Tag: servicenow

Navigating Financial Industry Challenges: AI, Risk Assessment, and the Future  

Posted on by Ania

Dive into the Future of Financial Services

Are you curious about the challenges and opportunities shaping the financial industry today? In this insightful blog post, we delve into an exclusive interview with Marcin Góral, a seasoned GRC expert with over 26 years of experience, conducted by Adam Bernaś, Certified Master Architect at SPOC.

Together, they explore the dynamic transformations reshaping the financial sector, offering valuable insights on the impact of global regulations, the role of cutting-edge technology, and strategies for staying competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Stay tuned to gain valuable insights from one of the industry’s most seasoned professionals! 

Navigating the Ever-Changing Financial Landscape: Insights from 25+ Years of Industry Evolution

With over 25 years of experience in the financial markets, one thing has become crystal clear — the financial services industry is in a perpetual state of transformation. The pace of change is relentless, driven by global economic fluctuations, the aftermath of the H1N1 pandemic, rapidly evolving customer expectations, and groundbreaking technological advancements. ” – Marcin Góral, GRC Expert

Today, the financial sector faces challenges like never before. Companies must innovate and adapt to remain competitive in an environment shaped by disruptive technologies, data security concerns, and a customer-centric revolution. Staying ahead is no longer just a goal; it’s a necessity for survival.

Among the many pressing issues reshaping the industry, several stand out as the most critical. From the rise of self-learning AI and the emergence of fintech as powerful challengers, to the growing threats of cybercrime and the demand for seamless customer experiences — each presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

However, four key areas demand immediate attention: digital transformation, regulatory compliance, increased competition, and changing customer demands. In this article, we’ll explore these challenges n depth and discuss how financial institutions can navigate the complexities of today’s market while positioning themselves for future success.

Navigating Financial Industry Challenges

In my opinion, digital transformation is one of the most important challenges facing the financial services industry in 2024 and the years to come. Customers are demanding services tailored to their individual needs and preferences, which can only be delivered through the integration of digital technologies. From mobile banking to virtual assistants, organisations must embrace these technologies to remain competitive.” – Marcin Góral, GRC Expert

However, digital transformation comes with its own challenges. Cybersecurity risks have become more prevalent, and businesses need to ensure they have the right measures in place to protect their customers’ data. Digital transformation also requires significant investment, which can be a challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises.  

On the other hand, regulatory compliance is another significant challenge facing financial services organisations today. Different regulatory bodies impose different compliance requirements, making it a complex and time-consuming process. Compliance is essential to maintaining customer trust, but it can be challenging for organizations to keep track of these regulations. Organisations need to ensure that they are complying with regulations such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2) to prevent financial crime. We are referring to EU requirements, but of course the US or China or other markets have their own equivalent regulations. Failure to comply can result in significant fines and reputational damage.  

Conversely, competition has intensified. This is a challenge that affects every company in the financial services industry. And not just there.   Traditional banks, for example, face competition from fintech start-ups that offer innovative products and services that appeal to younger customers. This competition drives innovation and forces companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Increased competition can also lead to downward pressure on prices and margins. Companies may need to lower their prices or offer more value-added services to attract and retain customers. This can be a challenging task, especially for companies with limited resources.  

At the same time, we are seeing changing and growing customer demands. As technology advances, customers are becoming more tech-savvy and expect financial services providers to offer personalised and convenient services that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. They also expect transparency in fees and pricing, exceptional customer service and the ability to interact with providers through multiple channels, including online, mobile and physical branches. In addition, customers are becoming more socially and environmentally conscious, which affects their financial decisions. Companies that align with these values by promoting sustainability and social responsibility in their operations are more likely to attract and retain customers. Environmental and social responsibility has become a key deal breaker for the new generation.   

Moreover, customer demands are not limited to digital and environmental issues. Demographic shifts and changing lifestyles are also influencing customer demands. For example, younger clients may prioritise convenience and digital services, while older clients may value personal relationships and trust with their financial advisors. 

How are companies tackling them?

MG: Well, in terms of digital transformation, many banks are trying to keep up with changing customer demands by digitising their operations. For example, a bank or other financial institution may invest in mobile apps, virtual assistants and chatbots to provide personalised and convenient services to its customers. However, it is also important for the institution to ensure that its digital infrastructure is secure and protected from cybersecurity risks.  

In terms of regulatory compliance requirements, the most important thing is to always be ready in time. By this, I mean that constantly navigating through the regulations set by the governing bodies is a challenging and also very expensive task for many financial market firms. Meeting these regulatory requirements can be difficult and often requires significant time and resources to maintain accurate records, disclose conflicts of interest and adhere to ethical standards. Failure to comply can result in severe financial penalties. So what they do to prevent it – they put structures and procedures in place, hire people and/or invest in the appropriate IT infrastructure. When we talk about increased competition in the marketplace, we see that the technological maturity and professionalism of companies is increasingly making the difference. Those who are faster, cheaper and more compliant will win.   

At the same time, many fintech startups offering personal finance management tools are facing increased competition from other startups offering similar products. To remain competitive, these startups need to differentiate themselves by offering unique features and exceptional customer service.   For example, they might offer personalised recommendations based on a user’s spending habits or provide educational resources to help users better understand their finances.   

In the end, well-prepared and adapted technological tools can be a game changer for the financial institution and a real competitive advantage. Last but not least, customer demands are changing. New generations are constantly entering the market as potential customers. Financial institutions have to find a way to address their offer to many different customers from different generations at the same time. This is very challenging.   

To appeal to a younger, more environmentally conscious demographic, financial firms are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their digital offerings. For example, some firms are launching paperless billing initiatives and investing in renewable energy projects. In addition, banks and insurance companies are developing user-friendly mobile apps that allow customers to track their products and make informed decisions.  

How is AI changing the financial industry, particularly in risk assessment?   

MG: I believe, AI technology is revolutionising risk assessment in the financial industry, and not just by providing improved accuracy and predictive analysis of complex data sets. After quickly processing large amounts of information, AI can identify risks that may have gone unnoticed using manual methods.

Thanks to automated solutions, companies can address individual risks or groups of risks faster, more accurately and better, manage them better and provide better solutions for both the company itself and its customers. And at the end of the day, it is also cheaper to use than processes realised by humans and less likely to generate possible errors, of course, if the algorithms are correct.

What are the potential risks of over-reliance on AI in insurance decision-making?

MG: Most often, over-reliance on AI occurs when users begin to accept incorrect AI recommendations – making mistakes. Users find it difficult to determine the appropriate level of trust because they do not know what the AI can do, how well it can perform or how it works. But most importantly, the source of this risk is the weakened skill development of the AI user. For example, a claims adjuster whose ability to handle new situations or consider multiple perspectives is degraded or limited to cases that the AI has access to.

Efficient and accurate AI relies on sophisticated data science, which demands:

  • Careful curation of knowledge representations in the database,
  • Decomposition of data matrices to reduce dimensionality,
  • Pre-processing of data sets to mitigate the confounding effects of missing, redundant and outlier data.

Insurance AI users need to be aware that limitations in the quality of input data have insurance implications, potentially reducing the accuracy of actuarial analysis models. As AI technologies continue to mature and use cases expand, insurers should not shy away from the technology. However, insurers should bring their insurance domain expertise to the development of AI technologies. Their ability to communicate the provenance of input data and ensure data quality will contribute to the safe and controlled application of AI in the insurance industry.  

A three-pronged approach can be proposed to mitigate AI risk:  

  1. Start with a training programme to create mandatory awareness for staff involved in the development, selection or use of AI tools to ensure alignment with expectations.  
  2. Then, implement a vendor assessment program to assess the robustness of vendor controls and ensure appropriate transparency, codified in contracts.
  3. Finally, establish a policy enforcement measure to define standards, roles and responsibilities, approval processes and maintenance policies across the AI development lifecycle.  

Of course, an appropriate IT solution could be very helpful in managing all of this.

Looking ahead, what innovations do you expect to see in the financial industry over the next few years?

