Accenture–ServiceNow relationship offers users new options to reinvent business operations

The ServiceNow ecosystem continues to evolve from IT service management (ITSM) and enterprise service management to customer operations space. The pace of progress and maturity around the ecosystem have significantly advanced with the addition of close-knit providers such as Accenture, who have been ready to build their relationship with ServiceNow by investing ahead of the market into new spaces like global business services and customer operations.
To develop initiatives for a first move into a new space, enterprises need to rely on a capable service partner with strong ties to technology partners to gain the confidence to co-innovate, take risks, and enhance CX together.

A 360-degree relationship between tech vendors and service providers can cut risks

Accenture has a unique 360-degree relationship with ServiceNow. As a ServiceNow customer, Accenture leverages the ServiceNow platform to integrate multiple functions within the firm. Accenture is also a service provider, offering end-to-end service with IPs and accelerators. As consulting provider to ServiceNow, Accenture provides strategy and consulting, system implementation, and operation services to help ServiceNow scale to achieve its revenue goal. Lastly, Accenture is a leading go-to-market partner for ServiceNow.

The kind of deep relationship Accenture has with ServiceNow can reduce many of the risks for enterprises taking the leap into what may be their first project in a new space. Intimate working relationships are likely to be beneficial in identifying and managing potential failure points in unknown territory. Knowing what to expect is great preparation for adapting to meet targeted outcomes within the planned timeframe and effectively handling potential data integration challenges.

Accenture applied ServiceNow’s customer service management platform to an operational challenge

Accenture was recently engaged in a client challenge in which it helped a telecommunication client reimagine its customer service processes to improve customer satisfaction and the agent experience and reduce costs from disparate systems. Accenture helped the client reimagine its legacy customer service processes to create a new unified solution integrating systems and data, streamlining chat, and simplifying case creation and resolution processes. We have heard of ServiceNow case studies in which service providers operate in the telecommunication industry, but only in the order management space. Accenture’s case leveraged ServiceNow’s customer service management platform for a contact center service environment.

The ServiceNow platform helped integrate disparate customer issue types into a single catalog resulting in standardization of processes across the client geographies. It enabled a self-service tool with thousands of decision rules to improve first-call resolution, average call handle time, consolidated multiple applications into one, and created real-time reports to provide business insights. Lastly, it gave agents the information they needed, such as case history, current issues, ticket status, and expected time to resolve via a single dashboard displayed during their calls with customers.

The results include improved customer satisfaction, a simplified case creation process and resolution, and enhanced agent experience at a reduced cost.

Accenture delivered at scale within 12 months by leveraging ServiceNow’s platform, delivery accelerators, proven processes, and preconfigured assurance automation libraries to fast-track to value. To do this, Accenture brought together the ServiceNow business group, a multi-functional team, and an industry strategy team to shape a new model and deliver process expertise.

The Bottom Line: Enterprises planning to work in a new space need an experienced strategic partner with multiple hats.

Enterprises are proving to be willing to expand their use of ServiceNow beyond ITSM. To work on first initiatives in a new space, enterprises need a capable service partner that knows its technology and is willing to invest ahead of the market. By wearing different relationship hats with tech vendors, service providers can provide a range of perspectives to reduce risk and hasten speed-to-value.