It’s well-established that many companies avoid digital transformation due to cost concerns and lack of defined processes. Knowing where to start on your IT modernization journey is a journey in itself. And if your competition has upped the ante, the pressure to transform can cloud what’s best for your business.
If you’re stuck on what a great Enterprise Service Management (ESM) strategy should include, here are three approaches you should absolutely avoid!
1. ABRUPTLY IMPLEMENTING CHANGE.
Replacing technology is a huge decision to make for your business. Think about it, your workplace is powered by an ecosystem of intricate IT connections and integrations, supporting many business functions. Decisions around business technology should not be taken lightly and need to fit with overall company strategy. A recent article titled, “6 Digital Transformation Mistakes to Avoid” sums it up best:
“Adopting technology for the sake of adopting technology is not digital transformation. Adopting technology to achieve a specific goal is.” – Forbes (2018)
A cold-turkey break-up from your existing IT infrastructure can do more harm than good if it interferes with well-ingrained business processes and an established end-user experience. You can’t simply pull the plug and insert new systems; that can cause chaotic disruption and costly downtime, which will negatively affect company morale.
Smart digital transformation needs careful planning and a built-in change management strategy. Be mindful that your employees expect good support and business-as-usual functionality during the transition process. Take the time to seek out the best solution for your organization and plan your implementation with care.
2. APPROACHING MODERNIZATION AS AN “IT-ONLY” PROJECT.
If you believe that modernization is solely a technology issue affecting your IT department, think again. Digital transformation touches every part of your organization; therefore, it needs to be approached as a holistic, enterprise-encompassing project driven by end-user needs.
In order to avoid a siloed execution, involve employees from all departments and levels in the planning and roll-out of your modernization. Strategy may start with your C-suite, but everyone in your organization should be engaged in putting strategy into practice. Successful technology implementation and adoption requires understanding, buy-in, and ongoing training at all levels.
3. NOT HAVING THE END-USER EXPERIENCE AT THE HEART OF THE MODERNIZATION PROCESS.
This, perhaps, is the worst of all mistakes that are made. IT leaders and decision-makers need to understand that modernization is first and foremost about improving the end-user’s experience – making it easier to function and be productive. Consult any source on digital transformation, and you’ll always find an emphasis on having a customer-centric approach. This doesn’t mean IT has a lesser say in how services are delivered, but rather, that end-users have proven to be better determinants of modern service expectations — as evidenced by the explosion of consumer apps and the rush to deliver Apple-level user-friendliness.
The two key take-aways for IT are:
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Understand that the true purpose of digital transformation is to make work smoother and more intuitive for your end-users, so that productivity can improve, and more value can be delivered.
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Technology needs to be viewed as a part of digital transformation – the tools that your organization can use to fulfill its key objectives. Defining higher-level objectives starts the process. Automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and user-friendly self-service options are at the heart of modern technology because they are what will help you meet your goals and enable end-users to thrive.
THERE’S GOOD, AND THEN THERE’S BETTER: SERVICENOW, PLEASE!
The great thing about knowing what not to do is that you will reach your goal faster (and with less frustration and dollars spent) than so many businesses out there who had to learn the hard way. Once you have your strategy nailed down, it will become clear that only a few technology solutions really match-up to what your organization is looking to achieve. The catch, though, is that not all these solutions are created equally, and some aren’t even cloud-based. Some of the big technologies out there (being used by your competitors) are powered by multiple platforms, codes bases, and data models, adding unnecessary complexities and costs to the company.
If you’re looking for the best in Enterprise Service Management (ESM), you’re best to turn to ServiceNow—the industry-leading platform with over 12 million daily users around the globe! They are committed to their user community and just this year hosted 18,000+ attendees at their infamous Knowledge forum, where people around the world gather, annually, to learn about the ground-breaking innovations that will shape the digital workplace.
If you still aren’t sure about which solution is right for your business, you may find Peace of Mind in knowing that for the past four years, ServiceNow has maintained a 98% renewal rate with their clients—a number that certainly doesn’t lie, when the heart of modernization lies in your customer experience!
Ready to talk ServiceNow?
Contact the FM Enterprise Team at esm@fullymanaged.com.