MG: The financial services industry is facing unprecedented challenges. We talked about digital transformation, regulatory compliance, increased competition and changing customer demands. By leveraging new digital technologies and adopting innovative strategies, companies can overcome these challenges and remain more competitive. I think this is the path that most companies in the financial market will take. The next innovations will be based on the use of artificial intelligence. And it will happen wherever we can apply it and still keep control over it.   

There are two key drivers: intelligent automation, which opens up new opportunities for financial services firms to deliver faster, more cost-effective, and more accurate services; and automation technologies, which have a transformative impact, facilitating the standardisation and simplification of core financial processes. 

The use of automation requires the creation of finance-specific utilities that are different from those used in other business functions. It can also be the increased use of AI in budgeting, investing, debt management and personalisation – AI and machine learning are already reshaping personal financial management, and in the foreseeable future, AI-powered financial advisors will become commonplace.   

AI-powered advisors are already one of the fastest growing fintech trends, and the utility, accuracy and use cases for such tools will only increase.   

There’s a lot more ahead of us, and we could talk about it for many more hours, but I think the focus on individual customer needs and cost efficiency initiatives will be the main driver of new innovation across the financial sector in the coming years.   

Ready to take your organization to the next level?

As the financial industry continues to evolve, staying ahead of challenges like regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and the adoption of AI technologies is more critical than ever. At SPOC, we specialize in delivering innovative solutions that streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and empower teams to tackle these challenges with confidence.

Contact us today at sales@spoc.eu to schedule a demo and discover how our expertise can help your business navigate the complexities of the financial industry and thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.

How much does ServiceNow cost?

Posted on by Malwina

The cost of ServiceNow depends on many factors

The question from the title of this article is among the most common ones that we hear during our talks with the customers. The cost of ServiceNow is the issue that arouses great interest. One of the reasons that stands behind, is that ServiceNow does not officially publish its pricing. This is because it is changeable and dependent on many factors. Therefore, when you ask how much ServiceNow costs, we answer that it depends. To know the detailed costs of ServiceNow configuration and its implementation, the best solution is to contact our consultant. However, it is worth remembering that the final price is influenced by a number of issues that you should take into consideration. Here are the most important of them.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on what it is needed for

ServiceNow is not a single, closed system – it is a service management platform with multiple applications running on it. They are grouped into suites that respond to specific challenges and needs of the organization – such as ITSM, HR, Customer Service or IT Infrastructure and Operations Management. Most companies start to use ServiceNow software first in ITSM, and after successful implementation they decide to expand the system with new suites. So the answer to how much ServiceNow costs is hidden in the different question – what do you need ServiceNow for? When we know what problems should be solved, we can recommend specific suites for your company and determine their prices.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on the version

One suite can be available in three versions – Standard, Professional, Enterprise. They differ in the number of applications, and thus also in price. Although companies usually start their adventure with ServiceNow from the simplest version, sometimes it is different. The implementation of each version requires a similar amount of work. The Standard is a good choice when the processes in the organization are functioning and defined, but not yet developed enough to introduce full automation. Professional version allows you to use more advanced elements of ServiceNow such as AI, Virtual Agent or Robotic Process Automation.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on the license model

Each suite is licensed differently, which also affects ServiceNow pricing. There are two different licensing models. The first one is based on the number of users.

They are divided into three groups depending on their role – they are:

  • requester (user who initiates the request)
  • business stakeholder (user who accepts or rejects the request)
  • fullfiller (user who executes the request).

The requester license, unlike the others, is free. The other licensing model (used, for instance, in the IT Operations Management) is based on the number of monitored devices. The crucial step is to verify the licensing method – only knowing that, the cost of ServiceNow can be determined in a given case.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on the instance

ServiceNow is a cloud solution that offers two instances – production and non-production (development). The first one is used in the organization on a daily basis, the other is a place where you can experiment, update and change the system. New and changed configurations can be uploaded to the production instance. This division protects the system from errors and interruptions. Clients who plan a lot of changes often decide to buy an additional test instance. This also affects the final costs.

It is worth emphasizing that different ServiceNow suites can run on one instance – e.g. ITSM can function together with HR Service Delivery. As there is a separate licensing system for each module, two licenses must be purchased to give the employee access to both.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on its integration with other systems

ServiceNow integrates with external systems, such as e-mail, resource information database, users data or other databases and systems to which we transfer data. This also has an impact on implementation costs. ServiceNow offers many ready-made integrations as a part of the platform – for example in Tokyo release there are as many as 173 of them. The client has access to as many of them as it is set out in their selected package. It is worth emphasizing that to adapt ServiceNow to your needs, you usually do not need customization i.e. changing the code, but just a configuration. This solution makes it easy to upgrade the system.

The cost of ServiceNow is fixed within a monthly subscription

ServiceNow pricing is set on monthly usage. The system is available only in the subscription model. Customers usually buy ServiceNow license for 3 years. During this period of the subscription, the price remain the same. The shortest contract term is 12 months. The price of the ServiceNow subscription includes a dedicated instance of their data center – all security support, servers, network switches, firewalls, email security systems, 24/7 support, data archiving and redundancy – the customer’s instance always has a backup in another data center. The centers are built in pairs, in Europe they are in Amsterdam and Frankfurt, and in London and Dublin. The pricing also includes maintenance. As soon as an upgrade occurs, customers are entitled to the latest version of the system, and thus new functionalities in the suites they chose.

The cost of ServiceNow is a part of larger business change

Thinking about costs of ServiceNow, remember that its implementation should not be a single move, but a part of your company transformation. This system is not implemented to continue on doing what it used to be done differently, but to introduce a completely new quality. ServiceNow opens up new possibilities to replace those that no longer work. It means changing the way you work, simplifying, rebuilding and automating processes. It is a part of a larger process that is business change, with ServiceNow being the change medium. We always make our customers aware of it.

In addition to the implementation of the system, many other things should happen – such as discussion in the organization, communication, preparation for the emergence of a new tool. Thanks to it, the process of adaptation is much easier and as a result, success is more certain.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on the organizational complexity

To understand how much ServiceNow costs, you need to answer a few questions. What suite do you choose? In what version? How many of them? What is the scope of implementation? How is ongoing business change going? This is a set of questions we ask the customer before preparing a personalized offer. ServiceNow includes solutions for organizations from almost every industry. The character of business does not affect the price of the license, but it determines other things – the choice of the suite, its price and the final implementation costs (e.g. it is more complicated to implement ITSM than ERM).

The organizational complexity is also an important factor. If it has multiple departments, it is important to understand the specifics of how they work and then plan a training in each of them. This takes more time and also increases prices.

The cost of ServiceNow depends on the scope of implementation 

In SPOC, we developed implementation practices for our customers who start their adventure with ServiceNow software. Identifying the scope of implementation can be challenging. At this moment, it is worth trusting your business partner who can evaluate your organizations’s needs, offers features of the most value and plan the first phase of implementation. It is frequent that the customers, who find the opportunities of ServiceNow fascinating, decide to get too many of them at once.

We recommend getting familiar with the system at first and learning how to use it; after that, it is time to think about new requirements. Based on our experience, we prepared a fast-track way to implement ITSM tool (where usually the process of implementation of the entire system begins) at a fixed time and price. This solution is the best for all the customers who are new in the world of ServiceNow.

ServiceNow is not a cost, it is an investment

When talking about ServiceNow pricing, the question should sound differently. Instead of wondering how much the system costs, think about the benefits it is going to bring. Instead of seeing ServiceNow software as a cost, perceive it as an investment that makes your work easier and leads to significant savings of time, work and money.

Do not hesitate to contact us!

If you want to know the detailed costs of ServiceNow platform configuration and implementation for your organization, just contact us – our consultants will be happy to prepare a detailed offer.

Explore 9 New Features of the ServiceNow Washington Release

Posted on by Ania

The latest ServiceNow release (March 20, 2024), Washington DC, marks a significant leap forward in workflow automation and user experience enhancements. With an impressive array of new features, it promises to revolutionize organizational processes and drive efficiency to new heights. This iteration builds upon previous versions, incorporating user feedback and industry trends to deliver intuitive tools. With a refreshed user interface, advanced data automation, and groundbreaking low-code solutions, navigating your workflows has never been easier. In this article, we’ll explore the essential nine must-know features introduced in the Washington release, providing insights to help organizations leverage these capabilities best way possible.

