it_user323610 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Support Engineer with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
We're able to see the most common issues and then automate them, reducing the number of helpdesk calls. However, the pricing model for add-on products could be improved.

What is most valuable?

One of the biggest features is its flexibility. It has out of the box functionality (incident, problem, change, etc.) that can be tailored to fit your organization.

How has it helped my organization?

With this tool we have been able to see what some of the most common issues are and then automate them. This helps out the help desk by reducing the number of calls they are getting. We are also using Discovery with our CMDB to help us manage our assets. We also utilize our CMDB for our Incident and Change process with the relationships that we have configured between them.

What needs improvement?

The biggest issue that I see is the way that they license some of their add-on products. We spend a lot of money, so they should have a better pricing model for customers that want to take advantage of some of the new offerings.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used the product for about five years in different capacities including as Tech Support at ServiceNow, a Solution Consultant for a ServiceNow Partner, and Administrator as a customer.

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April 2024
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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

There were no issues with the deployment, but some were encountered during upgrades.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No, their support staff helps out by monitoring the instance and recommending action. We have some slowness from time to time but it usually due to issues on our ent.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not encountered any issues with scalability.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

7-8/10. They have a difficult task, since they have to handle a wide variety of calls coming in to them. But, they work together with their team and development to help get a response to your question or issue.

Technical Support:

This I would group with Customer Service.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

It was implemented prior to me joining the company.

How was the initial setup?

I was a consultant previously, so the initial setup is pretty straightforward, plus you have an implementation partner there to help you take your business requirements and configure it in the system

What about the implementation team?

They started out with a partner, but they were not happy with the service. So they let them go and implemented it on their own.

What other advice do I have?

When you purchase the tool, do not try to make it behave or look like your current system. Remember, you purchased this product for it’s ability and you should take full advantage of that.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Global Solutions Manager - ServiceNow at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
MSP
Useful out-of-the-box setups with helpful community support and excellent reliability
Pros and Cons
  • "It can scale well if you are managing IT assets."
  • "The RPA needs improvement. That's a new area for them that they're just entering into now."

What is our primary use case?

The product is primarily used for HR service delivery, traditional IT service management, and, increasingly, integrated risk management, or IRM. 

The biggest area of growth is what we call creator workflows. This is building new applications on ServiceNow, using ServiceNow as a development platform. That's the biggest area of growth for us.

What is most valuable?

The initial setup can be quite straightforward.

The stability is quite good. It's pretty reliable.

It can scale well if you are managing IT assets.

The solution has good technical support and a strong community that can help solve problems.

What needs improvement?

The RPA needs improvement. That's a new area for them that they're just entering into now. 

Their user interface, their UX design, and their portal are all in the process of being improved. 

The footprint in non-IT assets, so managing assets outside of IT. That means building new CMDB class structures. Can they manage a hospital device, a manufacturing device, an oil-rig device, not just a server or a laptop or a printer? That's where they need to massively improve their reach. Reaching beyond IT asset management is the biggest challenge to ServiceNow right now.

It would be great if there was an accelerator or a fast-track tool or method to consider net new use cases for ServiceNow. Something almost like a solution innovation workshop environment, where you can test business ideas and work out which parts of the ServiceNow workflow can support those ideas - like a modeling tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with the product for 12 years, however, as an implementer, I don't use it on a daily basis. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In 12 years, I've rarely seen a failure of their cloud hosting, if ever. It's incredibly stable. 

There are other questions then about performance, however. Sometimes it runs slowly in the cloud due to the number of transactions you're placing on it. That said, it doesn't fall over. It isn't compromised by a security breach. I'd give it 99 out of 100 for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In its traditional IT areas, for example, managing IT assets, it is very scalable. There is a question mark over its scalability in terms of managing OT assets, operational technology assets. By that, I mean a device that's not an IT device. It could be your fridge, your cooker, your car, your oil rig. Scaling to manage the Internet of Things means that, in a company, you're not managing 1,000 servers. You could be managing a million devices. That's where scalability becomes more of a problem. It's managing the OT devices where there's not much clarity.

How are customer service and support?

