HR Service Delivery: Types, Benefits, and Best Software

The human resources (HR) are doing God's work.

The initial leg of their work consists of acquiring the right talent for their company. But the work doesn't stop there. Designing interview processes, uploading job descriptions and company summaries on different job portals, and allocating interview venues are all part of HR service delivery. And this HR service delivery isn't easy, to say the least. 

Even for queries regarding benefits such as paid time off or remembering something specific about a policy, employees seek the HR team's guidance because they believe in HR service delivery. 

To ease the pressure on the HR teams, a unified platform like HR service delivery software automates repetitive rounds or alerts, overlooks employee onboarding, and runs pigeonholes for employee queries.

Because of how rapidly the ins and outs of employee management can shift and play a part in productivity levels, it’s essential to understand how HR service delivery can help.

HR service delivery is all about streamlining the HR department's processes, from hiring an employee to them leaving the organization -- going through the entire employee lifecycle. There’s so much that human resources is responsible for managing: onboarding, managing employee benefits, payroll, and more. The practice of providing all these core services is HR service delivery, which gives the HR team a way to create the best strategy throughout the entire workforce lifecycle, thanks to automation. 

Types of HR service delivery models

Every HR department follows a standard protocol to control employee operations and monitor payroll workflows without overlaps between any process. HR service delivery models are broken down into two types: traditional and multi-tiered.

Traditional HR service delivery

Businesses employing the traditional HR service delivery model use a decentralized, generalist HR staff. This means they report to and meet the needs of every department by providing customized and hands-on service for executives, managers, and employees. 

Smaller organizations most commonly use this method with a more consolidated staff. If a larger company were to adopt this method, HR managers would burn out while working on endless administrative tasks for such a high number of employees. Additionally, employees are frustrated because they don’t get a quick response time from the HR team to their questions or concerns.

Multi-tiered HR service delivery

The multi-tiered HR service delivery model was developed by David Ulrich, who referred to it as the three-legged stool model. In this model, employee issues are handled by three groups of HR professionals, each with a unique skill set.

• Shared services: This team of HR leaders is the first point of contact for employees and managers, as they’re responsible for the day-to-day questions, requests, and inquiries. Usually, employees have access to an employee self-service portal for these requests, typically found on their mobile devices.
• Centers of excellence: A team of HR specialists handles more complex or challenging situations. It’s also up to them to manage programs and policies centered around compensation and benefits, training, staffing, and performance management. 
• HR business partners: High-level HR professionals tasked with people issues that could affect a business's bottom line. This team handles programs for the recruitment process, succession planning, and more. 

These three groups are then broken down into four tiers that further explain the levels that create this HR service delivery model.

• Tier 0 support: Consists of HR shared services as it provides employees and lower-level managers with self-service technology. These tools ensure that employees can find information without contacting HR representatives directly.
• Tier 1 support: Handled by the HR shared services team when employees cannot find what they’re looking for or don’t have a portal or any HR technology available for employee access. A request is submitted by an employee, which is then sent to an HR team member who can answer. If the issue within the ticket is too complicated, it moves to Tier 2.
• Tier 2 support: Consists of subject matter experts within the human resources management (HRM) department who have specialized knowledge of complex interactions and case management situations. 
• Tier 3 support: Reserved for employee relations outside of the standard knowledge base that needs actual face-to-face interaction with a strategic HR leader.

It's becoming increasingly common in a more modern workforce to use a multi-tiered approach to HR systems. Combining this with the right technology can boost employee satisfaction, create more streamlined business processes, and promote better change in management. 

HR service delivery model benefits

An organization can experience many benefits by adopting an HR service delivery model. When rolling out the right HR service delivery technology and initiatives, some of these benefits are:

• Improved employee experience: Because HR impacts an employee’s entire life cycle, having positive exchanges regarding questions or concerns with accurate information can promote a better employee experience and overall company culture while enhancing employee engagement. 
• Better HR analytics and reporting: HR service delivery software boasts the functionality to track and analyze data and metrics centered around employee issues. Having this data makes it easier for HR teams to make informed decisions on how to improve internal processes and procedures related to employee service management. These tools can also monitor and track employee interactions so that the HR team can always access employee cases.

