Maximizing value in technical operations can be both a challenge and an opportunity. ServiceNow, when leveraged as a platform, provides businesses with the opportunity to transform IT operations into an efficiency engine.
In this case study, we examine how a Midwest-based luxury appliance manufacturer applied outcome-based Managed Services to trade technical debt for business value in partnership with ValueCentrix.
The manufacturer had been using ServiceNow in IT Support and IT Operations for over a decade, but its leadership wasn’t seeing the level of continuous improvement and ROI that they expected. Engaging different system integrators over time yielded disconnected processes and high levels of customization. IT lacked a single system of record, which led to different internal groups using different tools without a unified strategy. In short, they were stuck, and leadership was questioning their ServiceNow investment.
“Our client was looking for strategy and guidance to accompany design and development in its quest to better utilize ServiceNow.” – David Savino, Field CTO at ValueCentrix.
Building a single system of record and creating efficiencies
ValueCentrix joined forces with the Midwest manufacturer to better leverage ServiceNow to improve IT service delivery. The outcome was a two-month trial of the outcome-based ValueEdge service with a focus on measurable impact and strategic alignment. Key objectives included:
Increased ServiceNow adoption with improved UI and consolidated workspaces
Return on Investment (ROI) realization -
Reducing outages and time-to-resolve incidents (service continuity)
Fewer interruptions to the business
Better workflow and collaboration
Fewer issues, “falling through the cracks”
Increased productivity
This led to the implementation of several key elements:
Service Operations Workspace: ValueCentrix configured a "one-stop shop" for support agents to handle requests, incidents, problems, and changes in a unified interface. With Service Operations Workspace, IT Support has everything they need in a single location.
Employee Center: The end-user experience improved through a company-branded central portal for employees to submit issues, track requests (such as laptop orders), view company news, and interact with events. A new taxonomy makes searching more intuitive, and AI-assisted search makes those searches more productive
Configuration over Customization: The project prioritized leveraging proven out-of-the-box ServiceNow workflows rather than building unique, high-maintenance customizations - reducing technical debt and complexity.
Accountability via SLAs: Service level agreements (SLAs) provided transparency for end-users and ensured IT groups met specific response and resolution times.
The entire project provided managers and senior leadership with increased visibility and awareness through decision-grade metrics and KPIs . New charts, graphs and reports illuminated what was happening and supported informed decisions on redirecting tasks and prioritizing work.
Seeing the value in ValueEdge
The partnership between the manufacturer and ValueCentrix led to immediate wins, measurable impact, and improved ServiceNow alignment across the organization.
The goal of improved ServiceNow return on investment was realized in concrete ways, such as a decrease in “forgotten” tickets through SLAs, and manager dashboards that increased operational efficiency. This led to some issues being resolved twice as fast as before. Other results include:
Increased Adoption: By building a solution that was "fit for purpose," ValueCentrix successfully onboarded IT groups that previously hadn’t been using ServiceNow.
Improved Sentiment: Senior leadership reported a notable drop in complaints regarding the platform to the ValueCentrix team and expressed satisfaction with its new visibility into IT operations.
Unified Data: Aggregating all incidents into a single system of record allowed complete, accurate reporting that was trusted by senior leadership.
Savino said an important part of the project was understanding that highly customized and unique workflows only serve to increase technical debt, while configuring native workflows really unlocks the value of the ServiceNow platform. He added, “Stakeholders that come together and agree on a common process are much happier with the results.”
Moving into the future
After the success of the two-month project implementing ValueEdge, the manufacturer and ValueCentrix agreed to a yearly contract. The strategic guidance and transformation continue with an IT Asset Management project and ongoing work to optimize change management.
This continued engagement between the manufacturer and ValueCentrix aligns infrastructure and IT landscape with targeted business outcomes. AI adoption is now prioritized, focusing on data quality with use cases that leverage AI to make a difference across the organization.
“We seek to understand the client's business priorities so we can properly align the management of the platform and the introduction of new capabilities,” said Savino describing the process behind ValueEdge.
“We want what the client wants – continuous improvement, increased adoption, and meaningful ROI.”
