{"id":40794,"date":"2026-05-25T09:52:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/?post_type=insights&#038;p=40794"},"modified":"2026-05-25T10:29:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T13:29:35","slug":"ai-in-shared-services-why-automating-the-existing-process-is-the-wrong-shortcut","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/insights\/ai-in-shared-services-why-automating-the-existing-process-is-the-wrong-shortcut\/","title":{"rendered":"AI in Shared Services: why automating the existing process is the wrong shortcut"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"40794\" class=\"elementor elementor-40794 elementor-40783\" data-elementor-post-type=\"insights\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-53a0e987 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"53a0e987\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2d489e3f\" data-id=\"2d489e3f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e706e8d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e706e8d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><span class=\"TextRun SCXW89857425 BCX0\" lang=\"PT-BR\" xml:lang=\"PT-BR\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW89857425 BCX0\">By Ricardo Avila<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1af66bf7 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"1af66bf7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ff8b9a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5ff8b9a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><em>The Brazilian MVP mindset, combined with the American discipline of building a solid foundation, if properly integrated, can accelerate the evolution of CSCs, provided that the classic mistake is avoided: applying AI to broken processes.<\/em><\/li><li><em>The wave of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) migrations is dismantling hyper-automation structures built over the past decade, and, coupled with the rapid evolution of AI technologies, is reigniting the debate over the mandate between CSCs, business units, and IT.<\/em><\/li><li><em>Without a solid database, consistent processes, and a well-defined service catalog, no layer of AI generates sustainable value.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61bf67c6 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"61bf67c6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f310d1f elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f310d1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I returned from Shared Services &amp; Outsourcing Week (SSOW) in Orlando with a conviction that was echoed in nearly every panel discussion: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just another tool in the Shared Services Center (SSC) toolbox. It is a lens that forces these structures to redesign their very starting point, a perspective that aligns with the discussions from the panel I participated in at the CSC Summit in S\u00e3o Paulo, alongside Brazilian CSC and GBS leaders.<\/p><p>Before AI, however, the discussion began elsewhere. For years, the term GBS was treated as synonymous with geographic reach, operating from multiple countries. That interpretation fell short, because today, GBS is first and foremost an integrated platform mindset. End-to-end processes that communicate with one another, combined capabilities (hyperautomation, continuous improvement, and now AI), and a leading role in the company\u2019s transformation. All of this is defined by design. Geography has become part of the definition and a consequence of the business strategy, where applicable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c5d2b2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1c5d2b2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>The wave that is washing away what has been built<\/b><\/p><p>To understand why AI calls for a redesign, it\u2019s worth looking at what is happening simultaneously in large-scale operations.<\/p><p>Many companies that have invested heavily in hyperautomation over the past ten years, with fleets of 200 or 300 RPA (Robotic Process Automation) robots, are now in the midst of ERP transitions. To SAP\u2019s S\/4HANA in many cases, or even to other equivalent platforms in others. In all of these cases, the migration changes the organization\u2019s foundations and often disrupts the previous automation ecosystem.<\/p><p>Those going through this process quickly realize: recreating the same robots on the new platform can often be a waste. The question then becomes: what capabilities does the platform itself already deliver natively, where does AI add real value, and where does traditional automation still make sense?<\/p><p>This is where AI comes in, and in a different way than one might expect. Instead of being just another layer to accelerate the existing process, AI reopens the discussion of mandate. Who decides what. How CSC, business areas, and IT share responsibility and deliver. How governance and security gain pillar status, after years of being treated as an appendix.<\/p><p><b>The most common mistake: applying AI to the old process<\/b><\/p><p>Here is the most sensitive part of the conversation, and what I heard most often both on the SSOW stages and at the CSC Summit panel.<\/p><p>When an organization applies AI to an existing process, it tends to end up with a slightly faster version of that same process. It gains minutes, perhaps hours, but misses out on the real opportunity that the technology offers: rethinking the design based on what AI makes possible.<\/p><p>A practical example from our transformation work. Traditional process mapping takes weeks of interviews, workshops, and flowcharting. Today, with well-structured context databases and prompt engineering, we\u2019re able to arrive at the first project meeting with a starting process already mapped out, based on knowledge the organization already possesses but which was previously scattered. Beyond mapping, we have the process of analyzing processes, ideation and refinement of solutions through multiple lenses, specification and design, and even the implementation itself. Operational work shrinks; analytical work gains ground.