First, an introductory aside. I strongly prefer the term "clients" to the term "customers." I believe that if you are a provider of services, such as cloud-based software or consulting, your goal is successful, continuing, long-term relationships. Customers can buy something once and never do business with you again. Clients, not so much.
That said, in case you hadn't yet heard or read the news, ServiceNow is acquiring Intréis. To my mind, this is a great thing for any and all ServiceNow clients seeking to maximize the agility, resilience, and trustworthiness (or "ART-fulness") of their enterprises by optimizing their processes and services.
Even more significantly, it's a textbook example of what happens when a company walks its talk about putting customers and colleagues first. In case you've never seen it, here's the Intréis Manifesto, as copied from the Intréis Web site.
"Let's take a stand against the enemy of service excellence, employee engagement & productivity, and workplace happiness.
"Bad processes increase complexity, ineffectiveness, and wasted resources.
"Bad processes result in employee disengagement and workplace misery.
"Bad processes bring unhappiness to all stakeholders.
"Bad processes make people miss birthdays, anniversaries, and the things that truly matter.
"Together we will eliminate all bad processes, and the world will be a more joyful place for all; even for our friends in the most highly regulated sectors."
How could you not want to work with a company where leadership believes in and executes upon such things, as an employee or a client? I couldn't resist it, which is why I was thrilled to be invited to join Intréis in September of 2014.
But can such high-minded ideals possibly be good for business? Well, Intréis is a young, small company, operating in a highly specialized arena — a situation fraught with opportunities to confuse, disappoint, or even to anger clients. Yet I know of no Intréis clients who have not been pleased or delighted with the company and its people, before I arrived and since I joined. And I have enjoyed and been impressed by every single member of the Intréis team, from executive leadership to the newest intern.
If you are a ServiceNow client pursuing GRC-related initiatives who has not yet experienced doing business with Intréis people, seek them out as they become integrated into the ServiceNow product development and professional services teams. I am certain that you will be favorably impressed. And if you have done business with Intréis people, I think you can look forward to more of what you've come to expect and enjoy as they take up their new roles at ServiceNow.
On a personal note, I have learned much during my time at Intréis, and am deeply grateful, for that time and for the people I've met and with whom I've gotten to work. I am saddened that I won't be joining my Intréis friends and colleagues as they transition into ServiceNow. But I am thrilled for them, for ServiceNow, and for the clients I expect to benefit greatly from the ServiceNow-Intréis combination. I hope that the Intréis culture and commitment to treating clients and colleagues well enhances ServiceNow — and to take that culture and commitment with me wherever I end up next.
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