Our client, a global chemicals and energy company based in South Africa, produces a range of liquid fuels, chemicals, and electricity. They needed a centralized IT Service Management (ITSM) platform to improve operational efficiency and enhance user experience across three main operational regions: North America, South Africa and Eurasia. With inadequate configuration items and categorization systems, users faced suboptimal experiences. Additionally, custom applications like the Cell Phone Administration application required transitioning to out-of-the-box solutions to optimize user interactions.
The Challenge
Tackling multilingual and integration challenges with ServiceNow
Our client faced key challenges before integrating ServiceNow into their operation:
- Inefficient ITSM operations: The existing ITSM platform lacked centralization, leading to fragmented processes and poor user experience across multiple regions.
- Customization issues: Custom applications created complexity, particularly in the Cell Phone Administration application, which needed to be replaced with an out-of-the-box solution.
- Integration complexity: With over 15 vendors and a variety of SLAs and support criteria, the need for a centralized integration source like MuleSoft became critical to streamline connectivity between ServiceNow and other tools.
- Multilingual requirements: Our client’s multinational presence, with multiple languages in use, required tailored notifications and catalog items to meet local needs.
The Objective
Towards streamlined ITSM and enhanced user experience
Our goal was to streamline ITSM functions, enhance user experience and simplify the IT environment by transitioning to ServiceNow, leveraging its integration capabilities and out-of-the-box features while minimizing customizations.
The Solution
Achieving optimized ITSM user experience with ServiceNow
To address these challenges, our experts implemented the following strategies:
- ServiceNow deployment: We deployed ServiceNow as a centralized ITSM platform, integrating it with third-party applications and tools like Netcool, Solarwinds and SCCM to track network alerts, end-user devices and failure alerts.
- CMDB discovery implementation: The DISCOVERY module monitored and managed HCLTech-managed servers efficiently, improving server management and reducing manual effort.
- MuleSoft integration: MuleSoft was implemented as the integration platform, eliminating the need for multiple custom APIs and enabling seamless connectivity with ServiceNow.
- Customized catalog and notifications: We configured catalog items tailored to specific user requests, allowing better tracking and providing users with specific forms for different types of requests. We also enabled multilingual support for customized notifications, enhancing the user experience for global teams.
- 16x5 support and offshore operations: Our BAU team provided 16x5 support with on-call availability for critical incidents, ensuring smooth daily operations and fast issue resolution.
This holistic approach resulted in a streamlined ITSM environment that focused on enhancing user experience and improving operational efficiencies.
The Impact
Delivering a seamless and consistent user experience
On implementation, we've achieved:
- Improved server management efficiency: The implementation of CMDB Discovery optimized server management, reducing the manual effort of data compilation and improving operational speed.
- Seamless integration with MuleSoft: The use of MuleSoft enabled easy API creation and streamlined integration with third-party tools, enhancing system connectivity and reducing custom development.
- Enhanced user request process: By introducing multiple catalog items and tailored notifications, we transformed the user request process, enabling precise tracking and making it easier for users to request services.
- Optimized global service delivery: Tailored solutions for multilingual support and region-specific requirements ensured that employees across North America, South Africa and Eurasia had an optimized and consistent user experience.
