3 ways to supercharge HR digital transformation

Human resources (HR) digital transformation isn’t just a switch you can flip. It’s a never-ending process that starts at different points for every organization and team. When I meet with HR leaders across industries, I’m always excited to learn about their unique, complex challenges.

As we stare down a new wave of economic uncertainty, it’s never been more important for HR leaders to make a strong business case for HR digital transformation, whether for our CEOs, boards, or investors.

In a survey by Fortune and Deloitte, 76% of CEOs said they have a “pessimistic” 12-month outlook for the global economy. Especially in this climate, business leaders want to know what kind of value they’re getting from their technology investments. They also want to improve productivity and efficiency across the workforce.

I know from experience how difficult it is to implement massive HR changes at a global organization, no matter the global economic pressures. That’s why I joined ServiceNow: We offer a world-class platform that delivers tremendous value for our employees, managers, and company. We do this for our customers too. 

HR leaders need new ways to deliver for their people and drive business success. As an HR business leader, I want to share three ways a company can supercharge its HR digital transformation.

1. Integrate HR and digital technology teams

HR and digital technology (DT) teams need to integrate their functions and rewire their partnership to be more strategic, predictive, and proactive.

People already have consumer-grade technology that simplifies their lives in radical ways every day—from ordering a ride to filling a prescription. They expect the same at work. HR and DT teams need to align to deliver that experience, which unlocks their talent advantage and business growth.

With that integrated vision and partnership at the top of our company, our HR and DT teams can set achievable key performance indicators and better understand our processes. Together, we focus on three imperatives to measure our progress:

• Velocity: Innovate quickly to remain competitive and drive ongoing success.

• Intelligence: Move away from manual reporting to real-time predictive analytics.

• Experience: Create great employee and customer experiences that minimize both costs and inefficiencies.

Years ago, when a ServiceNow employee had an issue—anything from requesting a cellphone to getting an approval for business travel—our self-service tool only handled a fraction of those transactions.

HR and DT worked together to improve the AI and machine learning for our digital self-service tool. In 2022, it handled about 80% of employee questions and issues, even at higher volume, for our growing, global workforce.

2. Invest in the right technology

When companies cut costs, some leaders think they can’t prioritize the employee experience. This is a misconception. An exceptional employee experience doesn’t need to be expensive. Thoughtfully curating experiences for employees and managers can boost employee productivity and engagement while saving time and resources for organizations.

HR leaders need digital solutions that automate tasks and insights to help them predict what their people need. When customers work with ServiceNow to streamline the employee experience with HR Service Delivery, they don’t have to spend a fortune upgrading or buying new systems. They can simply connect their existing systems to the Now Platform for an improved experience.

This simplifies enterprisewide activity into a single, integrated view. Then we offer great experiences across the platform, integrating tools in one place for employees.

For example, when Delta Air Lines needed to launch a one-stop shop to support its 75,000 people during the pandemic, ServiceNow helped build it in just 48 hours. 

Beyond the experience, the Now Platform offers tremendous return on investment (ROI). In 2021, Forrester Consulting studied the potential ROI of deploying ServiceNow HR Service Delivery at several companies. The study showed that organizations aiming to improve workplace productivity could see:

• Increased ROI (up to 254%) and savings (up to $7.62 million) over a three-year span

• More than 10,000 hours saved by using self-service for up to 80% of repeat inquiries

• Up to a 30% boost in productivity during onboarding and offboarding
  
  

3. Create a single view

HR teams have a similar set of daily questions, ranging from how to attract and retain great talent to how to progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. 

HR leaders are looking for ways to make those decisions based on the data and insights available to them. They want to distinguish the signal from the noise, and they need to visualize data in real time rather than waiting for lagging reports.

That’s why ServiceNow built the CHRO Dashboard on the Now Platform. The dashboard offers a control tower view with easy access to insights, from the enterprise level to functions, down to teams and individuals.

Within a few minutes and clicks, I can gather data on an emerging issue—a bump in the attrition rate in a particular location, for example—and take action to resolve it in real time, on the go. It helps us make data-driven decisions quickly using the most relevant, timely insights—all to create a better experience for our people.

Find out more about how ServiceNow helps HR digital transformation.

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