre-integrated Authoria HR into its Version 8.0 product