Shiseido unifies IT services and digitizes HR processes

Centralizing data on a scalable platform
Shiseido supplies cosmetics to 120 countries and regions worldwide, with overseas sales accounting for more than 60% of its total revenue. Improving global operational efficiency and enhancing HR services in Japan to uplift employee experience, have become important driving factors for business transformation.

The company’s global operations use a variety of business systems and applications. With significant numbers of IT help requests, the Japanese cosmetics giant was looking for a solution to process these requests efficiently to improve employee productivity.

The company introduced ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM) to centralize request contact points and standardize the IT service processes, which would reduce staff workloads and increase the overall productivity of the Shiseido Group.

Syamala Mishra, Group Manager of Digital Platforms, IT Department of Shiseido Interactive Beauty Co. Ltd, which promotes IT and digital transformation for the entire Shiseido Group, explains why ITSM was selected above the many other options: “The major deciding factors were its agility, faster low-code or no-code mission-critical application development features, and the ability to centralize company-wide data on one secure platform. It is a highly scalable solution that is far superior to its alternatives.”

Consolidating 60% of IT services
Prior to introducing ServiceNow ITSM, Shiseido Group’s IT services had different contact points and processes for each system and application in each country and region. To consolidate these disparate processes and environments, the company formulated a global standardized IT service process called ‘Golden Copy’, designed to run on the ITSM platform. In addition to business systems and applications, it deployed the same platform to improve efficiency of its IT infrastructure service management.

‘Golden Copy’ was applied to Shiseido Group’s IT services in Japan in 2019. “About 60% of IT services for various applications and 100% of the IT infrastructure were consolidated into ITSM,” Mishra says. “Streamlining contact points and processes clearly reduced staff workloads and the burden on engineers who handle case resolutions. It’s only been two years since the deployment, but employee satisfaction is definitely increasing."

Digitizing HR service processes
Shiseido also faced challenges with its local HR services in Japan. Applications for allowances, childcare, or nursing care leave were processed on paper, and with over 900 different forms, employees were often confused over which form to complete. Moreover, some application forms had to be painstakingly filled out by hand, diverting employees’ time and resources from the business.

If large volumes of application documents were received at one time, processing would be delayed, resulting in longer approval times. To resolve these issues, in 2020, Shiseido set up a project team to digitize HR services, using ServiceNow HR Service Delivery as the foundation. 

Improved employee experience and operational efficiency
Hiroshi Tamura, Director, HR Business Service Office of Shiseido Co. Ltd cites the reasons for introducing HR Service Delivery. “Paper applications can take several days to approve, but HR Service Delivery functions on a PC or smartphone, so approval can be completed instantly, depending on the nature of the application,” he explains. “Moreover, processing statuses after application submission can be tracked in real time, providing visibility of possible delays and estimated approval dates to staff in a convenient way.”

The major deciding factors were HR Service Delivery’s low-code or no-code enterprise app development features and possibility to implement this service fast. And with the COVID-19 pandemic occurring at the time of deployment, employees applauded the change. ‘I no longer need to get a paper form and fill it out!’ and ‘I don’t have to go all the way into the office to get my application stamped for approval’, were their typical positive responses.

According to Tamura, application processing by the HR department is no longer needed. “Applications that require approval from each department were previously subject to interim checks by HR, but digitization eliminated this process, saving around 40 work hours per month for staff involved.”

Thanks to ServiceNow, Shiseido has transformed its employee experience and operational efficiency. Going forward, Shiseido is actively exploring ServiceNow solutions in other areas to further improve its IT operations and overall digital transformation.

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