Make Your ServiceNow Implementation Work Without Issues

by Lea Rabinowitz on December 12, 2017

When companies move ahead on implementing ServiceNow, it's not just for a better ticketing system. The SaaS application claims to replace unstructured work patterns with intelligent workflows, improve service levels, energize employees and enable enterprises to work at light speed. That’s a tall order, even for a powerful platform that automates and connects workflows and disconnected databases.

While the appeal of ServiceNow is obvious, migrating to the platform doesn’t guarantee success. Organizations that truly want an experience that lives up to the hype must set aside the proper time and resources for upfront planning and preparation.

ServiceNow implementations also bring powerful momentum, which amplifies the need for IT preparedness. Once departments start catching on to the potential benefits, there’s a chance that everyone is going to want a piece of the pie. But that doesn’t preclude a level of skepticism and other pain points that could derail the entire project.

4 Common Roadblocks to ServiceNow Adoption

For IT teams planning a ServiceNow implementation roadmap, it’s imperative to go in with eyes wide open. If not, you run the risk of having the entire ServiceNow adoption unravel as both C-level executives and users doubt the efficacy of the solution. Although each organization’s experience can be different, there are four common roadblocks keeping IT from ServiceNow implementations that really work:

1. One Size Doesn’t Fit All. ServiceNow isn’t an out-of-the-box product that fits every enterprise and its unique situation. While IT may have gotten the go-ahead to start integrating the software, it’s not easy to manage the wide array of applications, features and configurations that make the solution work so well with existing and future technologies. Before the C-suite commits to ServiceNow, they also must sign off on allocating the resources to research, plan and tweak the implementation during the entire journey. By setting the expectation that it isn’t plug-and-play on the first day, there will be less frustration when it takes time to reach the right configuration for the business.
2. Legacy Workflows Are Bad Examples. ServiceNow is built on Enterprise Service Management best practices and the IT Infrastructure Library. That means that companies choosing the technology are adopting highly evolved automations and features. Using legacy workflows that aren’t optimized for this environment may seem convenient at first, but will lead to larger headaches down the road when the two are out of sync. Organizations should complete an intricate review of processes from old systems and rework workflows that add undue complexities, so they can get more rapid incident resolution with ServiceNow.
3. Remember the Goldfish Effect. Even after leadership approves a ServiceNow implementation, IT should expect that every bump in the road might be subject to scrutiny. To busy C-level executives, the strategic business value is easily forgotten as ServiceNow fades as just another platform. To counteract this, IT must be able to show an inside view of the IT ecosystem and where ServiceNow fits in, and prove its worth in driving profitability and organizational success.
4. Change Makes People Uncomfortable. We, as humans, are creatures of habit. Change makes us uncomfortable, even if it’s in our best interest. Technology initiatives with steep learning curves and a new set of practices only compounds the problem, despite the overall benefits that will be fulfilled. IT has to work hard and smart to overcome this challenge by making the transition easier through training, evangelism, and ensuring that ServiceNow works smoothly so as to not frustrate users.

Optimizing the ServiceNow User Experience

If there were a slowdown in a change-approval process, would IT be able to accurately say it is a performance issue with ServiceNow, a workflow inconsistency or congestion on the LAN? Probably not immediately, or at least not until the issue could be replicated. But, if the IT team had an application performance monitoring solution, they would have the capability to gather the operational and machine data that would provide insights on where the anomaly occurred.

Building a roadmap for a successful ServiceNow journey doesn’t stop a year or even two after the initial implementation. Organizations need to consider how the software will interoperate in the IT ecosystem for the next three to five years. While SaaS is becoming a mainstay in the IT consciousness, it doesn’t exclude the potential sprawl of special-purpose applications. This conglomerate of applications and components can be quite challenging to manage, especially when IT can’t see what’s happening to all the data, who’s accessing it and which applications are capacity hogs.

To make a ServiceNow implementation solve business problems for end users, IT must be able to overcome those challenges. That means monitoring application performance, delivery, and storage and network use in data centers.

With AppNeta, ServiceNow will always operate at top speed. Using our continuous, easy monitoring, IT is able to prove the value and ROI of the software and its integrations and help you get over common roadblocks.