Overcoming ServiceNow Implementation Challenges for Better Workflow Automation

Piyanka Singh
4 min readJan 31, 2022

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ServiceNow is famous as a cloud-based workflow automation platform that simplifies complex tasks. It uses an AI-empowered workflow engine to render solutions through workflows for customers, IT, and employees. This tool comes to your help when you need to alleviate the burden of manual work, smoothen organizational processes, and streamline all tasks with automation. Due to poor adoption and implementation, many organizations fail to gain immense benefits from the ServiceNow tool. Read about some of the prime challenges organizations will likely face during ServiceNow implementation.

Common ServiceNow Implementation Challenges

Undoubtedly, ServiceNow offers a long list of benefits to organizations that implement various ServiceNow products like IT service management (ITSM), IT asset management (ITAM), IT business management (ITBM), and IT operations management (ITOM). Surprisingly, this implementation is also full of lots of challenges. Read here some of the most common ServiceNow Implementation Challenges that companies are likely to face while implementing and fully adopting ServiceNow ITSM solution.

Internal Requests

While implementing ServiceNow for ITSM in a particular department within the organization, other departments may send you persistent requests for the implementation. Creating customized solutions will be a big challenge, especially for each department, delaying your implementation. The workflow automation tool is supposed to streamline data flow across the teams. So, receiving many requests simultaneously can create big chaos.

Over Customization

Excessive customization can result in costly and difficult implementation due to the need of custom codes and help from external consultancy resources. Eventually, it can impose new challenges on all departments and organizational units.

Complicated Workflows and Old-fashioned Processes

You will find it hard to adopt an ITSM solution with a complicated framework because it makes users struggle with workflow. Although ServiceNow streamlines your processes, complex workflows with redundant steps may prevent users from getting the best out of ITSM. You better update the process and integrate it with all relevant data points so that you can break data silos.

Lack of Expertise

Lack of the right knowledge can prevent you from bringing the best out of ServiceNow features that automate employee, customer, and IT workflows. It may lead to poor program execution if you don’t have the proper knowledge and skills. You need to allocate the resources adequately while investing in the platform.

Generic Training

It is not bad to get generic training from an outside consultant. Although ServiceNow is tailored to suit your business and processes, people may ignore the importance of leveraging the software to their advantage. First of all, know how your company can use the software to fit the training program.

Resistance to Change

The implementation of ServiceNow products brings an immense change to how your business operates. Implementation brings transformation to the IT experience, processes automation, and security acceleration. Many users find this change unusual and are reluctant to change it. They fail to handle this change in a shorter period. Various surveys show that 70% of all organizational transformations fail to accept change.

ServiceNow implementation process

With the help of professional ServiceNow consultants, business organizations of all sizes and types can implement ServiceNow products like ITSM, ITOM, ITAM, and ITBM from scratch. One can also enhance the functionality of these products in their existing solutions. The following is the most popular ServiceNow implementation process. It follows as:

· Platform implementation consulting

· Pilot project

· Configuration and customization

· Platform integration

· Data migration

· User training

· Product launch

· After launch support

Levels of an effective ServiceNow Implementation

Several ServiceNow consultants offer many types of Servicenow implementation services and packages to implement different ServiceNow products. Primarily, these four types of levels are the most appropriate levels for ServiceNow implementation. These include:

· Level 1 — Reactive (Faster IT support with minimal investments).

· Level 2 — Preventive (Bigger IT cost reduction due to failure prevention).

· Level 3 — Service evolution (Improving and extending IT services to enhance productivity).

· Level 4 — IT-Business Unity (Mixing corporate and IT strategies to bring higher value to the business).

ServiceNow implementation

7-step approach to a successful implementation

Business enterprises interested in fulfilling their ServiceNow implementation needs can take valuable consultation from certified and professional ServiceNow implementation experts. Read here how you can take total control over ServiceNow products by sticking to a 7-step approach to implement ServiceNow successfully.

1. Identify processes that can be convenient for a successful shift to the new platform.

2. Leverage best practices to overcome obstacles, avoid mistakes, and make mandatory changes without disrupting the business.

3. Ensure collaboration and inclusiveness so that employees can accept the change open-handedly.

4. Stay agile to support the altering business needs and ensure faster user adoption for end-to-end lifecycle project management.

5. Train employees so that they can learn and know how to utilize the ServiceNow platform best and support service management capabilities uniquely.

6. Build a governance plan and make everyone accountable for operations so that you may handle unidentified challenges after ServiceNow implementation.

7. Choose the right ServiceNow implementation partner on the basis of its overall experience and expertise in controlling implementation programs in the industry.

It will be helpful to enterprises to hire a professional having broad experience and knowledge of implementing different ServiceNow products through Servicenow implementation services.

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Piyanka Singh
Piyanka Singh

Written by Piyanka Singh

5 years as a technical guy, architect, developer, and content writer passionate. I love to write on DevOps, Integration, Cloud, Performance, Security, etc.