ServiceNow is being hailed as the fastest growing $3 Billion Enterprise Software Firm.
Talent Shortage
Furthermore, the ServiceNow platform has become so complex that businesses require a mini-army of ServiceNow talent to implement, configure, maintain, and customize the platform for their unique enterprise needs. Small and medium businesses hardly have the resources to employ so many resources to handle just one technology.
For this reason, more and more businesses are hiring managed service providers (MSP) to take care of their ServiceNow needs. A managed services provider offers the twin benefits of expertise and cost effectiveness.
Choosing a reliable and qualified MSP team is not without its pitfalls. After all, they too aren’t immune to the ServiceNow talent shortage that has befallen the industry. Here is a quick guide to help businesses choose the best ServiceNow partners or consultants for their needs.
What to Look For?
ServiceNow partners and consultants offer a huge breadth and depth of expertise to the businesses. But, considering how vast the ServiceNow platform is, most of the MSP partners focus their energies into one or more aspects of the ServiceNow platform. It is important for businesses to understand the scope and expertise of an MSP partner, before they choose them. Here are the four main types of ServiceNow partners.
·Generalists
The generalist ServiceNow partners have all the knowledge and resources to help a business get started and use the platform. They implement the platform for the business, equip them with all the knowledge base and service catalogue their employees need to get the most out of the platform.
·System Integrators
System integrators are typically experts in a particular business domain. Their immense understanding and experience in their specialty business domain allows them to develop, customize, and install powerful ServiceNow integrations for businesses. Because of their in-depth domain expertise, they lack volume in sales, and have to depend on margins. In other words, their services are quite expensive.
Product Specialists
Product specialists focus on any one or two of the ServiceNow product niches such as IT Service Management, IT Operations Management, IT Business Management, Performance Analytics, or some other niche. In addition to implementing their specialty products, they can integrate them with other products, platforms, and software packages used by the businesses.
Application Builders
Application builders have extensive technical knowledge of the ServiceNow platform. They utilize this knowledge to develop custom ServiceNow applications to address the unique needs of businesses or a particular industry.
Factors Under Consideration
Once a business knows exactly what services they need from their MSP partner, they can form an evaluation strategy to analyze the capabilities of the ServiceNow partners they are considering to hire. Here are some factors that should be considered when hiring a ServiceNow partner.
Certifications and Accreditations
Disclaimer: A typical ServiceNow certification or accreditation can require anywhere between 25 to 50 hours of study. That’s an easy investment. So, talent with such certifications are not hard to come by.
However, someone who has earned multiple such certifications has invested a serious amount of time and dedication into mastering the platform. Also, resources with certifications in non-core modules such as ITSM, ITOM, and others are generally more passionate about the platform.
Questions to Ask a ServiceNow Partner
- What certifications and accreditations do your employees have?
- What non-core module certifications do your employees have?
- How many of your employees have these certifications? Can you provide a list of their expertise and certifications?
Community Involvement
The best ServiceNow partners invest in their employees. They make sure that their employees are participating in the SNUGs (ServiceNow User Groups) to acquire new skills, knowledge, and hone their proficiency in the platform. Moreover, they are always happy to contribute their expertise and knowledge for the improvement of the industry. They do this by providing insights on their social media pages, blog articles, and on other platforms. ServiceNow is an ever-evolving platform. You need a partner who is always thirsty to learn about improvements, updates, and other developments on it.
Questions to Ask a ServiceNow Partner
- Can you share links to your social media pages?
- Please provide a link to your business’s blog articles.
- Do your employees blog about ServiceNow? Can you share some links to their work?
- Can you share some insights that were discussed in the recent SNUGs?
Custom-Implementations
To reiterate, and at the cost of repeating, there really is no substitute to experience. ServiceNow partners who have already implemented the platform for other businesses know the challenges in their line of work. They also have a thorough understanding of the configurations, customizations, and integrations that a particular client might need. Therefore, they take all the necessary precautions and follow the best practices in the industry, so that businesses can take full advantage of their ServiceNow implementation.
Questions to Ask a ServiceNow Partner
- Can you share the names and contact details of your past and present clients, whom we can contact?
- Do you have any client testimonials to share?
- Can you share some general information about the ServiceNow services you have offered to your clients?
- Who is the biggest client that has turned away from your services after using them? Any reason why they were not satisfied with your services?
The Road Ahead
ServiceNow is a powerful platform that can boost the productivity of organizations by a magnitude and help them deliver superior customer services. A trusted and reliable ServiceNow partner is essential for realizing those benefits. Choose your ServiceNow partner wisely.