Human-centered IT service management: The next great differentiator

  • Paul Hardy
  • IT Management
  • Solutions
  • 2021
March 24, 2021

Human-centered IT service management - ServiceNow Blog

Positive employee and customer experiences are critical to business growth and digital transformation success. But, such experiences require revamping how organizations structure, deliver, and measure IT services. That’s why human-centered IT service management is growing in popularity for companies that want to innovate IT and gain a competitive advantage.

Here are some insights for IT leaders who may be hesitant to take the leap into human-centered ITSM.

What is human-centered IT service management?

Human-centered ITSM is about putting technology in the service of humans. Traditionally, IT departments worked by implementing and deploying technology because IT liked it—not because people wanted it or needed it. In fact, they may have needed it or wanted it, but no one asked them.

Now, technology absolutely has to be in the service of these people, not the other way around. This is where automation comes in—automating all the mundane, repeatable, error-prone tasks that, frankly, no one wants to do anyway.

The next great differentiator for enterprises

Generally, IT technology processes have been in place to enable and protect IT—not to enhance the business. Now, IT service management can provide competitive advantage when it’s focused not on stifling business innovation, but on becoming the enabler, allowing people to work seamlessly and frictionlessly.

For example, the change management process used to be very structured and slow, but now the idea is for people to collaborate in real time, always on, whenever they want. What we’re doing at ServiceNow is putting people at the heart of every process. We’re allowing the data to do the things and automate the things in the background that would traditionally be handled by people.

We’re living in a pandemic world. We’re doing stuff faster. Things have to change more quickly than ever before. We have to be more agile. We’re allowing people to share and collaborate and become an integral part of the process, without calling it an IT process. Enterprise IT leaders need to move toward thinking about how people interact with things and to speak to people constantly. It’s not really a technology conversation anymore.

Prioritizing human-centered ITSM

Embracing human-centered ITSM isn’t actually about technology at all. ITSM technology alone won’t transform a business. What it will do is protect and mitigate some risk and add a bit of engagement to customer care. Processes within IT service management must broaden and become enterprise-wide to provide the services the business needs.

It’s imperative that IT processes work the way people expect them to. Better processes are connected processes. Better processes are also simpler processes that take less time to interact with. The real differentiator is to have processes that allow people to get on with their tasks and work the best way possible—while still having processes that govern your business and are auditable.

The key to human-centered ITSM

Trust is currently an obstacle to adoption. In the past, IT departments haven’t been trusted because they often stifled business innovation or simply said no. They put up barriers because technology hadn’t been tested, and IT team members weren’t convinced solutions worked.

But, as IT teams elevate away from just being IT shops, they become the enablers and trusted advisers to the business. Think about how the CIO doesn’t just look out for service anymore. The CIO’s job includes negotiating, managing business relationships, managing vendors, and providing great experiences for all.

Similarly, IT has to change the way it does things and build trust quickly. Too often today, human resources, marketing, and other teams buy services without IT knowing about it. That’s not healthy for large organizations. Trust comes through transparency, openness, and communication.

Learn more about human-centered ITSM in our ebook, “The human experience of IT service management.”

Register for the April 7, 2021, ServiceNow webinar about human-centered IT service management.

 

© 2021 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Topics

  • Digital transformation in healthcare for nurse retention: smiling nurses walking
    Healthcare
    Boosting nurse retention through digital transformation in healthcare
    Digital transformation in healthcare is the key to nurse retention. Find out how it can free nurses to focus on their passion: caring for patients.
  • Knowledge 2023 takeaways: a group of women raising their hands
    Events
    4 takeaways from Knowledge 2023
    Knowledge 2023 united thousands of ServiceNow customers and colleagues at the first single global user conference in three years. Here are four key takeaways.
  • Artifacts of pride: 3 ServiceNow employees
    Culture
    Showcasing artifacts of pride
    In honor of Pride Month, three ServiceNow employees share personal artifacts that have shaped their lives. Watch a video and get inspired.

Trends & Research

  • ESG technology: green surrounding a river, woman smiling, 2 government employees in conversation
    Cybersecurity and Risk
    Survey says ESG technology drives results
  • RPA: group of workers gathered around a conference table looking at a laptop
    AI and Automation
    Forrester report: ServiceNow debuts as a Strong Performer in RPA
  • Digital innovation: three workers looking at a computer monitor
    AI and Automation
    Survey says digital innovation is the way to navigate macro uncertainty

Year