ServiceNow Partner Perspective - Part 4: ServiceNow Advice from Real Consultants

One of the greatest things about ServiceNow is how comprehensive it is. But that means diving into all of its powerful features can also be overwhelming and challenging. From staying on top of the newest developments to making sure your organization is continuously reaping the full benefits of the platform, it can be tricky to manage it all. When your team can manage it, the results are transformative. In fact, according to a study conducted by Forrester, customers saw a 20 percent increase in IT productivity, gained $17.3M in value benefits, and drove an ROI of 195 percent in three years. 

When it comes to implementing and using ServiceNow, one of the best decisions you can make is to work with experts who have experience with every aspect of the platform. Not only are they an extra team of hands that can support your workload, but they are also available to give you the most beneficial advice out there. From tips for empowering your end users to how to provide proactive results, let’s dive into some of our most useful advice for organizations who use ServiceNow—regardless of where they are in their Now Platform experience.

Define Your "Why" First

All transformation efforts start for a reason. Why did you decide to use ServiceNow specifically? What were you hoping to solve or achieve with the Platform? When you have a clear idea of your goals and the pros and cons of each choice, you’ll be able to effectively analyze the success of your efforts and build atop a strong foundation. 

Similarly, with your “why” in mind, you can weigh each decision based on your company’s priorities. Are the debt implications of one project too high for the payoff, or is it all worth it in the end? Do you see any roadblocks getting in the way of the adoption of these tools on your path to achieving your goals? The questions that come up throughout digital transformation become much clearer when you’ve already answered the biggest question of them all: why?

Don't Forget the Simple Yet Effective Features

Once you’ve decided on the big picture, you can get down to the basics. ServiceNow has robust capabilities that are often used by organizations; however, the tool also provides simple features that could be easily overlooked in the grand scheme of digital transformation. To get the most bang for your buck, you and your team need to not only implement the larger capabilities but also form a plan for utilizing the small tools that can make a big difference. Instead of focusing solely on big-picture goals like adopting UI elements or better CSM, consider how you can help your end users utilize the details to drive your long-term vision.

Tags are just one example of a platform feature that is often forgotten but can provide more structure to your workflows, particularly because they are a great and simple way to organize your tasks and items so that everything is easy to access. After adding tags to your records, you can view all of them in a list under the navigator menu. Not only can you add them and sort them based on their name, but you can also easily share them with groups, specific users, or everyone on your team. To learn all about how to use tags and assign them to a homepage or task, you can read this post from ServiceNow.

Understand Your End Users

Driving any digital transformation requires a comprehensive understanding of your users. Without it, you’ll be attempting to adopt change without any traction. Ask yourself the following essential questions prior to implementing or upgrading the platform at your organization: 

• How comfortable are your users with technology—throughout the company? 
• Are they already familiar with the interface? 
• What devices do your users typically use to perform work and engage with each other? 
• How do you expect they will feel at each step of your plan? 
• How will these updates be relevant to their everyday lives? 
• Do the benefits of these specific ServiceNow upgrades outweigh the team’s learning curve? 

You may not know the answers to these questions without doing some research first. Don’t be wary of involving your end users in the transformation process by asking for their insight. Remember, ServiceNow will affect your users more than anyone, so it’s absolutely critical to understand their perspectives, too.

Stay Up to Date with Releases and Upgrades

ServiceNow was once focused on just serving IT departments. Now, it has adapted to encompass workflows of all areas within an organization. Regardless of the department or service, ServiceNow’s platform adapts to provide teams of all industries with the tools and best practices they need to excel. The Now Platform is committed to continuous improvement, which means the platform upgrades its features about twice a year to ensure that its customers always have the best of the best. 

Because ServiceNow releases new features so often, it’s essential to stay as up to date with the newest capabilities as possible. With each new release, notes are made available to users, allowing them to upgrade their instance and find the most relevant capabilities for them. For example, the newest release, ServiceNow San Diego, came with in-depth notes about its upgrades. 

On top of reviewing these notes, it can also help to speak with your ServiceNow Partner about features that could be the most beneficial for your organization. Not only can they help you sift through the information you’ve received, but they can also help you implement any changes you’d like to make throughout your company. Whether you put someone at your company in charge of reviewing updates or outsource the task, being aware of the most recent releases can help make sure your team has a full tool belt.

Go ServiceNow with Crossfuze, A ServiceNow Elite Partner

Do you want complete access to a host of platform expertise? If you’re searching for a ServiceNow Partner that will help you drive digital transformation and achieve your goals, Crossfuze is a ServiceNow Elite partner, making it a top 1 percent partner for delivering long-term, consistent success globally. Reach out to us at LetsTalk@crossfuze.com to learn more.