1. Workflow Studio

Say hello to Workflow Studio, the all-in-one automation powerhouse which consolidates together Playbooks, Flow Designer, Action Designer, Integration Hub integrations, and Decision Builder into a unified design environment. Workflow Studio empowers users with a seamless automation experience, personalized views, health monitoring, and streamlined configuration options.

Figure 1 – Workflow Studio Homepage 
Figure 2 – Workflow Studio – Operations 
Figure 3 – Workflow Studio – Integrations

Check 5 Top Features of Previous ServiceNow Utah Release

2. Flow Designer Enhancements 

Undo/Redo Changes 

Editing workflows is now smoother than ever. You can undo and redo actions in Flow Designer, ensuring a unique editing experience. Whether reverting changes or reapplying modifications, Flow Designer tracks changes within the current session, making workflow editing more intuitive.   

Figure 4 – Undo/Redo Changes 

Annotations Support in Diagramming View 

Enhance workflow clarity with annotations support in the diagramming view. Add and edit annotations directly within your diagrams, improving visualization and communication of workflow processes. 

Figure 5 – Annotations Support in Diagramming View 

Proactive Analytics Trigger 

Leverage Performance Analytics indicators to initiate flows with the Proactive Analytics trigger. Define flow start conditions based on Proactive Analytics KPI scores and threshold values, enabling proactive workflow automation based on performance metrics. 

Figure 6 – Proactive Analytics Trigger 

3. New in Process Mining

Introducing Project Builder

Create and view the project configuration through a comprehensive Project Builder setup, which divides the entire project configuration into well-defined sections and provides contextual information that acts as a guide. Build projects using templates similar to the goal or process you’re analyzing to automatically add basic details and simplify the process 

New Automated Finding Detectors

Identify process inefficiencies using automated detectors for repeating patterns, extreme durations, extreme repetitions, and slow durations. 

Figure 7 – New Automated Finding Detectors 

Ready to Upgrade From Service Portal to Employee Center? 

4. ATF Support for Configurable Workspaces

Expand Automated Testing Framework (ATF) support to Next Experience UI, reducing regression risks with wider test coverage. Test forms and UI actions seamlessly to ensure optimal performance and functionality. 

Figure 8 – ATF Support for Configurable Workspaces 

Listen to the Podcast: Why Automated Tests – ATFs – Are So Important? 

5. Performance Testing with ATF

Identify and address self-inflicted performance issues with performance testing capabilities integrated into the Automated Testing Framework. 

Figure 9 – Performance Testing with ATF 

6. Natural Language Query Genius Results

Surface relevant search results with Natural Language Query (NLQ) Genius Results in AI Search applications. Interpret searches using plain language to find relevant results from large source tables, enhancing search efficiency and accuracy.  

Figure 10 – NLQ AI Search 

7. Encryption Module Support

Ensure data security and customization with UI16 parity support for selecting encryption contexts when uploading files. Users can now choose appropriate encryption contexts, adding an extra layer of security and meeting specific data handling requirements.

8. Context-Aware Keyboard Shortcuts

This small functionality may turn out as super useful. Introducing keyboard shortcuts and contextual keyboard shortcuts for enhanced usability and productivity. 

 9. Creator Studio 

Debuting in Washington, Creator Studio levels the playing field for developers of all skill levels, incorporating integrated environments, app templates, and management features for a consistent developer experience. 

 

Figure 11 – Creator Studio

Upgrade to the Washington Release 

The ServiceNow Washington release introduces a wealth of features aimed at empowering organizations to streamline workflows and drive innovation. As a ServiceNow Elite Partner, we’re committed to helping you harness the full potential of these features. Contact us today to upgrade to the Washington release and unlock new levels of efficiency and productivity for your organization. 

What is ServiceNow and what does it do?

Posted on by Malwina

Innovative business solution 


ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform for managing processes, services and enterprise infrastructure (Enterprise Cloud). It offers innovative solutions in these matters. It was designed to digitize and automate manual workflows and to make people work faster, smarter, easier and better. Thanks to ServiceNow, organizations can deliver services in a more efficient and integrated way.

The ServiceNow platform combines many functionalities, including incident management, problem management, change management, configuration management, as well as performance forecasting, reporting and analysis. Created nearly 20 years ago, it has been undoubtedly one of the largest global players and a leading service management tool for companies. Because of continuous improvement and the expansion of functionality, intuitiveness and ease of use, as well as comprehensive solutions and personalized HR services tailored for everyone, ServiceNow makes the world work better.

ServiceNow mission, vision & values

ServiceNow changes the way people work. What used to be done manually is now being done digitally. “There is no better experience than giving someone a piece of technology that lets them do something they never thought they could do”, said Frederic Luddy, founder of ServiceNow. ServiceNow focuses on processes, activities, and sentences – in short, everything that makes up day‑to‑day work life. ServiceNow provides a service model that defines, structures and automates all the processes. Everything becomes a service – you can create, deliver and manage service requests.

Thanks to ServiceNow, work becomes easier and faster, and thus more enjoyable, which increases also employee satisfaction, productivity and engagement. SeviceNow’s motto is “We make the world of work, work better for everyone”.

“ServiceNow improves not only the work of individuals or teams but also helps the modern enterprise operate in a faster and more scalable way than ever before. ServiceNow opens up new possibilities” – says Marcin Tyburski, CEO at SPOC. “It changes the way of working by simplifying, rebuilding and automating business processes. ServiceNow is the key driver of business change”.

ServiceNow is based on solutions with roots in IT. However, it proves that they work well also outside this industry. ServiceNow can support many domains of modern enterprises – including finance service operations, HR and customer service management. It can be successfully implemented in companies of all sizes and operating in various sections and industries.

ServiceNow history

The beginnings of ServiceNow

To tell the story of ServiceNow’s origins, we need to go back to 2003 and one man. After his employer’s bankruptcy and the loss of his fortune, Indiana-born computer scientist and entrepreneur Frederic Luddy put everything on the line. Just before his 50th birthday, he founded Glidesoft – IT Service Management company based on good ITIL practices. For nearly 2 years, Luddy was the only employee. In 2006, Glidesoft changed its name to ServiceNow.

ServiceNow today

After ServiceNew’s first year of operation, the total revenue amounted to $13 million. The company quickly reached world-class corporations such as Intel and AstraZeneca. In 2012, ServiceNow went public. The initial share price was $18; today, after 11 years, it is about $460. In 2018, ServiceNow was ranked number one on the list of the world’s most innovative companies by Forbes magazine. In 2022, it had a revenue of $7.2 billion. Today, ServiceNow employs around 20,500 people (as of April 2022). ServiceNow was also listed among FORTUNE 2023 World’s Most Admired Companies for the third year in a row.

Currently, ServiceNow is used by over 7,700 companies worldwide, being a customer favourite – the subscription renewal rate is 98%. 85% of the companies from the list Fortune 500, the top companies in America, use ServiceNow.

ServiceNow hosts the annual Knowledge Conference – “a gathering to create great experiences for employees, customers and partners”. In 2022, the meeting took place simultaneously on 3 different continents, in 4 cities – New York, Hague, Las Vegas and Sidney. Huge crowds of people also participated online.

When I started ServiceNow in 2004, my vision was to build a cloud-based platform that would enable regular people to route work effectively through the enterprise

Fred Luddy, Chairman of the Board at ServiceNow

ServiceNow tools

ServiceNow Platform is a scalable cloud that offers a range of applications, workflows and processes. Sharing common architecture and data, the platform incorporates a variety of ready-made suites catering service requests for specific business areas.

The ServiceNow platform consists of a number of modules, functions and tools, such as workflow, SLA, notifications and forms. Using them, it is possible to build any applications. Sharing a common core, which is the configuration management database (CMDB), they support most business functions – they help with business process management, projects, risk management, IT service management, human resource management and many other areas.

“ServiceNow is not a single tool – it is a platform and various applications can run on it. They are grouped into modules that respond to specific challenges and needs of the organization – such as managing IT processes, Human Resources, Customer Service or IT infrastructure” – Marcin Tyburski, CEO at SPOC.

