New study from HFS Research and NewRocket finds that implementation partners can help maximize ServiceNow’s AI-first operating model

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 — According to a new report by HFS Research in partnership with NewRocket, implementation partners that understand how to modernize organizations’ delivery approaches to align with ServiceNow’s AI-driven capabilities are in high demand. The report, based on interviews with executives leading ServiceNow transformations, finds that the providers that adapt to an AI-first operating model on ServiceNow will be best positioned to help their enterprises achieve faster value.

The report’s bottom line: Enterprises that evolve their own service models for the AI era naturally optimize outcomes from the ServiceNow AI Platform.

Key findings include:

• As enterprises adopt agentic AI, the consulting and delivery playbook is being rewritten. ServiceNow implementations executed in conjunction with an AI strategy are the most successful.
• 55% of executives are open to switching implementation providers.
• 44% of those executives now prefer AI strategy and implementation specialists over legacy consultancies.
• 36% of enterprises say they will prioritize partners offering highly specialized, task-specific solutions.
• Agentic AI has cut onboarding time by 40% and delivered over $13 million in annual savings in early enterprise pilots for a global financial firm.
• 45% of enterprises cite specialist expertise as their top criteria when selecting AI partners—a figure expected to reach 48% within five years.

“Agentic AI is giving partners new opportunities to deliver value across the ServiceNow ecosystem,” said Phil Fersht, CEO and Chief Analyst, HFS Research. “AI is rapidly reshaping the consulting playbook built on billable hours and generic templates. The next wave of winners will productize their expertise, operationalize trust, and deliver measurable value at machine speed. Providers that fail to evolve will increasingly be challenged by AI-powered precision and outcome-based delivery.”

The paper outlines how enterprises that embrace AI-native orchestration also unlock ServiceNow’s full potential by shifting from staff augmentation to results-based delivery, and engineering trust directly into their operations.

“Enterprises are finding that modernizing the service model around ServiceNow unlocks significantly more value from the platform. Agentic AI is resetting expectations. Enterprises are shifting from labor-centric engagements to investing in IP, efficiency, and outcomes they can trust. Only those who build with AI-native speed and scale will stay relevant,” said Hansa Iyengar, Practice Leader at HFS Research and author of the report.

Other insights from the study include:

• Agentic AI is redefining delivery by making transformation software-defined, embedding policy-as-code governance, and accelerating time-to-value.
• Outcome-first models—built on reusable IP, governance guardrails, and domain-specific solutions—are now the blueprint for scalable, trust-based transformation.

“ServiceNow has established itself as the AI control tower for business reinvention, providing one architecture across data, workflows and AI, integration capabilities with multiple systems of record, agent-to-agent collaboration and their AI control tower for governance.  We at NewRocket have built AI agent packs on top of the ServiceNow AI Platform to further accelerate the deployment of AI for common cross-industry and industry-specific needs. Therefore, the time to value realization is dramatically accelerated compared to legacy services delivery models,” added Harsha Kumar, CEO of NewRocket.

Download the full report: “Reinvent Your ServiceNow Service Model with Agentic AI.”

About HFS Research
HFS Research is a leading global research and advisory firm helping Fortune 500 companies through IT and business transformation with bold insights and actionable strategies. With fearless research and an impartial perspective, HFS empowers organizations to make decisive technology and service choices. Visit www.hfsresearch.com.

About NewRocket
NewRocket is the AI-first Elite partner that activates real value on ServiceNow. As a trusted advisor to enterprise leaders, NewRocket combines industry expertise, human-centered design, and enterprise-grade AI to help organizations navigate change and scale with confidence. With two decades of experience guiding clients to realize the full potential of the ServiceNow AI Platform, NewRocket is among the largest pure-play ServiceNow partners, uniquely focused on enabling enterprises to adopt AI they trust to deliver lasing business value. Visit www.newrocket.com.

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