Learn ServiceNow: Importance, Skills, and Training Paths
When the software company ServiceNow started in 2004, its vision was to create a cloud-based platform empowering typical workers to manage their own workflow and oversee their own projects.
Fast-forward to today and ServiceNow is a powerhouse in the software industry. In fact, Fortune named it one of the world’s most admired companies in 2021. Additionally, Forbes reported that ServiceNow’s revenue grew at an average of 59.2% annually between 2010 and 2020. The key to the firm’s success is that it has created one of the most feature-packed, user-friendly, and versatile cloud-based workflow platforms currently available on the market.
Although ServiceNow is rooted in information technology (IT), the platform has broadened its capabilities so that departments such as customer service, human resources, administration, and security can benefit from streamlining their workflow and automating time-consuming tasks.
A person can explore a variety of ways to learn ServiceNow that will give them hands-on experience with the platform. Discover more about the training in key tech skills, such as ServiceNow, you can get as a Revature associate.
Why Learn ServiceNow?
Companies that need a platform that will simplify their workflows and automate common tasks turn to ServiceNow because it’s easy to use, it’s easy to learn, and it can be applied in several industries. Although ServiceNow was originally built for IT workflows, it’s now considered full enterprise software, meaning that virtually any industry that has workflow management needs can use it.
ServiceNow Has a Wide Variety of Applications
What is the ServiceNow tool used for, exactly? It can be used for any of the following:
- IT service management: Those working in IT service will be able to resolve problems more easily, improve their first-time resolution rate, and reduce support calls using virtual agents. ServiceNow ITSM empowers IT professionals to deliver service management on a single platform. ServiceNow ITSM integrates seamlessly with other products and tools, such as Oracle, Jira, and Cisco.
- IT operations management: ServiceNow ITOM simplifies operations management by grouping key applications and capabilities into packages. IT professionals will be able to intelligently predict issues before they happen, minimize user impact during incidents like outages, set up automated resolutions to common issues, and much more.
- IT asset management: ServiceNow ITAM allows for the automation of workflows at each stage of the asset life cycle, drastically reducing IT costs. ServiceNow ITAM handles hardware asset management, software asset management, software as a service (SaaS) license management, and more.
- Strategic portfolio management: ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management is a comprehensive business tool that enables employees to strategize, pull performance analytics, run simulations, and manage their entire project life cycle — all on one platform.
- Workplace service delivery: With many employees having shifted to remote work, they need a workflow tool that seamlessly unites them so that they’re all on the same page. ServiceNow Workplace Service Delivery enables them to do that with customizable spaces that use real-time workflow management. Managers will be able to check on the exact progress of each project without sending a single email for an update.
- Customer service management: ServiceNow Customer Service Management enables customer service agents to automate time-consuming customer requests that repeatedly come through, boosting their efficiency and giving them more time to focus on complex issues. The predictive intelligence feature enables specific issues to be routed to the right department for quicker resolution times.
- HR service management: ServiceNow HR Service Delivery allows for intelligent and efficient navigation of the employee life cycle. From onboarding to handling paid time off (PTO) requests and employee relations, the platform serves as a single unified portal capable of handling virtually any task related to HR.
- Development and operations: ServiceNow DevOps enables workers to combine IT operations and software development practices that simplify the overall process while maximizing speed. ServiceNow provides an entire suite of tools and features that allow DevOps teams to seamlessly collaborate.
- Security operations: ServiceNow Security Operations enables security professionals to prevent and overcome threats via security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) while using a risk-based vulnerability management system. ServiceNow Security Incident Response allows for workers to quickly prioritize and respond to security threats using intuitive workflows and automated responses.
- Governance, risk, and compliance: ServiceNow Governance, Risk, and Compliance allows for the management of risk and critical decision-making in real time by connecting business, security, and IT — all on one convenient platform. The unified data environment and real-time visibility of potential risks and compliance issues allow companies to minimize any potential business disruptions and increase their overall productivity.
