The world is riding on a new wave of technology post the outbreak of a global pandemic. The emerging prominence of self-service applications re-emphasizes the importance of technology that minimizes physical contact as much as possible. Thus it could be safely said that now is a good time than ever to leverage self-service applications to optimize business processes. These applications offer various advantages such as streamlining workflow and facilitating faster time-to-market. Furthermore, on an organizational level, these applications can facilitate the effective management of the activities of the entire workforce. 

Now that we know the importance of these applications, the question that follows next is ‘how to develop them?’ This blog elaborates on the same, based on our experience of developing an HR Self-Service Application leveraging Oracle e-Business Suite for the banking and finance industry.  

Building a Self-Service HR Application for Improved Business Efficiency

The banking and finance industry witnesses several transactions and business processes on a daily basis. Moreover, managing the workforce could prove to be a laborious process if one does not rely on technology. A self-service HR application facilitates the process of efficiently managing appraisals, eliminates confusion, prevents understaffing, etc., and also boosts employee satisfaction. The self-services are provided by initiating submission and approval through a unified portal and mobile application.

Let us break down the process of developing a self-service HR application into the following points:

• In the beginning, the usability team works closely with the client to understand their concerns with the existing system and later design an interactive mock-up prototype for the initial review. With this, the team evaluates the usability of the final product and can make necessary adjustments from the initial stage. This reduces rework by at least 50%. The Oracle EBS or the Oracle Fusion cloud can be mobilized. The custom requests can be made dynamic through configurations ensuring less rework.
• The product development team tries to adhere to the Middleware platforms that the client has procured. RapidValue’s award-winning Oracle Digital Suite, eQuipMe^TM, is flexible enough to connect with various Middleware options like Custom Connectors, Oracle Mobile Hub, SOA Suite, Oracle Service Bus, and BizTalk Server, to name a few. Also, for the standard features, the team builds upon the reusable components of the eQuipMe^TM suite.
• The development team designs and develops these applications utilizing RapidValue’s readily available and highly customizable Mobile Oracle HR Management Applications Suite which is a package of Mobile and Web applications that automate the HRMS Self-service activities by extending existing backend IT systems like Oracle EBS, Fusion HCM Cloud to the Mobile and Web platform. The application promotes BYOD culture and creates a win-win situation for both the financial institution and its employees, with an increase in employee flexibility and reduction in infrastructure cost.
• The implementation is carried out through an iterative Agile process in which the product development team and the client team work in sync and periodically review the product continuously on predefined milestones. The workflow is highly customizable to adhere to the business process management flow of the clients.
• During the development phase, the team focuses on making use of the reusable components from the RapidValue master code repository and Oracle HRMS application framework. This helps reduce the total project cost. Apart from this, the functional testing, as well as deployment processes, are automated to ensure productivity.
• Data security is an important area in the financial sectors. Hence, these apps are continuously tested for security breaches using both third-party security tools and manual testing.

Key Highlights of the HR Self-Service Application

• The actions performed through the application are updated in real-time in EBS. Through the application, employees can apply for leaves, view and download payslips, raise business travel requests, and manage any worklist approvals.
• Also, Oracle EBS transactions related to recruitment, training & learning management, appraisal, attendance, payroll, and leave management are performed through the mobile application.
• Managers’ actions can also be performed using the application. Push notifications are sent to respective employees and managers accordingly.
• A conversational chatbot assistant helps employees to search for policies, FAQs, enter quick leaves, view leave balance, etc. and perform several other HR self service tasks using the chat mode.

Benefits Delivered by Self-Service HR Applications

The main reasons behind businesses opting for self-service applications are that it reduces the time taken for manual processing and also helps run the business efficiently. From our experience, some of the key benefits delivered by these applications are:

• Streamlined Workflow: The application, used by the entire workforce, streamlines service transactions, workflow approvals, and purchase related transactions.

• Optimization of Resources: A single application deals with all the actions on all requests that are received. It does not require switching between different applications.

• Improved Efficiency: Any associate, be it an employee or a manager, can raise and approve requests from their personal devices at any place and at any time. The flexibility thus achieved by using these applications ensures maximum utilization of time, which in turn improves processing efficiency.

• Rapid Go-to-Market: Our ready suite for Mobile Oracle HRMS, along with reusable components, help reduce the implementation time considerably. Automated tasks and reduced time helps accelerate the product development process.

Any business aiming towards success has to be fast and smart in planning its business strategies. This explains the gaining prominence of self service applications in enterprises across various industries. Another factor that has contributed to their growth is the existing situation wherein social distancing has become the new normal. With self service applications, users can get work done efficiently and from within their homes. Specifically speaking, an HR Self Service Application helps reduce the time and effort taken to perform administrative tasks. Thus the organization can focus better on its business goals and can spend more time on strategic planning. If you haven’t forayed into the world of self-service applications yet, do it now, as it is better late than never.

By,
Amritha Nampalat
Marketing Executive, RapidValue

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