The platform incorporates a variety of key features of ready-made suites catering for specific business areas:

  • IT Service Management,
  • IT Operations Management,
  • Strategic Portfolio Management (former IT Business Management),
  • HR Service Delivery,
  • Customer Service Management,
  • Security Operations,
  • Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC),
  • Integrated Risk Management,
  • Field Service Management,
  • IT Asset Management.

ServiceNow flexible journey 

Customers can start their ServiceNow journey from many points. Regardless of where they first start, they have the ability to follow a flexible roadmap to achieve continued success in an organization.

ServiceNow is a solution tailored to users’ specific needs. It gives you the opportunity to use ready-made business applications or choose the platform itself, where developers can create dedicated business applications themselves from scratch. Customers can start with one module and then choose other modules as needed. All applications can also be continuously developed as your business grows, by using ServiceNow or third-party solutions. The entire platform itself can be customized to suit your needs. ServiceNow extends and grows together with the organization.

ServiceNow releases

Throughout the years, the core and essence of the technology have remained the same, but the functionality and solutions that ServiceNow offers have expanded and improved. Twice a year, ServiceNow releases a new version of the Platform. Each is named after a famous city; the names, and therefore the releases, are arranged in alphabetical order. These are Aspen, Berlin, Calgary, Dublin, Eureka, Fuji, Geneva, Helsinki, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kingston, London, Madrid, New York, Orlando, Paris, Quebeck, Rome, San Diego, Tokyo, Utah, Vancouver and the Washington.

All customers using ServiceNow can upgrade their instances to the latest version. Each version brings significant changes and new additions that change the world of work – they can increase employee engagement, productivity and satisfaction, improve the way the employees work, reduce costs, and increase security.

ServiceNow invests millions of dollars in research and development. Thanks to this, it not only solves the problems of previous versions, but also creates new functions, responding to the needs of the modern world – such as new consumer or business problems, technology trends,  or changing work environments (e.g. the growing number of people working remotely or in a hybrid work model).

Maximum availability and data security

Thanks to 16 data centres, ServiceNow achieves excellent availability scores of over 99.7%. The centres are located on 5 continents: Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. Data centres are built in pairs – explains Marcin Tyburski, CEO at SPOC. For example, in Europe, one pair is Amsterdam and Frankfurt and the other is London and Dublin. Each customer is assigned to two centres; the instance is always backed up in another data centre. This solution ensures maximum data availability.

The ServiceNow cloud architecture is built in a single-tenant model, double disaster recovery and replication to separate data centres. The platform security is ensured by a dedicated team of specialists and an organization compliant with such certificates as ISO27001, SSAE 16 SOC1 Type 2, and SSAE 16 SOC2 Type 2.

IT Service Management – the flagship project of ServiceNow

For many years, ServiceNow has been one of the leading IT service management tools. The platform is valued for innovation and providing comprehensive solutions that meet the demands and can be adapted to the most complex environments. It offers a set of tools that help you develop, deliver and manage IT services, resulting in a better and smarter work environment.

In last year’s (2022) Gartner Magic Quadrat, ServiceNow was named the leader for ITSM platforms for the 9th time in a row! It was awarded for continuous product improvements, high adaptability, high market position and a strong community of users.

ITSM has been the staple of the ServiceNow Platform from the very beginning. Most companies introduce ServiceNow first in the field of ITSM, and after a successful implementation they decide to try also different modules – says Marcin Tyburski, CEO at SPOC.

Time to value a key focus of ServiceNow

When innovation works, the world works. As alluded to a couple of times already, the ServiceNow Platform was designed to make work faster and easier, and as a result, reach new business outcomes and ensure maximum profit for companies.

ServiceNow allows easy integration, digitization and process automation. It ensures security, simple communication and management, and helps you to cut costs and save time. ServiceNow also increases work efficiency and customer satisfaction, optimizes cooperation and improves business performance. The Platform is an excellent tool to increase the overall process efficiency. It makes everyday activities easier for those who work for you and with you. Cloud data availability means that employees can access it at any time.

The approach of No Code / Low Code, which allows a full range of people to deliver solutions on the platform, means businesses are able to roll out applications and solutions quickly to align to changing needs. The longer-term strategic growth plans can be managed with more complex solutions prepared with the assistance of professional ServiceNow partners – such as SPOC.

Bringing all these items together helps us understand the economic impact of ServiceNow use. It was being studied by the neutral advisory agency Forrester Research. Their report “The Total Economic Impact of ServiceNow IT Applications” showed that ServiceNow implementation improved IT & employee productivity by $8.9 million per year (2019). It also reduced the impact of high-priority incidents and shorted the time of their resolving by $3 million. Reducing development and maintenance costs saved another $6 million. ROI from the implementation of ServiceNow was 229%.

Begin your ServiceNow journey and start transforming your organization with us.

Streamlined legal operations: unlock efficiency with a dedicated legal app 

Posted on by Malwina

The fast-paced digital landscape presents unique challenges for the legal practice, with a surge in case volumes, complex regulations, and the need for quick turnarounds. To meet these demands, you need to embrace cutting-edge technology. Dedicated apps built on the ServiceNow platform offer a promising avenue to enhance productivity, simplify workflows, and foster collaboration among legal professionals.

Corporate legal teams’ adoption of legal tech has gained momentum due to the exhaustion experienced in-house. According to Gartner, many organizations are cautious about increasing the headcount in their legal departments despite the growing workloads these teams face. This has led to a surge in interest regarding legal tech adoption. Gartner’s findings revealed that 68% of corporate legal attorneys struggled to manage their workloads in 2020, and the pressures have only intensified with the rise in business activity since then. 

As law firms recognize the need to alleviate the burden on their teams, adopting legal tech solutions becomes increasingly crucial. Building a great app for IoS and Android devices can empower legal teams to navigate the complexities of the digital era while improving efficiency and effectiveness in delivering legal services.

Meeting legal needs in a digital work environment with mobile apps

Legal professionals face many challenges arising from the increasing pace of technological advancements. The traditional methods and processes that once sufficed are no longer adequate to meet the demands of this interconnected era. Legal practitioners require dynamic solutions that adapt to their evolving needs and effectively support their daily tasks. Some of these challenges include the time-consuming nature of administrative tasks, which often distract lawyers from their core legal work. Additionally, the presence of multiple layers of communication and manual handovers can lead to information being lost or delayed, resulting in miscommunication and the potential for errors.

As legal professionals strive to navigate the complexities of a digital work environment and effectively manage client data, it’s imperative to embrace the transformative potential of legal apps. These innovative tools empower legal practitioners to streamline their legal practice, granting easy access to all your documents and enabling seamless completion of tasks on a mobile device. Embracing technology is no longer just a trend but an essential requirement to thrive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. By harnessing the power of the best apps, which are tailored to the specific needs, legal professionals can overcome challenges, optimize their workflow, and deliver exceptional results for their clients.

Adam Bernaś, Chief Technology Officer – SPOC

How to transform legal workflow with a legal app?

At SPOC, we collaborated closely with our clients within the legal industry to develop dedicated apps, harnessing the robust capabilities of ServiceNow. These apps brought a transformative shift in their operations, eliminating the need for cumbersome paper-based processes. We thought that the best apps should be configured to support the secretarial teams in managing the lifecycle of tasks, reporting, feedback, and capabilities. And that is what we did! We addressed the specific challenges faced by the legal team and revolutionized their workflow:

  1. Streamlined request assignment: One of the primary pain points for the legal team was the decentralized inbox and service portal. The app provided a centralized mailbox, simplifying and automating the assignment of requests to the appropriate team members. It reduced the likelihood of misfiled tasks, duplication of effort, and missed assignments.
  2. Real-time task tracking: The app gave lawyers instant access to their tasks and cases, allowing them to track progress and monitor the amount of time invested in each one. This enhanced visibility, improved accountability, and facilitated efficient time management, ensuring that deadlines were met and resources were allocated effectively.
  3. Seamless communication: Integration with ServiceNow enabled seamless communication between lawyers and secretaries. By eliminating the need for manual handovers and multiple inboxes, the app provided a unified platform for collaboration, allowing swift and accurate transfer of tasks. Consequently, it reduced response times and minimized the impact on Outlook’s performance.