- Telecommunications service operations management: Utilizing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), ServiceNow Telecommunications Service Operations Management allows for the proactive monitoring of complex networks and streamlines responses to any potential telecommunications network issues. By being able to quickly resolve these issues, both agents and customers will see an improved experience.
- Operational technology management: ServiceNow Operational Technology Management allows for increased operational technology visibility that allows for users to respond to issues quicker while strengthening their network security. Many tasks, like the mapping of operational technology assets and setting up alerts, can be automated using ServiceNow Operational Technology Management.
ServiceNow Is Used in a Wide Variety of Industries
Employees in every industry want to simplify their workflow, streamline their processes, and enhance how different departments work together. Workflow managers are especially critical for companies that have many employees working remotely.
The following industries use ServiceNow:
- Education
- Energy and utilities
- Financial services
- Government
- Health care
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Service providers
- Telecommunications, media, and technology
ServiceNow Has Advanced Technical Features
- Automation engine: One of the huge technical features of ServiceNow is its ability to use robotic process automation (RPA) to automate manual tasks without having to use code. The flow designer allows for automation of different business processes across different departments, apps, and systems.
- Predictive intelligence: The predictive intelligence feature of ServiceNow allows for work to be automatically routed and assigned to the right team, proactively detect areas for improvement, solve issues quickly with smart suggestions, and wield the power of AI for analysis.
- Virtual agent: Customers and employees will often have a standard set of technical issues that need to be resolved. In those cases, ServiceNow Virtual Agent is the perfect solution. Using the power of smart automation, the platform can be programmed to help walk customers and employees through common problems without direct human involvement. This enables employees to focus their efforts on more complex issues and saves countless hours.
- Advanced performance analytics: ServiceNow’s performance analytics bring clarity and show key insights into large datasets so that stakeholders can make informed business decisions. Users can customize their key performance indicators (KPIs) to align with their business goals and see detailed breakdowns of performance and trends in their dashboards in real time.
- Configurable workspaces: Every user’s needs are different, which is why the workspaces on ServiceNow’s platform can be configured to the user’s liking. This personalized experience increases productivity and delivers an engaging experience.
- Cloud encryption: Security is the first priority, and ServiceNow Cloud Encryption provides industry-leading cloud encryption that protects sensitive data at scale. Keys can be created, rotated, and revoked automatically.
What Is the ServiceNow Tool Used For?
ServiceNow is used to automate processes and manual tasks, streamline workflows, and connect large teams in different departments — all on a single platform. Originally developed for IT, the platform is used for IT service management, IT asset management, and IT operations management. However, ServiceNow has expanded to become a full enterprise tool that can be used in several other different departments beyond IT.
HR departments, legal departments, analysts, and plenty of other workers who need an intelligent and intuitive workflow tool also use ServiceNow.
The following are key examples of how different industries are using ServiceNow:
- Banking and financial services: ServiceNow allows for the syncing of all financial activity across different departments for more reliable banking. Common actions, such as making deposits, can be completely automated to save time, enabling employees to focus on more complex tasks.
- Insurance: ServiceNow handles both commercial and personal insurance in a way that’s agile and customer-centric, allowing agents to quickly resolve issues and effectively manage complaints. The ServiceNow platform seamlessly connects underwriting, service, and other departments of an insurance agency so that everyone is on the same page.
- Telecommunications: ServiceNow makes order management for telecommunications (OMT) easier and more intuitive than ever before. Complex order scenarios can now be captured using a single user interface that reduces manual tasks and eliminates errors. Agents will now have the ability to support in-flight order changes and updates.
- Manufacturing: ServiceNow’s intuitive workflow system enables workers in the manufacturing industry to stay ahead of risks and vulnerabilities by effectively monitoring all systems in the chain. Built-in machine learning helps reduce bottlenecks and accelerates the resolution of incidents.
- Technology: Processes across an entire organization can now be completely unified to create a seamless workflow experience for technical teams and customer-facing employees. ServiceNow specializes in both technology provider service management and order management for technology providers.
