Disparate standalone systems, disjointed processes
A large utility company is focused on transforming its business to drive safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable, clean energy for its valued customers. Their family of operating companies provides electricity and natural gas services to power customers’ lives. Safety, reliability, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency are paramount to operational excellence.
For years, the company leveraged a combination of homegrown and commercial-off-the-shelf legacy systems, each separately serving the needs of their operating companies. Individual operating companies had established their own standards and processes, supported by a redundant suite of legacy system platforms. The company was able to maintain operations using these legacy tools but quickly encountered issues when attempting to integrate them with contemporary enterprise tools. They struggled to provide consistent IT service management (ITSM) across the business and lacked a standardized platform for a consistent user experience. In addition, the company’s existing ITSM platform announced an end-of-life date within a year, drawing stakeholder attention and emphasizing the need to migrate to a more modern enterprise solution.
The consolidation of IT Service Management (ITSM) systems and processes across their family of operating companies was a major milestone in achieving strategic goals of operational excellence. The company was in desperate need of a modern transformative platform. They chose to extend their longstanding partnership with CAI to implement the ServiceNow platform, helping them prepare for future growth and innovation.
Establishing a foundation with ServiceNow
CAI and the utility company have maintained a strong strategic partnership for over 30 years. CAI’s existing teams (embedded within a larger managed service at the company) have been responsible for the support and maintenance of the existing ITSM legacy systems within one of the operating companies since 2018. The team’s subject matter expertise of legacy systems and processes, combined with CAI’s strong ServiceNow practice team, were deciding factors that led the company to quickly formulate a program for implementing ServiceNow to fit their future goals.
CAI’s ServiceNow practice team partnered with the company to align best practices with the implementation goals and objectives. CAI also provided program leadership, technical consultants to implement the platform, and business consultants to assist with transforming processes to align with a fully functional ServiceNow enterprise platform. This included the following features of IT service management:
- Incident management
- Major incident management
- Problem management
- Change management
- Knowledge management
- Request/catalog management
- Employee center
- Virtual agent
This successful collaboration underscores the mutual commitment to innovation and operational excellence, ensuring the utility company is well-positioned to meet future technological demands. As the partnership continues to evolve, both organizations can look forward to reaping the benefits of an optimized ServiceNow platform that enhances service delivery and efficiency.
61%
Reduced initial helpdesk contacts to 61% in the first 2.5 weeks
50
New Live Agent Chat sessions initiated in the first 2.5 weeks
Preparing for the future of modern utilities
Completion of the initial scope of work allowed the company to achieve a major milestone in establishing a transformational platform. This enabled the consolidation of processes and tools into a single operating company, reaping the benefits below:
User experience and usability benefits
The new ServiceNow platform provided a modern end-user portal for a better user experience. Improved features allow for quick access to ticket status that previously required a cumbersome call to the helpdesk. In addition, new options (email, Virtual Agent, and Live Agent) were provided for contacting IT support, allowing users to choose the method they are most comfortable with to engage and receive support.
The implementation of Virtual Agent allowed users to contact the helpdesk via Microsoft Teams or a portal. The new module allowed the company to immediately reduce the initial contacts with the helpdesk to 61% in the first 2.5 weeks since the system cutover. In addition, 50 new Live Agent Chat sessions were initiated in the first 2.5 weeks of utilizing the system, allowing the company to meet users where they are and provide a more comfortable user experience.
New and consolidated processes eliminate manual work
The implementation of a Change Advisory Board (CAB) Workbench significantly reduced the manual effort required by the change management team. This workbench eliminated the need to send manual lists of changes for the weekly agenda and introduced clear, system-enforced deadlines to minimize late entries. By automating approvals for process exceptions, the company streamlined communication across operating companies, reducing reliance on time-consuming manual forms and approval emails. Additionally, the team consolidated multiple CAB meetings into a single forum, enabling a more comprehensive review of all changes for potential conflicts across operating companies.
ServiceNow introduced automated routing for high-volume incidents, allowing them to bypass time-consuming help desk processes, and achieve faster resolution with level 2 support teams. This automation saves time and reduces user frustration.
The normalization of the company’s configuration management database (CMDB) further facilitated their consolidation efforts, marking a significant step toward creating a single source of truth across all operating companies. This unified repository allows the company to merge multiple disparate databases with inconsistent data, thereby eliminating the need for manual maintenance.
The successful completion of the initial scope of work has significantly enhanced the company's operational efficiency and user satisfaction. With the consolidation of processes and tools, the company is well on its way to achieving a unified, streamlined system that supports future growth and innovation.
A trusted partner for ITSM transformation
The implementation of a ServiceNow solution provided a significant leap forward for the utility company and built a foundation for the future. A transformative enterprise ITSM solution is the starting point for many innovations for IT to offer exceptional customer service, eliminate wasted effort in manual processes, and drive a cohesive user experience across their family of operating companies.
At CAI, our approach begins with a strategy tailored to your business needs, focused on process improvement and organizational enablement. We have the expertise to maximize your investment in ServiceNow solutions and deliver your projects on time and within budget. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us.