In addition, the app offered several other business benefits for the company. It provided a single portal with customized interactive forms, simplifying the submission process and capturing all necessary information and instructions. Mobile access allowed legal professionals to stay connected and productive while on the move. The app also automated manual processes within the team’s workflows, increasing efficiency and reducing the risk of human error. Management reporting capabilities provided valuable insights into utilization and resource planning, aiding decision-making and optimizing resource allocation.

Revolutionized operations for law firms

Dedicated apps built on ServiceNow can significantly benefit legal teams, including workload allocation, resource visibility, and enhanced efficiency. These apps automate task assignments, streamline processes, and provide real-time information access. By embracing these solutions, law firms gain a competitive edge, improve collaboration, and achieve significant business value in the digital era, being able to solve many problems via mobile phone.

We witnessed the transformative power of legal apps and Service Now in action when our clients, two leading law firms, implemented a tailored app to address their unique challenges. By leveraging this solution, they experienced remarkable improvements in operations and efficiency. With the app accessible on their mobile devices, they were able to effortlessly create documents, complete tasks, manage cases, record time, and add notes, all within a unified platform.

This comprehensive solution provided them with seamless access to vital information, enabling them to resolve cases in a fast manner, organize workflows, and enhance productivity. It’s worth checking out the ability of legal apps built on Service Now as the first step toward optimizing processes and mitigating common issues faced by law firms. By embracing these solutions, legal professionals can create, collaborate, and efficiently manage their work, unlocking a new level of efficiency and productivity.

If you and your legal company recognize the potential of such a solution, we invite you to contact us. As experts and an Elite Partner of ServiceNow, we have the expertise and experience to assist you in implementing and leveraging these dedicated apps to transform your legal operations. Contact us today at sales@spoc.eu to schedule a demo and explore how we can empower your team and drive greater organizational efficiency.

Cybersecurity in the financial sector: embracing automation and integration as Excel takes a backseat

Posted on by Malwina

The ever-evolving EU regulations present ongoing challenges for financial institutions. Relying solely on traditional methods like countless Excel spreadsheets falls short of ensuring robust cybersecurity measures. The time has come to embrace solutions that offer automation, seamless integration, and utmost protection.

The financial sector faces multiple security challenges and needs to meet stringent regulatory compliance requirements. Introducing the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) imposes new obligations and demands on financial institutions.

To tackle these obstacles, institutions require innovative IT solutions that integrate various security aspects seamlessly and enable centralized management. Leading the way in this field, ServiceNow offers comprehensive solutions that address these needs, ensuring high security for financial institutions.

Simplifying cybersecurity implementation through outsourcing

In cybersecurity, it is crucial to consider the requirements set by the European Union. Financial institutions are responsible for implementing any EU regulations and guidelines changes. When new security requirements emerge as part of regulations, organizations must focus on understanding and implementing these changes to ensure compliance with the law.

There are two primary options for adapting to regulatory requirements. The first option is an internal process where financial institutions analyze the new requirements and determine how to adjust their procedures, systems, and infrastructure accordingly.

However, given the increasing complexity of cybersecurity issues, the financial sector increasingly turns to external partners with specialized knowledge and experience.

These external providers are well-equipped to identify and understand crucial aspects that internal processes may overlook or lose. By collaborating with experienced vendors, organizations can concentrate on their core activities while ensuring that their systems and data are adequately protected and compliant with regulations.

How to navigate the DORA challenges?

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a comprehensive strategy developed by the European Union to fortify the financial sector’s operational resilience against digital threats. Published in 2020, it aims to ensure security, stability, and data protection within digital financial services.

In light of these challenges, financial institutions must adapt their systems and procedures to meet the new DORA requirements and enhance the security of customer data. Many institutions grapple with this issue, relying on fragmented and non-integrated internal security systems. This is where ServiceNow emerges as a solution, enabling the consolidation of these elements into a unified platform.

ServiceNow integrates security processes into a single platform, eliminating the need for multiple systems and dismantling silos. Financial sector entities can leverage powerful tools like workflows, facilitating the effortless implementation of changes, monitoring compliance with the DORA Directive, and enabling swift response to incidents.

High level of security = data integration

Ensuring robust security is paramount for financial institutions entrusted with vast volumes of sensitive data. ServiceNow offers comprehensive solutions that effectively monitor and safeguard their systems. By integrating diverse security components into a unified platform, financial institutions can seamlessly manage incidents, identify vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with security policies, and streamline security management processes.

Information consistency plays a pivotal role in this context. Traditional approaches often rely on multiple systems and tools, resulting in fragmented information that hampers efficient analysis and response to threats. ServiceNow resolves these challenges by providing a singular source of truth.

With ServiceNow, all security incidents, whether reported by users or detected automatically, are diligently monitored and tracked within a centralized hub. It facilitates prompt identification, analysis, and response to incidents, with the capability to assign them to appropriate specialists for further action. By consolidating incident data and information within a single system, management becomes more streamlined, and complete transparency is achieved throughout the threat response process.

A key attribute of ServiceNow is its incident prioritization capability. Leveraging sophisticated algorithms and predefined rules, the system can automatically assess the severity of threats and assign priority to each incident report. This empowers organizations to focus on incidents with the highest potential impact and immediate risk, ensuring swift and effective response measures are implemented.

Streamlining security operations with automated threat detection

Financial institutions that use ServiceNow solutions can perform regular system scans to identify vulnerabilities and issues in their IT infrastructure. This enables them to assess risks more effectively and take necessary actions to enhance security. Automation eliminates manual data processing, leading to faster identification and remediation of vulnerabilities. In practice, it means fewer errors, as with spreadsheets and incomplete files.

Source: ServiceNow https://www.servicenow.com/products/security-operations/what-is-secops.html

The financial sector often faces challenges due to isolated information silos and errors resulting from manual processes. Leveraging secure and proven technological solutions like ServiceNow is highly recommended to overcome these challenges. Through ServiceNow’s platform and SecOps solution, institutions can integrate their security processes, reducing the risk of errors. Automation and centralized data within ServiceNow facilitate efficient incident management and response, enabling better handling of security challenges and improving service quality.

Tomasz Prokopowicz, Senior Project Manager, coordinating the Information Security Management System, SPOC

ServiceNow’s Security Operations (SecOps) solution empowers organizations to manage security incidents effectively. By consolidating incident reports in one place and automatically assigning them to the right specialists, organizations can respond to threats promptly and eliminate them swiftly. No more delays in information sharing! Specialized individuals or teams are immediately informed and engaged in resolving the issue.

Moreover, ServiceNow provides transparent progress monitoring for incident resolution, enabling organizations to track and report on their security activities in a better way. This supports compliance monitoring with legal requirements such as the GDPR and security standards like PCI DSS. Institutions can customize reports according to their needs and receive real-time compliance insights.

A single point of Truth for Cybersecurity

ServiceNow provides comprehensive solutions for the financial sector, integrating various security aspects into a single platform. This simplifies security management, helping institutions meet regulatory requirements, protect their clients, and respond effectively to threats.

By using ServiceNow, financial institutions can streamline their cybersecurity efforts, saving time on manual tasks. Automation and centralized data enable specialists to focus on tackling potential threats instead of searching for them. It boosts efficiency, effectiveness, and overall security outcomes.

Piotr Górnikiewicz, Business Development Manager, SPOC

ServiceNow empowers financial institutions to concentrate on vital aspects of their operations. The platform assists in identifying, monitoring, and responding to threats, safeguarding company assets, customer data, and reputation. Thanks to that, the organization can build customer trust and solidify its market position.

If your financial institution seeks expertise in implementing ServiceNow solutions, reach out to us. As a ServiceNow Elite Partner, we possess the knowledge and over a decade of experience to tailor solutions to your specific needs.

Maximizing Project Visibility and Business Value: A Deep Dive into ServiceNow’s PPM Solution

Posted on by Malwina

According to research, approximately 70% of companies experience project management failures. These failures can manifest in various forms, including budget overruns, missed deadlines, scope creep, and unsatisfactory project outcomes. Effective project management practices and robust tools like ServiceNow’s PPM solution play a crucial role in mitigating these risks and increasing the likelihood of project success. 