ServiceNow Skills
ServiceNow skills span far and wide, from basic workflow management to using machine learning to predict customer requests and behavior. The skills needed to use ServiceNow also depend on the industry and the role of the user. For example, a person in IT customer service will use ServiceNow’s platform in a very different way than someone in the manufacturing industry who’s monitoring a project. Role also plays a factor: A ServiceNow developer will not use the platform the same way as a financial analyst.
However, a core set of fundamentals in ServiceNow need to be learned that can be applied to most industries and job roles.
Basic ServiceNow Topics
New users who are learning ServiceNow will need to have a basic understanding of how to navigate the application, key terminology and functions, and other fundamentals.
- Platform overview: Before users can benefit from ServiceNow, they must learn the basics of how it works and where things are. Users should familiarize themselves with the platform architecture as well as the different user interfaces, so they can see how ServiceNow supports different applications.Although many different ServiceNow learning paths exist, getting familiar with the platform is the first step on all of them.
- Lists and filters: A list is the collection of records in ServiceNow. It greatly benefits any new user to learn how to personalize and configure their lists to meet their needs. Filtering is another useful tool because it enables users to create a set of conditions that each record must meet to be included in the list.
- Forms: The content of a single record in ServiceNow is known as a form. Users should learn how to use the menu options, layout configuration, and personalization tools to change a form to their specifications.
- Task management: Tasks are at the core of workflow management in ServiceNow. A list can be anything from a change request to an incident report. Users should familiarize themselves with how ServiceNow handles tasks — how they’re assigned, assignment rules, and how they move through the activity stream.
- Notifications: ServiceNow uses notifications to update users in a timely and efficient fashion. Entry-level users of ServiceNow should familiarize themselves with how to create a notification along with setting conditions for it.
- Reporting: ServiceNow features 25 standard reporting types that can be used to display data for anything the user needs. It’s a good idea to at least get familiar with the core concepts of reporting and how it’s used, even for those who have no plans of pulling reports.
- Knowledge management: Article creation, maintenance, and storage all fall under knowledge management. For instance, product instructions for a new type of software may need to be created and internally reviewed on the ServiceNow platform. Entry-level users should learn how to retrieve, view, and edit documents.
- Service catalog: The service catalog in ServiceNow is a simple interface that enables employees, suppliers, and customers to make requests for items and services. Entry-level users are encouraged to check this out to see what’s available to them, just in case they need anything at a later date.
- Flow designer: The flow designer in ServiceNow is what enables users to automate a process using triggers and actions. Anyone who is required to do a repeated task should get familiar with the flow designer to help streamline things.
- Virtual agent: Although not everyone will use the virtual agent, it’s a good idea to know the basic concept of it and how it works. The virtual agent enables users to assist people in handling common problems using a conversational bot.
Advanced ServiceNow Topics
Once users master the basics and develop a comprehensive understanding of what ServiceNow can be used for, they can move on to more advanced topics and features.
- Advanced natural language understanding features: Natural language understanding allows for users to enable the system to learn and respond based upon intent expressed by humans. This requires entering in several examples of natural language to aid the system in its learning. Although it’s a time-consuming endeavor, once the natural language understanding interface has been thoroughly built out, it will be able to automatically resolve a wide variety of requests without human intervention.
- KPI details: For those who need to go beyond standard analytics, KPI details provide an exploratory view of indicators that enables users to dig deeper into the data. KPI details in ServiceNow show breakdowns, predictions, trends, and associated records for specific indicators. Users can also apply time series aggregations, targets, thresholds, and numerous other attributes.
- Advanced reporting: Although ServiceNow offers a batch of standard reports, some will need to use more advanced reporting methods to fully illustrate the insights of their data. Users will be able to visualize data, create reports from multiple datasets, create time series reports, embed reports in Jelly-based elements (Java- and XML-based scripting), report on extended tables, and more.