• Boost employee productivity: Using technology to automate communication by sending the right request to the appropriate HR team member streamlines the workflow. When employees get an expedited answer to their query, they can get back to their day-to-day tasks quicker. Additionally, the HR department can provide services more efficiently and answer more requests.
• More cost-effective and efficient: HR becomes a more cost-effective department as the technology can optimize HR service delivery and the speed at which all queries are processed and handled. Thanks to standardized procedures, faster responses and resolutions to employee questions mean that time isn’t wasted and used optimally. This also means that the HR team spends less time handling tickets and more time working on ways to ensure the company and its employees are a success.

HR service delivery best practices

When implementing HR service delivery models within an organization, specific best practices and processes should be kept in mind. 

Utilize the right technology

At its core, HR service delivery is all about ensuring that the HR department has the right tools within its tech stack. The right platform can go a long way in designing the correct workflow, assisting in resolving cases fast and building a knowledge base of employee resources. It’s good to choose software that fits an organization’s size but can also be scaled when growth is expected.

Enable employee self-service 

When an employee self-service portal is in use, staff can search for the forms or policies they need without sorting through endless amounts of information not relevant to their concerns or questions. This portal should be their go-to place for the answers they need without inconveniencing the HR team. 

Having this information available at their fingertips is especially convenient for remote workers or those frequently out of the office for travel purposes.

Have transparency

When employee requests are sent to the right HR team member, make sure that you update the employee of its progress. This way,  employees will stay up-to-date on how quickly they’ll get a response and which department member will be assisting them with their needs. This transparency also helps if their ticket or request is being escalated to a different tier for further assistance. It’s all about keeping the employee tuned with the workflow.

Be personable

While HR service delivery focuses on technology, it doesn’t mean that HR should lose the personal touch. Although employees can access a lot of information online, some matters still need to be worked out with an actual person. After all, HR is all about working with people so that the wayside does not leave them.

There’s no substitute for human interaction and open communication, especially in HR.

Top 5 HR service delivery software

HR service delivery software is an excellent addition to companies that need help simplifying complex HR operations. These tools combine service center and help desk technology to standardize how HR professionals interact with employees by assisting both the HR team and employees in submitting, reviewing, and responding to tickets or requests. 

In order to be included in the HR service delivery category, software must:

• Provide an employee self-service portal
• Monitor and manage interactions of all employees
• Send inquiries to the correct department or employee
• Facilitate HR requests related to payroll, employee information, benefits administration, and more

*Below are the five leading HR service delivery software from G2's Summer 2023 Grid® Report. Some reviews may be edited for clarity.

1. RUN Powered by ADP

RUN Powered by ADP helps small businesses with all of their HR needs. This small business payroll and HR solution was built to help teams save time, remain compliant, and manage a team with ease. In addition to payroll, RUN boasts of great functionalities such as assessing hiring needs, providing ways to manage employee perks, and so much more.

What users like best:

“This tool boasts great customer service. It’s so easy to use and customize to your business needs. It takes me about 30 minutes less than when I used QuickBooks. I am getting way more for my money with them compared to my past service provider. This payroll system is so easy to use compared to others. We have also incorporated some of their other services, which were easy and not complicated for my employees or me 

We are now using the work comp through ADP, which has been great. It is based on real numbers from my payroll, so no more tedious work comp insurance audits. We have also incorporated the 401k plan through them, and it was easy for my employees to get set up, and I don't have much work on my end to do either.”

- RUN Powered by ADP Review, Kaija J.

What users dislike:

“One thing I dislike is that we can only designate one worker's comp class to an employee. If they work in different capacities that fall under different classifications, we can't split their pay so that it is reported to L & I under the correct classifications. As an example, if an employee works under class 0603-00 on a regular basis but works for one day under class 0508-09, you can only designate a department to each pay rate and not report it under each L & I classification. I also have trouble finding some tax reports under the new Reports Center that were included in the old reports lists. Overall, there is very little to dislike about ADP Run.”