We have seen first-hand with our clients how ServiceNow’s PPM solution empowers them to manage their project portfolios effectively, enabling them to make informed decisions, streamline workflows, and drive exceptional outcomes. From daily project management tasks to budgeting and holistic oversight, ServiceNow’s PPM offers valuable insights and actionable data that help you overcome the challenges of managing multiple projects. 

From Streamlined Project Management to High-Level Oversight

At the heart of ServiceNow’s PPM lies its ability to streamline daily project management tasks. Through a simple and intuitive interface, the PPM system standardizes and tracks project activities effectively. The demand management module allows the review of project drafts, ensuring alignment with strategic goals. Within the project workspace, project status, baseline, percentage of completion, issues, risks, and tasks can be easily monitored. Gantt charts enable visualizing project progress, enhancing project management efficiency. 

Beyond daily project management, ServiceNow’s PPM proves invaluable in budgeting and identifying projects that may require attention. The system provides financial reports that offer insights into project profitability. Crucial information such as milestones, goals, project statuses, and risk outlooks are readily available, enabling proactive risk management and opportunity identification. You not only have the tools to manage risks but also to identify and capitalize on opportunities. 

Project Management ServiceNow
Source: ServiceNow

Empowering PMOs through the right project management tool 

PMOs require a bigger picture of the project landscape to align projects with strategic objectives and optimize resource allocation effectively. Navigating the project landscape solely through spreadsheets can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and prone to errors, hindering the PMO’s ability to gain holistic insights and make informed decisions.  

For Project Management Offices (PMOs), ServiceNow’s PPM presents a comprehensive overview in one centralized location. This holistic view facilitates informed decision-making, quick response to project changes, better control, and enhanced budgeting capabilities. Additionally, it enables the realization of company objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). The user-friendly interface allows easy zooming in and out, empowering PMOs to gain deep insights into project details while maintaining a high-level overview. This is especially important in organizations that face complex project management portfolios, such as, for example, pharmaceutical companies.  

PPM tool will bring an efficient digital environment with common processes for project management approach within the full spectrum of complex Pharma projects and harmonise communication of metrics, reports and dashboards throughout our organisation.   

SPOC brought during the entire implementation a good willingness to learn and understand from our experience in every challenge trying to fulfil our requirements in managing complex projects in the Biotech industry, even though we had to postpone key topics for future releases.  

Director Head of PMO & Strategic Planning at pharmaceutical company
PPM ServiceNow

Strategic Portfolio Management: Exploring the Comprehensive Offerings Beyond PPM 

It is important to remember that PPM serves as a feature within the broader system of Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) in ServiceNow. SPM provides a seamless framework for organizations to work fluently and effectively scale their projects by promptly identifying and addressing risks and delays. While PPM is a critical component, there are other captivating offerings that could appeal to you if you work as a PM or PMO. These include all: 

  1. Innovation Management: This feature allows employees to submit their innovative ideas, which can be voted on and commented upon by others. It also covers a basic draft of the idea for a potential project. Ideas are evaluated during company meetings to determine which ones are feasible and merit further development. 
  2. Demand Management: Before a demand can be converted into a project, this phase involves gathering comprehensive information about the potential project, including work phases, names, categories, and required resources. Once qualified and approved, the demand can be transformed into an official project. 
  3. Agile Development: While SPM predominantly supports Waterfall methodology, this feature allows users to work in an Agile environment, providing flexibility for those who prefer Agile practices. 
  4. Performance Analytics: Similarly, to other parts of ServiceNow, Performance Analytics offers enhanced reporting capabilities, delivering in-depth insights beyond traditional dashboards. This enables you to access next-level reports and make data-driven decisions. 
  5. Resource Management: This solution allows us to effectively allocate and optimize resources across projects. It provides insights into resource availability, skills, and workload, facilitating informed decisions on resource allocation. This feature maximizes resource utilization, reduces bottlenecks, and ensures that the right resources are assigned to the right projects at the right time. 
PPM ServiceNow
Source: ServiceNow

The Full Potential of ServiceNow’s PPM Across the Organization 

You need to remember that ServiceNow’s PPM is not confined to the IT department but caters to the entire organization. Implementing ServiceNow’s PPM solution gives you a clear dashboard overview, reliable project, and program information, and significant improvements in the development processes. 

ServiceNow’s PPM solution offers your organization a transformative approach to managing projects effectively. From daily project management tasks to budgeting and holistic oversight, the PPM system provides valuable insights and actionable data. Whether you’re a project manager seeking better control or a PMO aiming for strategic decision-making, ServiceNow’s PPM empowers you to maximize project visibility and achieve exceptional business value. If you want to know more about Project Portfolio Management, reach out to us at sales@spoc.eu.

SecOps: Strengthening Cybersecurity in Financial Institutions and Banks

Posted on by Malwina

In today’s digital age, financial firms face unprecedented cybersecurity threats that can compromise sensitive data and lead to significant financial losses. The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks highlight the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in the financial sector. That’s where Security Operations (SecOps) come into play. 

SecOps is a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity that integrates security practices with operations to detect, respond to, and mitigate cyber risks effectively. It consists of the convergence and collaboration of IT security and IT operations to break down silos within the broader IT organization. The primary goal is to achieve security objectives without compromising the overall performance of IT systems.

The rising cyber risk in financial institutions

Financial services have always been prime targets for cybercriminals due to the wealth of information they possess. The financial industry has seen a surge in cyber attacks, with 71% of all data breaches being financially motivated. These attacks range from sophisticated hacking attempts to social engineering tactics to trick employees into revealing login credentials. The consequences of successful cyber attacks in the banking industry are dire, with the cost reaching a staggering $18.3 million annually per company!

Source: ServiceNow “Enterprise Strategy Group: Security Hygiene Report”

One of the most prevalent threats is the deployment of malicious code, which can lead to data breaches and unauthorized access to financial data. Cybercriminals utilize advanced techniques to infiltrate banking networks, bypass security measures, and exfiltrate valuable information. Mobile devices, often used by bank employees and customers for financial transactions, have become a prime target for cyber attackers.

Ransomware attacks pose another significant threat to the banking sector. These attacks involve the use of malicious software to encrypt sensitive data and hold it hostage until a ransom is paid. Phishing attacks also remain a significant concern for banks. Cybercriminals employ deceptive tactics, such as masquerading as legitimate entities or creating convincing fake websites, to trick individuals into revealing their login credentials or other sensitive information. Phishing targets both bank employees and customers, aiming to gain unauthorized access to financial systems or personal banking accounts.

Unfortunately, the banking industry is not immune to cloud-based attacks. As financial institutions increasingly adopt cloud infrastructure for their operations, they become potential targets for cyber attackers seeking to exploit vulnerabilities within cloud environments. Breaches in cloud-based systems can result in the exposure of sensitive data and compromise the integrity of banking operations.

Robust cyber security needed

The consequences of these cyber security breaches can be severe. They can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, legal repercussions, and a loss of customer trust. With the financial industry’s interconnected nature, a single vulnerable link in the security chain can have far-reaching implications.

To combat the ever-evolving cyber threats, financial institutions must adopt a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Implementing ServiceNow SecOps practices enables banks to effectively identify vulnerabilities, detect cyber threats, and respond swiftly to security incidents. By streamlining security operations, SecOps ensures that priorities are better managed and consolidated, communication and information are integrated, and tools and technology are joined together. This holistic approach reduces the strain on resources and enhances cyber resilience.

Source: ServiceNow “Enterprise Strategy Group: Security Hygiene Report”

The banking sector frequently faces challenges stemming from isolated information silos and the risks associated with manual processes. This highlights the importance of leveraging trusted and secure technological solutions like ServiceNow. By adopting the ServiceNow platform and its SecOps solution, banks can seamlessly integrate their security processes, reducing the potential for errors and mitigating cyber security risks. The automation and data centralization capabilities of ServiceNow enable efficient incident management and response, ensuring compliance and effectively addressing security challenges. This, in turn, enhances the overall quality of services provided by banks.