A lot of support comes from other companies that are using ServiceNow. There's a great ServiceNow community that shares ideas and answers ServiceNow questions. If you can't get the question answered by ServiceNow, you will have it answered by the ServiceNow partners or the ServiceNow customers who are part of the ServiceNow community. Support is very, very good as long as you have a wide ecosystem of options; you don't just depend upon the vendor and you also have other clients, partners, and companies that work with ServiceNow that you can reach out to.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation process is straightforward if you stick to out-of-the-box settings. If you trust ServiceNow has configured their out-of-the-box settings, then stick with them and their processes and the setup is very straightforward.

The amount of time needed for deployment depends on which part of the solution you're deploying and for what scale of the customer. If you think of ServiceNow as 100 applications, if you're just deploying one small application out of 100 for a very small customer, it could take a few days. If you're deploying 50 applications around the world for an enterprise customer, it could take 1,000 days.

It's difficult to say how long it takes as it depends upon the complexity of the number of applications and the customer requirements.

Typically, you need one person to deploy it and one person to manage it.

You need a good technical consultant, a developer, and you need somebody that has project-management skills, and you need somebody with business-analysis skills: somebody who can interpret the business requirements and translate those into the configuration. 

A project might require lots of different roles, however, one person may be very skilled. He might have some development skills and project-management skills, and he is good at asking the right business questions. In the smallest deployments, one person could do all those things. However, in the biggest deployments, you will have a dedicated project manager, dedicated technical architect, dedicated developers, consultants, dedicated business analysts. There are lots of roles that need to be covered in a deployment, depending on the size of the deployment. One person or several people might be necessary to cover all those roles.

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution for our customers.

What other advice do I have?

I work for a company that resells ServiceNow, and we implement it around the world. We're a big systems integrator. For years, we've worked with ServiceNow, implementing it for other customers to utilize.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
ServiceNow
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about ServiceNow. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
770,616 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Business Lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Provides a stable help desk system but needs a more streamlined process to assign tickets
Pros and Cons
  • "This solution is a single-storage for our user community to submit help desk tickets."
  • "I do not like the user interface."

What is our primary use case?

This solution is our help desk system.

What is most valuable?

This solution is a single-storage for our user community to submit help desk tickets.

What needs improvement?

I do not like the user interface.

I would like to see a more streamlined process to assign tickets to support people.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution seems stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think that it is scalable, although I think that there is room for improvement.

How was the initial setup?

I thought that the initial setup was complex.

I didn't like the design that was given to us and we had very little say on how we could customize it.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house.

What other advice do I have?

My overall impression is that this solution is slightly above-average. My advice is to make sure that this product meets your needs before you buy it.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Principal Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Integrates well, intuitive workflows, and responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the workflows and integration the most valuable in this solution."
  • "The solution is lacking in the mobile application area that could be improved."

What is most valuable?

I have found the workflows and integration the most valuable in this solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution is lacking in the mobile application area that could be improved. Additionally, the configuration of the UI path could be made easier whether it is on mobile or web and their chatbot needs some improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found the solution to be stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Most of our clients are enterprise size businesses.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very responsive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price could be a little lower for the solution. Many of my customers have issues with the licensing process, they have to make it easier and straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others this solution is a great platform that can meet their enterprise code requirements but it is best to do a cost-benefit analysis before switching platforms.

I rate ServiceNow a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Practice Leader, Solutions architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
I find it easy to use as well as easy to add plugins for new features
Pros and Cons
  • "It's more about the ease of use of ServiceNow. Plus, everything is there in a single platform. If you need any additional functionality, you just need to enable the plugins without even installing anything on the servers"
  • "if I consider from the IT operations management side, ServiceNow is pretty premature on some things, especially the discovery, while the other tools like Micro Focus and BMC Remedy, those that have been in the market for quite some time. ServiceNow is evolving itself in the discovery piece of the future."

What is most valuable?

It's more about the ease of use of ServiceNow. Plus, everything is there in a single platform. If you need any additional functionality, you just need to enable the plugins without even installing anything on the servers. That's the most important thing. You don't have to completely restart the system itself as it is cloud-based so you just need to enable the plugin and then you're just ready to roll.

