Driving End-User Adoption of the Service Catalog

[sgrison]

Making the Service Catalog the Easy Button for Employees

Rolling out a Service Catalog in ServiceNow is often celebrated as a milestone. But the real test isn’t the launch—it’s whether employees actually use it. Adoption doesn’t happen by chance; it requires deliberate design and change management.

Keep it simple. Complexity is the enemy of adoption. Avoid burying services under layers of categories or technical jargon. Organize requests around how people work day-to-day, using clear labels and concise descriptions. If users can’t find what they need in seconds, they’ll default back to email or phone calls.

Prioritize impact. Start with the services that make the biggest difference—onboarding, access requests, or common IT needs. When employees see how quickly these requests are fulfilled through the catalog, they’re more likely to use it again.

Promote like a product. A Service Catalog is no different from a new app launch. Market it internally with short demo clips, quick reference cards, or even live “show and tell” sessions. Visibility builds trust, and trust drives usage.

Reinforce through leadership. Managers and support teams should consistently point employees to the catalog as the official path for requests. This top-down endorsement normalizes the behavior.

Adapt continuously. Adoption isn’t a one-time event. Track usage metrics, gather feedback, and refine request forms to remove friction. Employees need to feel that their input shapes the experience.

When the Service Catalog is intuitive, visible, and backed by leadership, it stops being “just another tool” and becomes the natural gateway for getting work done.