Tomasz Prokopowicz, Senior Project Manager and coordinator of the Information Security Management System at SPOC

Benefits of SecOps in the financial sector

1. Enhanced Efficiency: With SecOps, you can automate key security procedures and orchestrate effective responses, saving time and reducing the reliance on manual work. By automating repetitive tasks, security teams can focus on analyzing and mitigating emerging threats, leading to increased operational efficiency.

2. Strengthened Cloud Security: The adoption of cloud infrastructure has brought numerous benefits but has also introduced new security challenges. SecOps provides a framework to minimize cloud security issues by addressing vulnerabilities, ensuring secure configurations, and implementing robust security controls. This results in fewer security breaches, fewer vulnerabilities, and a safer security environment overall.

3. Improved Application Resilience: Application disruptions can have severe consequences. SecOps helps mitigate these risks by reducing configuration errors and ensuring that changes in application code align with deployment rules. By implementing secure coding practices and continuous monitoring, you can maintain the integrity of the software systems.

4. Effective Risk Management: SecOps enables you to identify and address known vulnerabilities proactively. Your organizations can enforce compliance with appropriate standards and regulations by implementing auditing procedures. This helps protect sensitive information and reduces legal costs associated with non-compliance.

ServiceNow SecOps – a solution that looks ahead

ServiceNow provides an all-in-one platform for managing and consolidating security vulnerabilities and incidents. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools and technologies to streamline security operations, facilitate effective communication and information sharing, and automate key security procedures. With ServiceNow SecOps, financial institutions can leverage machine learning capabilities to detect and respond to cyber threats in real time, enhancing their cyber resilience.

Source: ServiceNow https://www.servicenow.com/products/security-operations/what-is-secops.html

Utilizing ServiceNow to optimize cybersecurity in banks significantly reduces time spent on manual work and improves risk management. Through automation and data centralization, employees can focus on responding to potential threats and resolving issues rather than wasting time searching for them. This contributes to increased efficiency and effectiveness, as well as achieving better security outcomes.

Piotr Górnikiewicz, Business Development Manager at SPOC

As the financial industry becomes increasingly interconnected, the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, making it essential for banks to stay ahead of emerging threats. By implementing SecOps practices, you can protect sensitive data, mitigate cyber risks, and maintain the trust of your customers. Investing in cybersecurity solutions like SecOps is crucial to safeguarding the integrity of financial systems and preserving their reputation. If you want to know, contact us.

Revolutionize Your ServiceNow Customer Service with These 5 Game-Changing Features

Posted on by Malwina

Are you looking for a game-changing solution to revolutionize your customer service experience? Look no further than ServiceNow, known for its exceptional IT service management solutions. Its CSM has a laser focus on delivering a world-class customer experience. Curious? Explore five of the most impactful features of ServiceNow Customer Service Management and how they can take your customer service to the next level and drive customer loyalty. Get ready to see why ServiceNow and customer experience are a match made in heaven.

Why is customer support crucial?

In today’s cut-throat business world, delivering exceptional customer support is no longer just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. Customers demand speed, personalization, and efficiency in connected digital workflows. Companies that fail to make customer service flow a breeze risk losing customers to their competitors. To meet these expectations, businesses must invest in tools and technologies that streamline their customer service operations and enhance their agents’ productivity.

One such tool is ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM), an advanced cloud-based platform that automates and optimizes customer service processes. Next-generation now support comes loaded with many features that can help boost agents’ effectiveness and reduce their time on administrative tasks. This, in turn, allows them to focus on providing high-quality service to meet customer expectations just by using a single platform. Interested? Take a closer look at five game-changing features of Customer Service Management that can transform your customer service operations. 

ServiceNow CSM empowers organizations to optimize digital IT workflows, streamline customer support, and respond quickly to customer requests. With its Generation Now support portal and portfolio management capabilities, CSM enables seamless service support across the enterprise, enhancing employee experiences and engaging customers effectively.

Jakub Gond, ServiceNow Developer

Feature 1: Configurable Workspace

ServiceNow CSM’s Configurable Workspace is a valuable feature for businesses looking to streamline their customer service operations and enhance productivity. With this feature, companies can create a customized workspace for their agents, providing them with a single interface for managing customer interactions. It helps reduce the time agents spend switching between different applications, services and tools, allowing them to focus on resolving customer issues quickly and accurately.

Let’s say a company’s customer service team receives a high volume of customer inquiries across various channels, such as phone, email, and chat. By utilizing the Configurable Workspace feature, the company can integrate all customer interactions and data from different channels into a single interface. This custom workspace can be tailored to the specific needs and workflows of the company’s agents, allowing them to easily access customer data, case histories, and other relevant information. As a result, agents provide faster and more accurate solutions to customer issues, enhancing the overall quality of service.

Customer Service Management Configurable Workspace
Source: SPOC

With Customer Service Management Configurable Workspace, you get optimized agents’ efficiency and enhance customer service quality. By creating a customized workspace that integrates all customer interactions and data, your company’s self-service side can reduce response time, improve issue resolution rates, and ultimately provide its customers with an exceptional service experience.

Feature 2: Automated Routing and Assignment

Automated routing enables businesses to automatically assign customer inquiries and cases to the most appropriate agent or team based on predefined criteria like skill set, workload, and availability. By automating this process, your company can reduce the time agents spend manually assigning cases, ensuring that inquiries are given to the most suitable agent or team. According to Forrester, ServiceNow CSM has increased routing efficacy thanks to this feature, leading to 18% more case deflection and 20% greater efficiency. 

Reducing the time it takes to resolve customer issues is crucial for customer experience and the business’s bottom line, as time is money. For instance, when a customer submits an inquiry about a recently purchased product through the company’s website, the inquiry is automatically routed to the customer service team based on predefined criteria such as the product category and the type of inquiry. The system then checks the workload and availability of the agents and assigns the inquiry to the most appropriate agent based on their skill set and availability. If the agent is unavailable, the inquiry is rerouted to the next available agent with the required skill set. Once the inquiry is assigned to the agent, they receive a notification on their dashboard, which prioritizes their workload based on the urgency of the inquiry. This enables the agent to quickly respond to the inquiry and resolve the customer’s issue as fast as possible, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Customer Service Management Automated Routing
Source: ServiceNow

Through this process, you can ensure that customer inquiries are handled efficiently and effectively with the appropriate agents. It improves the overall customer experience and reduces the time agents manually assign cases, freeing up their time to focus on resolving customer issues and delivering exceptional service. 

Feature 3: Knowledge Management  

ServiceNow CSM’s Knowledge Management feature offers significant business advantages by providing a centralized knowledge base that agents can use to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. It helps your business reduce the time agents spend searching for information, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality service to customers.

Imagine a customer contacting the company’s customer service team with an issue related to a recently purchased product. The agent who receives the inquiry searches for the relevant information in the company’s knowledge base and quickly finds an article that addresses the issue and provides a step-by-step guide to resolving it. By using this information, the agent can quickly and accurately resolve the customer’s issue, resulting in a positive experience for the customer.

Customer Service Management Knowledge Management
Source: SPOC

As the knowledge base continues to grow, it becomes an increasingly valuable resource for agents to use when resolving customer issues. Agents can easily search for information based on keywords, tags, or categories, making it easy to find the information they need in no time. By streamlining the process of finding relevant information, businesses can help their agents provide a more efficient and effective customer service experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Feature 4:  Automation and Insights

The rise of automation in customer service is undeniable, with industry experts predicting that 40% of all customer interactions will be automated by the end of this year. ServiceNow CSM is keeping up with this trend by offering automation and insights capabilities to businesses. 

By automating routine tasks and workflows, the platform reduces the time agents spend on administrative tasks, freeing them to focus on more complex issues that require their expertise. This not only improves the productivity of agents but also ensures that they are able to provide faster and more accurate resolutions to customer issues, resulting in a better customer experience. 

Customer Service Management Automation and Insights
Source: SPOC

ServiceNow CSM’s insights capabilities give your business real-time visibility into customer service operations. It enables you to identify areas for improvement and take proactive steps to address potential issues before they become major problems. By continuously improving your operations, your company can not only improve customer service but also gain a competitive advantage in your industry.

