Why AMS Matters for Workday

Implementing Workday is only the first step in the journey. Once the system is live, organizations quickly realize that maintaining, enhancing, and evolving Workday requires as much attention as the initial rollout. New business requirements, regulatory changes, bi-annual Workday updates, and ongoing user needs create a constant demand for Application Management Services (AMS).

AMS ensures that Workday remains not just operational but optimized, delivering continuous value across Human Capital Management (HCM), Financials, Payroll, Adaptive Planning, and Analytics.

Challenges in Workday AMS

While Workday provides a robust platform, organizations face several challenges when it comes to post-go-live support:

• Keeping Up with Workday Updates: With new features released twice a year, companies often struggle to evaluate, test, and adopt them without disrupting business operations.
• Supporting Ongoing Projects and Rollouts: Expanding Workday across new geographies, business units, or additional modules requires skilled resources who can deliver quickly without slowing down daily operations.
• Implementing New Functionalities: Features like Workday Adaptive Planning or advanced analytics often need configuration, integration, and adoption support.
• 24×7 User Support: End-users expect quick resolution of issues, whether it’s payroll errors, reporting problems, or workflow delays. Maintaining a global helpdesk is both resource-intensive and costly.
• Balancing AMS and Innovation: Many organizations find their AMS teams bogged down with ticket resolution, leaving little room for process improvement, automation, or system modernization.
• Flexible Resourcing Needs: Workload isn’t always predictable, some months require heavy AMS support (like during payroll cycles or upgrades), while others are lighter. Traditional AMS contracts often fail to account for this variability.

The CES Approach to Workday AMS

At CES, we go beyond traditional “ticket-based” AMS. We focus on driving outcomes, enhancing business processes, and ensuring that Workday evolves in step with organizational growth.

1. Flexible Support Models

We offer multiple AMS engagement models:

• Dedicated AMS Teams for organizations with continuous high demand.
• Shared Services Models to provide cost-effective coverage for routine support needs.
• On-Demand/Spot Consulting for specialized expertise during peak workloads, projects, or rollouts.

This flexibility allows customers to scale AMS up or down depending on business priorities.

2. Outcome-Based Delivery

Instead of measuring success by the number of tickets closed, CES aligns with business outcomes:

• Error-free payroll cycles
• Accurate headcount reporting
• Timely expense reimbursements
• Seamless rollouts of Adaptive Planning and Analytics

3. Ongoing Projects and Rollouts

Whether it’s extending Workday to new geographies, implementing modules like Recruiting, Learning, or Financials, or rolling out new compliance features, CES helps customers continuously expand Workday’s footprint while minimizing disruption to daily operations.

4. Implementation of Additional Functionalities

CES helps customers unlock the full potential of Workday by implementing functionalities such as:

• Workday Adaptive Planning for integrated planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Workday Analytics for dashboards, reporting, and actionable insights.
• Expense & Procurement Integrations for end-to-end financial operations.

5. 24×7 Help Desk Support

Our global delivery model provides round-the-clock support, ensuring critical issues are resolved quickly regardless of time zone. Proactive monitoring, ticket triage, and intelligent escalation ensure that users get help when they need it.

6. Continuous Improvement and Automation

We embed monitoring, analytics, and automation into AMS delivery. By automating repetitive tasks and analyzing ticket trends, CES helps customers reduce issue recurrence and shift resources toward innovation.

Transitioning AMS from an Incumbent SI or Vendor

Switching from an existing AMS provider to a new partner can feel risky. CES has developed a structured transition methodology to make this handover seamless:

• Knowledge Capture: Working closely with the incumbent SI/vendor to capture process documentation, ticket history, workflows, and system configurations.
• Shadow Support: CES resources shadow the incumbent team to gain context and build familiarity before taking over.
• Risk Mitigation: Parallel run periods are built into the plan to ensure no disruptions to payroll, reporting, or employee services.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Regular communication with business users to build confidence and address concerns during the transition.

CES 30-60-90 Day AMS Transition Plan

First 30 Days: Stabilization & Knowledge Transfer

• Engage with incumbent vendor and internal stakeholders.
• Document current AMS processes, open tickets, and SLAs.
• Stand up CES helpdesk and monitoring tools.
• Begin shadow support alongside incumbent.

Days 31–60: Transition & Parallel Support

• CES team gradually assumes ownership of tickets and user requests.
• Run parallel support with incumbent to validate accuracy and response quality.
• Identify automation and process improvement opportunities.
• Establish governance model with clear communication channels and reporting.

Days 61–90: Steady State & Optimization

• CES takes full ownership of AMS operations.
• Optimize ticket handling with automation and proactive monitoring.
• Launch continuous improvement initiatives (reporting dashboards, analytics, SLA tuning).
• Conduct post-transition review with stakeholders to refine service model.

Why CES for Workday AMS

• Domain + Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of HCM, Financials, Adaptive Planning, and Analytics.
• Proven Transition Methodology: Smooth handover from incumbent SI/vendor without disruption.
• Global Delivery Capabilities: 24×7 coverage at an optimized cost.
• Outcome-Based Approach: Aligning AMS with business goals, not just ticket counts.
• Scalable Engagements: From full AMS outsourcing to supplemental staff support.

Summary

Workday AMS is about much more than keeping systems running, it’s about maximizing ROI, adopting new capabilities, and enabling Workday to evolve with the business. CES helps organizations navigate the challenges of ongoing support, rollouts, and innovation, delivering flexible, outcome-driven AMS that makes Workday a continuous enabler of business transformation.