What needs improvement?

if I consider from the IT operations management side, ServiceNow is pretty premature on some things, especially the discovery, while the other tools like Micro Focus and BMC Remedy, those that have been in the market for quite some time. ServiceNow is evolving itself in the discovery piece of the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using ServiceNow for more than six years. Every six months ServiceNow releases a new version. Every time we have to get ourselves certified to the new version, as well as go through different new features that ServiceNow releases. We are partners for ServiceNow. So actually, it's one of the KRS for us to make sure that we are certified with their latest release.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would say in terms of stability, it is 90% stable. There are certain things which I've experienced with my other customers. So I was not happy with that. So that's the reason why I'm putting a 90% for the stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability for ServiceNow is good. I would say 100%.

How are customer service and technical support?

Documentation, I would say is not that good. I would say 80% in terms of the documentation. This is specifically from the IT operation. I cannot comment on the IT service management piece or the other parts of ServiceNow. In terms of the technical support, I would say 95% which is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I would definitely say that I recommend ServiceNow because I've also worked in the Micro Focus tools in the past for quite some time. When I compare it with ServiceNow it is not even close. I would say recommend ServiceNow as compared to the Micro Focus.

How was the initial setup?

The setup of ServiceNow is very straightforward. You just have to raise a service request with them and they get it all setup with any plugins that you request for it. So far, I have not experienced any issues.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is very good compared to its competitors.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely say that I recommend ServiceNow because I've also worked in the Micro Focus tools in the past for quite some time. When I compare it with ServiceNow it is not even close. I would say recommend ServiceNow as compared to the Micro Focus.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Principal Consultant at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Consultant
High scalability, very good stability, and good flow designer for fast application development
Pros and Cons
  • "The flow designer for application development is the most valuable. The newest version of flow designer allows us to develop applications quite fast. We can have custom and mobile applications. It has an interface for mobiles, and it also has a good reputation."
  • "It should have more artificial intelligence for business and work capabilities. The community is not so active. There must be initiatives to make the community talk more and share more information."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for ITSM and custom applications for the physical workforce.

What is most valuable?

The flow designer for application development is the most valuable. The newest version of flow designer allows us to develop applications quite fast. We can have custom and mobile applications. It has an interface for mobiles, and it also has a good reputation. 

What needs improvement?

It should have more artificial intelligence for business and work capabilities.

The community is not so active. There must be initiatives to make the community talk more and share more information.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very high in the area of the application. You can have even 10,000 users, and there is no problem with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is not so good.

How was the initial setup?

It has a medium difficulty level. It is not straightforward, and you need experience. If you are a beginner, it can be a very big problem. If you are experienced, it should not be a problem. 

It takes a couple of weeks to get it fully going on the platform.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is very expensive because it is a big organization. You have to pay for additional things.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate ServiceNow an eight out of ten. It is overall a very good solution as compared to other solutions in the market.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
it_user579798 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Scripted REST APIs and Flow Designer are easier and Client scripts are simpler
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found many features that are important and that are easier when compared to Remedy; for example, the Scripted REST APIs and the Flow Designer... The Client scripts are simpler when you compare with Remedy."
  • "The standard UI is very restricted. It doesn't look as good, compared to Remedy. Building your own UI requires some additional coding..."
  • "When it comes to reference fields, there are some limitations where you aren't able to use them, like in relationship queries. In Remedy, when you click a menu, you get options directly, whereas here, if you use a reference field, it points you to a different form. So the UI experience totally changes for the end user."

What is our primary use case?

We are trying to bring some ServiceNow projects to our team. We are trying to upgrade our ServiceNow knowledge by learning the modules and building our own application. We are presenting the application that we develop to our management. We can then market ourselves, showing that we have some ServiceNow capabilities so that we get some ServiceNow projects.

We have used almost all the features of ServiceNow within this application. Almost all the reports, data evaluation, dashboards, widgets, all the workflow-related stuff, integrations, etc. We have used each ServiceNow topic in this application.

How has it helped my organization?