<\/p><p>The same logic applies to change management. In the past, simulating the organizational impact of a change required weeks of spreadsheets and meetings, as well as a limited view of the organizational dimensions; however, today, starting from a transformation hypothesis, it is possible to automatically map impacts on processes, structure and functions, systems, regulations, policies, results, operational KPIs, customer metrics, and more.<\/p><p>The benefit here goes beyond speed, because what changes is the lens. We\u2019ve moved away from the effort to better answer the questions we already know how to ask and have started to formulate questions we didn\u2019t know or that previously didn\u2019t fit within the budget or timeline of initiatives.<\/p><p><strong>What sets apart those who are ready to take the next step<\/strong><\/p><p>Let me return to the image that kicked off this discussion. AI is the new lens, but the lens is worthless without what it needs to see.<\/p><p>For Brazilian CSC\/GBS teams, this means three key areas that cannot be delegated to IT:<\/p><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Integrated Database:<\/span><\/b>a defined service catalog, and reliable data and master records. Without this, AI inherits the noise.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Clear mandate: <\/span><\/b>the structure must be at the table where company strategy is decided; it should not be called in later just to \u201cimplement.\u201d Deep business knowledge, beyond transactional processes, is non-negotiable.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"2\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Renewed ways of working:<\/span><\/b>leveraging AI to support the analytical discipline we already master, without letting it replace root-cause investigation. What changes is the lever for execution, not the way of thinking.<p>\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>The question for 2026 is simple to ask but difficult to answer: Which processes in your CSC or GBS would you design today, from scratch, if AI were already part of the starting point? How much of what currently exists would survive this question?<\/p><p>The GBSs that manage to answer this question without shielding themselves end up shifting from the role of strategy executors to that of strategy designers, and this shift may be the best definition of maturity in shared services today.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<div data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d856a30 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d856a30\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30a9a74 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30a9a74\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"EOP Selected SCXW243603637 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:312}\">At EloGroup, we have been supporting CSCs and GBSs in Brazil and the United States precisely in this transition: redesigning processes with AI built in from the start, rather than as an afterthought. Talk to our experts to discuss how this approach applies to your operation. Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/our-solutions\/\">website<\/a> to learn more about our solutions.<\/span><\/p><p><strong>\u00a0RICARDO AVILA<\/strong> is a Partner at EloGroup<\/p><p><span class=\"EOP Selected SCXW243603637 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:312}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div data-particle_enable=\"false\" data-particle-mobile-disabled=\"false\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d61826 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9d61826\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33a00c0 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"33a00c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ricardo Avila The Brazilian MVP mindset, combined with the American discipline of building a solid foundation, if properly integrated, can accelerate the evolution of CSCs, provided that the classic mistake is avoided: applying AI to broken processes. The wave of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) migrations is dismantling hyper-automation structures built over the past decade, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":39557,"parent":0,"template":"","editorias":[68,140],"industrias-category":[],"praticas-category":[],"insights-category":[98,160],"class_list":["post-40794","insights","type-insights","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","editorias-unlock-the-good","editorias-unlock-the-good-en","insights-category-strategically-digital","insights-category-strategically-digital-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/40794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insights"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/40794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40798,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/40794\/revisions\/40798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"editorias","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorias?post=40794"},{"taxonomy":"industrias-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industrias-category?post=40794"},{"taxonomy":"praticas-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/praticas-category?post=40794"},{"taxonomy":"insights-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elogroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights-category?post=40794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}