COVID-19 has transformed businesses, both for employees and customers. The workplace has changed incredibly, with employees working remotely and the work-from-home (WFH) concept becoming a permanent feature of new workplaces. Even customer processes have had to adjust to new realities with limited personal interactions. Businesses must manage workflows to adapt quickly to a fast-evolving business landscape.
Cloud computing for business process modernization
Cloud adoption has increased rapidly, with many enterprises having implemented specific SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions and leveraged IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). Despite the rapid evolution of the cloud, the workflow of many companies remains disconnected, both internally for employees and externally for their customers and business partners.
Cloud computing helps connect processes across the business value chain to provide a unified experience to customers, employees, and business partners. According to a study on the high cost of disconnected data by independent research firm Vanson Bourne, 46% of respondents think the disconnected data negatively impacts their ability to engage and support their customers. At the same time, an equal number also believe their organization’s ability to innovate and develop new products and services is negatively impacted. The same research found financial impact of disconnected workflows and data for US and UK organizations is an annual loss of $140 billion.
Though enterprises have leveraged the cloud for applications and IT infrastructure, they have yet to realize the full potential of cloud computing and its ability to transform business processes and workflows. Though the cloud is not a prerequisite, it acts as a force multiplier to help enterprises create next-generation IT capable of transforming processes and accelerating business innovation.
Enterprises have to transform business processes that traditionally had emphasized efficiency and cost-effectiveness but no longer offer competitive advantages in today’s digital world. Cloud-based automation platforms help streamline business processes and join disconnected workflows for efficient and cost-effective operations. They provide data insights and consumption-based pricing, along with flexibility. They also offer ease of modifying processes and workflows, enhancing enterprises’ capabilities to experiment and offer innovative products and services. In addition, the application performance metrics and a trove of user and process data provided by cloud platforms help improve business processes and workflows.
Digital workflows – Roadmap for modern services
A workflow is a sequence of tasks that connects processes from the beginning to the end. Workflows can be digitized with software, automation tools, and other technologies to improve efficiency and productivity. Digital workflows enable users to see information in real-time and provide a solid foundation to leverage automation that is critical for the success of business processes.
Digital workflow means enabling information flow within and across business processes, using triggers to set in motion activities, generate automatic notifications and alerts. In addition, the workflow automation platform integrates with other applications to exchange data and information seamlessly.
Digital workflow helps create the foundation for modern services by eliminating redundancy, improving productivity and efficiency, reducing errors, saving costs, and establishing accountability. According to a Deloitte survey, organizations implementing automation have indicated a 12% workforce capacity increase. The respondent in the survey expects an average cost reduction of 24% for three years and a revenue increase of 15% during the duration. In a McKinsey survey of 800 executives, 76% of the respondents reported increased implementation of automation after the COVID-19 pandemic.
ServiceNow – Cloud-based digital workflow platform
ServiceNow is an enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) company whose cloud platform helps companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations. ServiceNow started as a cloud-based service management platform that automates its delivery processes and workflows. ServiceNow cloud-based service management platform helped enterprises modernize ITSM (IT Service Management). It has expanded its scope to include Human Resource (HR) Service Delivery, Customer Service Management, and Enterprise Business Applications. In addition, ServiceNow offers an integrated cloud platform that integrates all these services into a single record system.
ServiceNow’s single biggest strength and differentiator has been the simplicity and customizability of its cloud-based service management platform. In addition, ServiceNow has expanded its networked, easy-to-use IT service management system to other functional areas to create a connected enterprise with one shared online database that an organization can leverage to analyze and take action based on data insights.
ServiceNow has emerged as a leading enterprise automation platform with over 6,000 customers, including 850 large companies featured in the Forbes Global 2000 list.
ServiceNow stands tall among its competitors with customer renewal rates of 98%, beating the industry average of 90%.
Some key characteristics of the ServiceNow digital workflow platform
Now Platform: Workflows foundation
The Now platform results from the company’s one data model and one architecture principle and is the foundation for all workflows. The platform offers enterprises a cloud-based environment to help scale their business and enable efficient workflow digitization.
Hybrid Team Workflows
ServiceNow’s latest release in Rome of its Now platform includes an Employee Center designed to be a central command center for managing hybrid workflows. The new feature helps to reduce the time it takes for employees to get information from various departments in their organization.
The newly introduced Employee Journey Management enables human resource teams to improve the employee experience by delivering personalized, cross-departmental employee journeys. It helps employees manage their tasks in a new hybrid work environment, such as setting up remote workspaces, department changes, and even returning to work. The goal of focusing on employee workflows instead of IT workflows was to reduce the occasional fatigue that some users have experienced while working remotely.
