Getting Started with ServiceNow: Part 2

Choosing the Right ServiceNow Partner

Implementing an enterprise-wide platform like ServiceNow is complex. Projects involve multiple stakeholders and touch every area of the organization. To ensure success, leaders must dot their I’s and cross their T’s. Not doing so can be costly, time-consuming. Your initiative could be doomed before it even gets off the ground.

Companies maximize ServiceNow’s potential when their team includes ServiceNow trained architects and consultants. And the best way to find that kind of depth is through a certified ServiceNow business partner.

Strong teams know they can’t go it alone.

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Do your research.

Like recruiting and hiring for any other position, you look for a team that matches your company culture and vision while also having familiarity with ITIL and industry best practices. After all, working with them should feel like working with esteemed colleagues.ServiceNow’s Partner Finder lists customers by services, industries and solutions - making researching implementation partners easy. Partner teams typically include project managers, technical architects, and solutions consultants. You can find partners with platform knowledge, knowledge of your industry or a team that knows best practices for both – and how to balance them so you get the most out of the ServiceNow platform.

Look for broad and deep expertise.

Today, a few partners have technical architects who have completed ServiceNow’s highly competitive Certified Master Architect program, a competitive, six-month ServiceNow certification program designed for only the most experienced ServiceNow leaders. Candidates must have demonstrated a history of serving as the technical lead on multiple, enterprise-level ServiceNow projects and programs, and must already hold at least five other ServiceNow certifications. There are only 100 ServiceNow Certified Master Architects in the world. Crossfuze has five of them.

Certified Master Architects are widely viewed as ServiceNow industry thought leaders and ambassadors among both ServiceNow partners and customers. They routinely advise and mentor other ServiceNow architects and consultants within their organization.

Consider your culture.

An enterprise-wide digital transformation isn’t a one-and-done project. Typical engagements take months. Priorities change. And disruptions you haven’t even thought of could shift the project entirely. Overcoming these obstacles is far easier when you have a partner who already fits your culture. A good cultural fit ensures that teams will understand one another and more effectively solve problems as they come up. Choose a partner who communicates with you from day one. Transparency is the key to trust – and can help you avoid blindsides as the project progresses.

Shape your vision for long-term success.

A good partner sets you up quickly, helps you communicate the change to employees and trains in-house administrators to configure and use the platform – putting them in control of the investment. But, they’ll still be there after go-live whenever your team has a question or is ready to upgrade. After all, ServiceNow upgrades their platform every six months, which means you’ll upgrade at least once a year. Your service partner will be ready to tell you what’s new with the platform and how to take advantage of it.

When researching partner candidates, look for companies offering services that leverage industry best practices to get you to your go-live as soon as possible – ensuring you get the most out of your investment, and options to keep your service partner available for reconfigurations and upgrades. You’ve gone to all the work of finding the best service partner for you, and they’ve proven their value. You may as well leverage your partner’s expertise with organizational change management as you communicate to your team and train end-users.

Crossfuze has helped companies like yours find lasting success with their digital transformation through ServiceNow. If you’d like to learn more about how we partner with businesses like yours, reach out at LetsTalk@crossfuze.com.