- RUN Powered by ADP Review, Michelle M.

2. SAP SuccessFactors

Users who need a human experience management (HXM) suite should look no further than SAP SuccessFactors. It reinvents the entire employee experience, making traditional HR transactions more engaging, thanks to intelligent technology. It covers HR management, from core HR and payroll solutions to onboarding and succession planning. 

What users like best:

“SAP SuccessFactors is a really useful, smooth-running system that is user-friendly. It's very easy to navigate and shows relevant information on each employee's profile. It can be used company-wide and is typically a pleasant experience for the user.”

- SAP SuccessFactors Review, Journey W.

What users dislike:

“Some integrations become exhausting at times if you don't have access to SAP technical people. If you don't get professional help, you are sure to struggle with it, and it takes days to make changes take place. Other than that, I am not a fan of SAP learning and development platform, which gives limited options to use some creativity. The platform does allow you to create content, use templates, generate forms, and download reports, but the limitations are not having options, features, or buttons to make the content interesting.”

- SAP SuccessFactors Review, Km N.

3. Leena AI

Leena AI makes it possible for enterprise businesses to build a top-notch employee experience using an AI-enabled conversational platform. It can answer employee queries in real-time and streamline the HR team’s day-to-day operations, all while resolving employee tickets and managing employee requests. Leena AI can also create analytical reports for senior management, providing increased visibility into employee queries.

What users like best:

“The Leena AI bot has a great ticketing tool and dashboard to drive usage. UI could be more creative, and voice recognition features improved, but overall it’s a good and useful platform. It allows us to engage with employees and reduce HR efforts.”

- Leena AI Review, Nilam C.

What users dislike:

“The UX/UI can be improved, and more app utility features should be added. Enabling voice commands on the bot will give users a high-end experience.”

- Leena AI Review, Soumya R. 

4. Personio

Small and medium-sized businesses with up to 2,000 employees turn to Personio to get their HR processes done faster. This software solution allows HR managers to focus on the employees’ needs instead of getting bogged down with tedious tasks.

What users like best:

“From all the tools I have used and implemented in the past, with Personio, I had the most support throughout the implementation. I love that you can assign different work schedules to different employees, which makes it so much easier to calculate vacation days for everyone correctly. I also love that all general settings are best practice settings, which are perfect to get started right away.”

- Personio Review, Leonie H.

What users dislike:

“Unfortunately, there are quite some glitches in the performance module, and one can sense that it is quite new to the ecosystem. It works but would benefit greatly from a review of user experience. Secondly, the mobile app is quite basic and doesn't offer many features besides booking holidays and sick leave.”

- Personio Review, Sebastian K. 

4. OnBase

OnBase is a process operational tool that helps convert a company's recurring challenges into actionable workflows to build HR strategies. It also connects to a full fledged LOB platform like Workday HCM to support critical tasks and content management. OnBase works towards creating customizable, cost-effective HR projects that go beyond IT and deliver faster ROI.  

What users like best:

"OnBase has many useful out-of-the-box tools or features that provide a framework for solutions targeting many industries. I believe the module or tool that stands out the most is OnBase Workflow. It has many configuration options that can be leveraged to solve a business problem of any scale, whether an approval process for approving time off or a much more integrated workflow with another line of business application such as an ERP or an EHR."

- OnBase review, Mark B.

What users dislike:

"With the number of modules and configurational changes, it's possible to get lost in the technical weeds when fine-tuning the solution. Making the most of OnBase's integration capabilities requires knowledgeable software developers. This need is lessened if your organization has an investment in other solutions for its industry, which OnBase has first-party integrations with."

- OnBase Review, Andy B.

Questions, answers, and so much more

Employees turn to the HR team with many questions and concerns. When HR service delivery is up and running, it can elevate any organization, especially with the right software to streamline policies and procedures. 

Now that employees have a place to turn to for their questions about their benefits, implement proper benefits administration so your organization offers what employees need most.