Mobile App Builder
The Rome version includes the Mobile App Builder, a new tool that enables developers to create and update ServiceNow configuration records for native iOS and Android mobile applications. The new tool ensures faster navigation and provides real-time previews. Mobile App builder improves user experience and makes life for developers easy.
Artificial Intelligence
In the Rome release, the ServiceNow acquisition of Loom enabled AI-powered operations. Automation discovery helps enterprises identify top opportunities for automation. AIOps enhancements help to keep employees productive by predicting and resolving problems faster.
The Automation Discovery tool helps identify automation opportunities with ServiceNow applications, including Virtual Agent and Agent Assist. Predictive AIOps provides insights into digital client operations, identifies issues, and automates resolutions. The Incident Response systems powered by virtual agents offer a guided setup and topic recommendation to speed up security incident response processes.
In addition, AI search capabilities have been brought to the forefront with a redesigned homepage in the latest Rome release. AI Search delivers actionable information directly from the search window and an Engagement Messenger that extends self-service to third-party portals.
AI-enabled capabilities set a strong base for autonomous process orchestration, a crucial differentiator for the platform.
Integration Hub
The new release provides low code integration embedded in ServiceNow workflows to remove integration complexity and accelerate value. With a new UI and simple process, the hub simplifies and accelerates the import of large data sets.
Verticalization
ServiceNow is positioning itself as the cross-platform integration engine of the modern enterprise and now customizing its product along industry verticals. ServiceNow has released new workflows for telecommunication, financial services, and healthcare industries to make it easier for A&D professionals to implement digital transformation.
The new telecommunication application, called Proactive Customer Care, is built on the company’s Now platform to help service providers manage customer service requests and resolve network problems quickly and cost-effectively. In addition, ServiceNow is working with telecom companies such as British Telecom (BT) to create new telecom products jointly. As a design partner, BT advises ServiceNow on the operator’s requirements for a communication network
ServiceNow also plans to develop several healthcare and life sciences products to help companies automate multiple clinical and business workflows.ServiceNow also plans to develop several healthcare and life sciences products to help companies automate multiple clinical and business workflows.
Security
The Now platform offers built-in data protection and application security features and a full suite of Access Management Control to prevent unauthorized access. In addition, your digitized workflows built with ServiceNow digital workflow platform are fully compliant with all regulatory requirements.
Service partnerships
ServiceNow is leveraging the domain expertise of Global System Integrators and channel partners to take its platform to the clients.
ServiceNow is leveraging the domain expertise of Global System Integrators and channel partners to take its platform to the clients.
Service Now helps Danske Bank consolidate and standardize IT Service Management.
Danske Bank uses ServiceNow to consolidate its IT Service Management into one platform eliminating information silos. In addition, the Now platform gives the bank complete visibility of infrastructure and services, leading to better insights and control. As a result, ServiceNow has helped Danske Bank achieve a 93% reduction in high priority incidents and improvement in service restoration time.
ServiceNow classified as a leading vendor by Forrester and Gartner
Forrester has classified ServiceNow as a leader in their latest vendor assessment report for digital process automation. The company has been recognized as a leader in Gartner’s latest magic quadrant for low-code application platforms. ServiceNow has been named a leader in the Forrester vendors assessment report for Governance, Risk and Compliance, and Enterprise Service Management. ServiceNow has again found a place as a leader in the Gartner magic quadrant for IT Service Management (ITSM) for the 8th year in running.
How to drive digital transformation with ServiceNow?
A robust platform like ServiceNow can help you drive digital transformation in your organization with internal champions and external service providers who can offer a fine balance of technical expertise and business domain knowledge. The service providers are well versed with the platforms and bring a wealth of knowledge, having implementation experience across different industry verticals.
Without an internal champion, the external service providers will not be able to bring about drastic changes to your digital transformation initiatives. The internal champion is driven by a greater sense of purpose, ability to influence other stakeholders, and determination to leverage digitized workflow to advance the organization’s digital transformation journey. If you want to create a roadmap for ServiceNow digital workflow platform implementation, please fill in the form to get our e-book.
Nous Infosystems is a ServiceNow premier partner offering organizations consulting and integration services to enable organizations to realize the benefits of the Now platform. With its dedicated center of excellence and a team of experts, Nous Infosystems helps organizations transform their business processes. Nous Infosystems’ service portfolio includes ServiceNow consulting, implementation, integration, platform development, and managed services.