Feature 5: Proactive Service

Being proactive is always better than being reactive, and ServiceNow CSM understands this. The platform’s proactive service features help your company to identify and address potential issues before they escalate, improving the customer experience and reducing the workload on agents. 

Example? ServiceNow CSM can monitor customer interactions and send alerts to agents when a customer is experiencing an issue, such as a slow response time or a failed transaction. This proactive approach allows your agents to reach out to the customer and offer assistance before the problem worsens. By resolving issues proactively, you can reduce the number of cases that agents need to handle, freeing up their time to focus on more complex issues and providing exceptional customer service. Ultimately, this approach enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty while saving time and resources.

CSM - proactive customer service
Source: SPOC

ServiceNow Customer Service Management: The Key to Gaining a Competitive Advantage

Exceptional customer service is a must to stay ahead of competitors. ServiceNow CSM offers a variety of features like the Configurable Workspace, automated routing and assignment, knowledge management, automation and insights, and proactive service that enable your business to provide high-quality service to customers efficiently and effectively. By implementing ServiceNow CSM, you can streamline customer service operations, reduce administrative tasks for agents, and improve their ability to resolve customer issues quickly and accurately. This results in exceptional customer service that drives customer loyalty and boosts retention rates, giving your company a competitive edge in the market. 

Do you want to transform your customer service with ServiceNow CSM and see the difference it can make for your business? Contact us for more information at sales@spoc.eu.

What’s new in ServiceNow Utah release? Top 5 new features you must know about

Posted on by Malwina

It’s release time again – named after Utah, a known state in the western United States, brings what ServiceNow is most appreciated for – innovation. A lot of exciting capabilities, new features and products in the latest version of the enterprise service management platform were designed to make your work easier, faster and better. Other focus areas were fixing the problems from previous releases and enhancing the efficiency of the platform. On March 22nd, 2023, in the early spring, shortly before sego lilies, Utah’s official state flowers, start to bloom, ServiceNow made the Now platform Utah release generally available for everyone.

If you don’t feel like reading ServiceNow release notes or still have doubts about whether to update the ServiceNow Platform to the latest version or not, today is your lucky day. We prepared a list of the most important features that can be useful for your business growth and simplify experiences for a smarter way of working. We did the same with the previous San Diego release. ServiceNow wants to help organizations do business and drive outcomes faster in the uncertain world economic times – and the Utah release meets the goals perfectly.

Let’s have a closer look at the actionable insights about key features of the ServiceNow Utah release below.

Workspace Builder

Workspace Builder is a new application introduced in the Utah release. Being a part of App Engine Studio, it is without a shade of doubt one of the most useful and powerful new tools in this release. 

Workspace Builder uses what ServiceNow is the most known of – low-code, no-code solutions. Using ServiceNow, you can easily create your own applications, and now you are also able to create workspaces with just a single tap. How to do it? After opening App Engine Studio, you can add experiences to our application. Experiences are the user interface template available and prepared by ServiceNow. Workspace is one of them. Using Workspace Builder, you can create, manage and preview workspaces. This easy and intuitive tool enables creating dashboards in the homepage section simply by using drag and drop, without writing any code. It allows users to move the widgets or add new elements like filters, headings, lists and so on. It is also possible to configure the data visualization, by changing the source or adding new conditions and other settings. Users can also track the records and usage with Dashboards with Analytics Center. 

When you are done with building a workspace, when the data you display in the dashboards is ready to be published, you can also preview how it will look on the platform.

Omnichannel Callback for Customer Service Management

Another new and useful feature in the Utah release that is definitely worth telling about, is Omnichannel Callback for Customer Service Management. This solution can be really helpful for you and your customers. Why? Because it enables a callback option for customers when there’s a long waiting time to reach a live agent or all the agents are unavailable. As a result, it improves customer experiences and satisfaction, helps to reduce costs and shorten customer service time.

How does it work? A customer is just putting all the data in the Customer Service Management portal – such as name, phone number, type of issue, description and the reason for the callback. Customers can request a callback at a time that best suits them. It can be as soon as possible or later, at the exact date and the exact time they choose. There is a  full workflow of how the agents are assigned to the callbacks and how they are working with the customers.

If there is integration with another tool, for example, Zoom, the customers have also an option to have the callback messages go via it. This is why this tool is also omnichannel.

There is also a powerful ServiceNow-native tool that will make this and all the future releases smoother and less time-consuming. The name you should remember is Automated Test Framework. Thanks to this application you can automate the vast majority of your backend-side tests and – as a result – save your time and stay well protected during your upgrades. Sounds interesting? Read about our automated testing services.

Przemysław Girguś, QA Servicenow Lead

Task bundling in Field Service Management

Task bundling means grouping the tasks that are similar to each other. In the Utah release, dispatchers can now bundle all the tasks into one logical group. They are also able to track, start and update them, and assign them at once, instead of individually. Thanks to this solution, agents can save a lot of time and improve their efficiency.

After logging in as a dispatcher and going to your workspace, you can see the list of all your tasks. When you decide which ones are going to be bundled together, you choose the “Create bundle” button. After that, you can add other tasks or remove the existing ones. There is no limitation when it comes to the number of tasks, you can change the order and group them by various criteria.

After the creation, the bundle tasks must be assigned to selected agents who see them separately. The agent focuses on several tasks, while the dispatcher, at the same time, focuses on the bundle. When the task is updated, the dispatcher knows about it because the bundle is updated automatically as well. Thanks to it, the whole process can be followed.

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Workforce Optimization for HR

Nowadays, we observe a growing trend of usage and demand for HR service delivery applications. Workforce Optimization is ServiceNow’s response to this trend and a completely new application in Utah release. It is a tool destined for HR managers, that gives them one place to understand and optimize work performed by employees. In the manager workspace, you see all cases assigned to your team that can be also sorted out by status, source and so on. You can see your team calendar, check and add new events, manage shifts, and approve requests. You are also able to track work assignments for your team. Furthermore, thanks to Workforce Optimization, it is possible to increase your agents’ potential by empowering them with the skills needed to succeed by learning management platforms and adding new skills.

By all this work – optimizing schedules, work assignments, managing time of the request or providing skills – HR managers can develop high-performing teams and maximize the productivity and the quality of work. Thanks to all of it, companies can perform at the highest level and achieve their business goals and maximum outcomes.

ServiceNow’s Utah Release focuses on optimizing organisations efficiency and accelerating profits from the platform usage by developing more and more low-code / no-code solutions and features.

Tomasz Machaj, Senior ServiceNow Solution Consultant

Favourites Grouping and Multi-Menu Filtering

Last but not least – there are small but really smart new features available in the Utah release. Favourite grouping and Multi-Menu filtering are already available in the next experience UI. This may be a minor change but is also a very helpful one. Thanks to these new ServiceNow features, users can easily find appropriate and engaging content like applications, modules and other stuff on the platform. It is a long-awaited modification for everyone who works with the Now Platform. 

In the Favorites menu, it is possible not only to see some favourite groups and put modules inside them but also to edit them. You can create new custom groups, modify existing ones, manage the position and change the order to visualize the modules. If you need to find something on the platform, you can easily search terms by writing it down and the platform will be looking for it in the multi-menu. You don’t have to filter each menu individually anymore. You get the search results from that menu as well as the other menus you have access to, and therefore you are able to find what you are looking for.

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Upgrade to ServiceNow Utah release

Utah is known as The Beehive State. The beehive is a symbol of teamwork, hard work, unity and a community, where all the people – like bees – work together to create a successful system but also help and support each other. The features of the ServiceNow Utah release correspond to these values – they enable team-building, successful cooperation and goal achievement, making your organization constantly grow. This is the reason why the Utah release is probably the greatest version of the ServiceNow platform so far.

If you want to upgrade your ServiceNow to Utah release and discover brand-new possibilities or learn more insights into how the new Utah release can benefit your organization, do not wait and contact us – your ServiceNow Elite Partner. The new version – Vancouver – will be released in the third or fourth quarter of the year. 2024 will be the year of Washington.

If you want to stay on the top, do not wait anymore and use these new ServiceNow products, services and features. Prepare for the upgrade now.

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