- Predictive intelligence: ServiceNow’s predictive intelligence features allow users to create machine learning solutions that take requests and effectively categorize, assign them, and prioritize them. This not only cuts down on resolution time but also reduces error rates and cost.
ServiceNow Training and Learning Paths
Numerous ServiceNow learning paths exist. How ServiceNow is used within a company can help dictate an individual’s learning path.
A good place to start with ServiceNow is getting a handle on the fundamentals of the platform. Knowing how to navigate it and perform basic functions will come in handy, no matter what the user’s job role may be.
However, those who are preparing for a job where ServiceNow plays a big role may want to explore formal ServiceNow training. Here are a few ways to go about that.
Online Tutorials and Videos
Those who aspire to learn ServiceNow can take advantage of the many tutorials, online documentation, and step-by-step guides for using the platform.
ServiceNow Learning
ServiceNow presents a learning and certification path on its website for each of the roles of application specialist, architect, developer, implementer, and system administrator. Each path has its own lesson plan of prerequisites, mandatory specializations, and certified application specialist exams. It’s important to note that this route has associated costs.
The Revature Method
Those who want professional training at no cost to them are encouraged to check out Revature. Through its hire-train-deploy model, Revature associates are paid while they receive training on in-demand tech skills from industry experts. Once training is completed, they’re placed in positions with partnering tech companies.
Individuals at any level can take advantage of this, including those who have already completed a traditional college degree program. The Revature method is perfect for those who are looking to pivot to a career in tech without having to invest more money in additional education.
ServiceNow Exercises and Quizzes
While learning ServiceNow, individuals should continually test their knowledge with the platform. This can be accomplished by taking quizzes and engaging in exercises. The following resources should come in handy:
- ServiceNowGyan — ServiceNow Quiz: Explore basic questions to help obtain a Certified System Administrator certification.
- Brainscape — Learn ServiceNow: Discover a method of learning ServiceNow that uses flash cards.
- Tutorials Point — ServiceNow Fundamentals: Learn the basics of ServiceNow.
- Tutorials Point — ServiceNow ITIL: Explore the IT infrastructure library.
- Tutorials Point — ServiceNow Cloud Services: Learn about the basics of cloud computing and cloud services.
- Tutorials Point — ServiceNow Administration: Learn about administration concepts and functions.
- Tutorials Point — ServiceNow Development: Learn the basics of development and how to create applications.
ServiceNow Syllabus
Learning ServiceNow entails gaining a basic understanding of how the platform can be used and its key functions for a specific job role. The areas covered in a ServiceNow syllabus include the following:
Introduction to ServiceNow
In an introductory module, users will get to know the platform, where things are located, and some of the basic functions. Once users have an understanding of the platform’s architecture, they can move on to performing simple tasks.
Basic ServiceNow Concepts
Since ServiceNow is primarily a workflow tool, users should get familiar with all the basics of managing workflow. As previously mentioned, creating and managing tasks are at the core of workflow management. Users should work with several different types of tasks, so they can get a feel for how their daily workflow is going to look. They should also get familiar with forms, lists and filters, the reporting tool, notifications, the flow designer, the virtual agent, and other basic concepts.
Advanced ServiceNow Concepts
Realizing the full potential of ServiceNow is going beyond simple workflow management to the advanced concepts that use machine learning and AI. Advanced users can take tasks that they have been performing manually and find ways to automate them.
Additionally, the natural language understanding and predictive intelligence features enable users to create automated solutions for more complex requests. Finally, people on the analytics side are encouraged to get familiar with the more advanced reporting methods and KPI details.
Start Your Tech Training with Revature
Learning in-demand tech skills is no small feat. Tons of work and dedication are required. However, that does not mean it has to be difficult or expensive.
Revature associates get paid to learn popular technical skills and programming languages during 10 to 14 weeks of paid training. This is immediately followed by job placement with one of our leading tech company partners.
If you’re ready to pivot to a thriving career in tech, now is your chance. This is also a great way to further supplement your knowledge if you already have a computer science degree.
Pursue your professional goals by exploring Revature’s unique training programs.
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