It’s no secret that digital transformation has become a necessity for businesses to gain a competitive edge. No company is able to avoid the undeniable push towards digital transformation. With increasing customer expectations, the ability to get processes done faster and more efficiently has never been more important. ServiceNow offers a modern approach to transforming the enterprise. It allows for a complete digitization of the workflow and can integrate with many other platforms that your company may already have, making it the optimal choice for those looking for new workflow management systems.
Key points and homework to do before starting implementation
A strong foundation will reduce the cost of maintaining the platform, provide full use of ServiceNow’s capabilities and make users’ adoption of features and functionality easier. Don’t let poor planning ruin your ServiceNow implementation. Choosing the right partner is the most critical part of this process. It would help if you had a partner with whom you can communicate to build your system’s foundation. Nobody knows your system better than you, and you need a partner that recognizes that and is willing to work with you to build a system that works for you both.
Getting Started with ServiceNow – the Roadmap
Before you get started with ServiceNow, there are a few things that you need to do. First, you need to make sure that your company is open and ready to change. Distributing workflow is essential, and although ServiceNow makes it much easier, if those involved are not ready and willing to change systems, it will have an adverse effect, making things much more difficult. This acceptance to change must be held by everyone from top to bottom. You want the stakeholders and employees to all be on the same page. The best way to get people ready for change is by communicating with them the importance of continuing to evolve the company. If you do not switch over, you risk getting outpaced by competition and losing key insights on customer analytics.
Then you want to compile a list of everything you expect ServiceNow to solve. This list will be the roadmap that guides your transition into ServiceNow. When you implement it, make sure to keep these guiding principles in mind that your implementation can be effective.
There are two ways to implement ServiceNow. The first is holistic, meaning everyone gets it at once. This allows everyone to be on the same system. Of course, you will have to work out the issues of getting used to a new system, but that will come with time. If you do this method, you may want to temporarily increase the human resources on your team because since it will be new to everyone, it will take more time for issues to be resolved by the nature of it being a new system.
The second is by applying it in order of where it is most needed. This will not need internal human resources as the first option, but contractors are still a recommended option if you see it becoming an issue. Ask yourself questions such as “Which department will the pre-built modules work best for?” to decide where you want to start. The pre-built modules should be an excellent baseline to start at when it comes to first implementing ServiceNow.
Now that you have ServiceNow let’s get into where you want to start. You want to first build a foundation by initiating ServiceNow instances, creating users, roles, and groups, putting in customer information, and arranging a Service Catalog. Set up administrative systems like rules to assign cases. ServiceNow has built-in intelligent routing so you can assign cases based on skills, priority, availability, and other similar metrics. It is also recommended you create a Knowledge Base for users to store, share, and manage content. What users can do in this Knowledge Base can be controlled by setting permissions.
Best Practices You Should Be Using in Your ServiceNow Instance Today
Understand how ServiceNow works before attempting any changes
Check all the ServiceNow documentation before starting development work. If you aren’t sure, connect with a knowledgeable ServiceNow Partner who will guide you to developing an efficient ServiceNow instance.
Avoid changing existing scripts
Simplify your current approach. Do you really need to change the existing processes? The more you customize, the more complex your instance becomes. It is always a good idea to work with trained and experience ServiceNow partners to bring your project to life.
Stick to the Out-of-the-Box (ITIL) processes
Stick to what is already available. It is likely you don’t need to create something on your own, it probably already exists. It is an all-too-common mistake for developers to create new functionality which is not really needed. You should always carefully explore what comes with ServiceNow before writing any script.
Choosing the Right Partner
- Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals
- Ensure they have the proper certifications
- Consider your budget
- Review their previous work.
- Understand their capabilities.
Your ServiceNow implementation is likely part of long-term, strategic relationship. Kanini understands the steps to ServiceNow success. Your business needs to evolve and change, and a right strategic partner can adjust their approach as needed. Kanini is a Digital 2.0 enabler that can help organizations embrace digital transformation in its true sense. Ask us how we can help in making your ServiceNow project a success.
Author
Joshua Smith
Joshua is a process improvement thought leader and digital transformation expert at KANINI. Over the past 15 years, his focus has always been on achieving organizational maturity and enhancing business processes through implementing tools and workflows to drive transformation initiatives. With experience in multiple verticals from – manufacturing to healthcare, Joshua brings a practitioner’s perspective when working on business solutions and goals to allow him to advise and guide on industry and process best practices.