We are building an application, as I mentioned. We are trying to build an Agile management application where we can track Agile projects, along with some traditional processes. We were able to build that tool in a controlled and better way in ServiceNow, when compared to Remedy. We can provide this application to our company for different projects.

For that, they will have to buy the ServiceNow instance. That is our aim. Once they start buying the ServiceNow instance, ultimately, we'll be getting our own support ID, so that we'll be able to work with ServiceNow very closely and become full-fledged, ourselves, on ServiceNow.

What is most valuable?

I have found many features that are important and that are easier when compared to Remedy; for example, the Scripted REST APIs and the Flow Designer. These all look like features at the configuration level. But in Remedy, there is coding to do, while here it's just a drag-and-drop. I found that very useful. Also, the Client scripts are simpler when you compare with Remedy. 

And finally, the upgrades. The upgrade in Remedy is a project. But here, it is zero downtime for any code changes in an upgrade. 

These are all things which really are advantages ServiceNow.

What needs improvement?

Earlier, ServiceNow had the ability where you could build your own UI. The standard UI is very restricted. It doesn't look as good, compared to Remedy. Building your own UI requires some additional coding, but the standard UI is not that good when compared to Remedy's UI.

When it comes to reference fields, there are some limitations where you aren't able to use them, like in relationship queries. In Remedy, when you click a menu, you get options directly, whereas here, if you use a reference field, it points you to a different form. So the UI experience totally changes for the end user. 

These are some of the ways ServiceNow could improve the UI, out-of-the-box.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Currently it's stable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Many customers are choosing ServiceNow as their ITSM product and that is the reason we are planning to switch. ServiceNow is the trending tool for ITSM. Many customers have been migrating from Remedy to ServiceNow.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have training on Cherwell which can be used as an ITSM software tool. Demand for Cherwell is very limited.

What other advice do I have?

ServiceNow is a very good tool. The one challenge is that it involves scripting. Many things can be done through configuration and that is a very good part of ServiceNow. If you have some basic scripting knowledge, you can build your own application which can be used at any company or organization.

Considering the issues which I mentioned earlier related to the UI and the reference fields, out of ten I would rate ServiceNow an eight. To make it a ten they would have to come up with a better way of implementing UI.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Chief ITSM area at MAINSOFT
Real User
Robust with an easy setup and fair pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The pricing of the product is quite good. It's not too expensive."
  • "The customer service of the product right now isn't very good. It's an aspect they really need to improve."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for ITSM record catalog incident problems and Service Level Management.

What is most valuable?

The product is very robust.

The solution offers very good customization. I can make very strong chains and format excellent business rules.

The pricing of the product is quite good. It's not too expensive.

The setup is very easy.

What needs improvement?

The customer service management is the grown product. INow I don't have much skill, but I think that could be an excellent complement for ITSM.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for four years at this point. We have a bit of experience with it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product has very nice stability. We haven't had any reliability issues. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It works quite well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I've found the scalability to be good. If a company needs to expand the product, it should be able to do so without any issues.

We have about 80-85 employees on the solution right now. They are mainly supervisors and agents. Currently, we are at capacity for the upcoming year. Beyond that, I'm unsure as to if we will expand usage in the future.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is okay, however, sometimes it takes time to get help. Our hope is that, in the future, they get even better at assisting their clients.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Although I am aware of other solutions, such as RemedyForce, currently we're using this product and we don't plan on changing any time soon.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not overly complex. It's quite straightforward and very simple. We didn't have any issues.

Our deployment took about four to five weeks in total.

I'm not exactly sure how many people in our organization actually handled the deployment or cover any maintenance required.  

What about the implementation team?

We did not use an integrator, reseller, or a consultant for the deployment. We were able to handle the process ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is fair. We get good value for how much we pay. It's not overly expensive.

That said, I don't know the exact pricing of the solution. It's not an aspect of the product that I handle.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I'm not sure if the company looked at other options before choosing this product.

What other advice do I have?

We're both a customer and a reseller. We use the solution in our offices in Paris, Madrid and New York.

I'd recommend the solution. It's very easy to implement. The deployment is much easier compared to other solutions.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free ServiceNow Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free ServiceNow Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.