Understanding the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) in ServiceNow
The Common Service Data Model (CSDM) serves as a unified framework that helps organizations manage and illustrate their services and related data…
This federally regulated telecommunications company connects businesses and residents in a large sovereign community. With over 500 employees, they operate across multiple regions, serving a diverse customer base that includes residential, business, and government sectors.
Despite investing in ServiceNow, this client found that after four years many of the platform’s features remained underutilized. Manual processes continued to dominate daily operations, significantly hampering productivity, while a lack of visibility into core ITSM processes created operational bottlenecks and inefficiencies. This underutilization meant the company wasn’t realizing the ROI they had anticipated when they initially rolled out ServiceNow.
Compounding these issues were ongoing challenges in integrating their IT services with external partners, which introduced friction and further complicated workflows. The leadership team recognized these gaps and sought an expert partner (Hi!) to help them fully leverage their platform and improve their processes. We began by conducting a thorough ServiceNow Platform Assessment to identify the key areas for improvement and chart a path forward toward maximizing their investment and streamlining operations.
Why invest in powerful technology if it’s not being fully utilized to make work easier, faster, and more connected?
For this client’s leadership team, this ServiceNow platform assessment and roadmap wasn’t just about fixing technical issues—it was about ensuring their investment translated into real, measurable outcomes that aligned with their mission of delivering seamless, high-quality services both internally and externally. Understanding the frustration of not realizing the full potential of their ServiceNow system, we approached the project with a clear sense of urgency. By focusing on the areas that would deliver the most immediate value, we ensured that each step brought them closer to achieving their goals, helping them save both time and resources. Here’s an overview of how we approached this (frankly very fun) engagement:
Evaluating ITIL Process Maturity: We benchmarked the company’s ITIL processes against industry standards, identifying key areas where they could enhance their IT service management (ITSM) capabilities. This evaluation allowed us to recommend improvements that would align their processes with best practices and help them grow their ITSM maturity.
Analyzing Work Intake and Delivery: By thoroughly reviewing their core processes—Incident, Request, Change, and Knowledge Management—we gained insight into how work was being managed and delivered. We then highlighted opportunities to optimize these workflows, ensuring smoother delivery and better alignment with their service goals.
Maximizing Use of ServiceNow ITSM: After identifying that many of their ServiceNow features were underutilized, we focused on unlocking more value from their existing ITSM functionality. This included making better use of features like the request module and Employee Center, helping the client get a higher return on their investment.
Addressing Technical Debt: The assessment uncovered several customizations and configurations that had accumulated technical debt, slowing down the platform. We made strategic recommendations to clean up this debt without compromising system integrity, ensuring smoother upgrades and long-term platform stability.
Exploring Automation and Integration: We identified opportunities to automate key workflows and integrate external systems—such as e-bonding—with ServiceNow. This approach reduced manual workloads and improved system efficiency, all while avoiding the creation of new technical debt.
Setting Up KPIs for Core ITSM Processes: To help the company measure success and drive continual improvement, we implemented key performance indicators (KPIs) across their most critical ITSM processes. These KPIs provided much-needed visibility into performance, enabling the leadership team to track ROI and make data-driven decisions.
Before working with Beyond20, the company’s ServiceNow platform was sorely underutilized, and manual processes were slowing down their operations. By project close, things had changed significantly. Automation now handled much of the day-to-day work, easing the burden on their team. Key integrations were implemented, making their systems work together more smoothly, and leadership gained the reporting insights they needed to track performance and improve decision-making.
With a stronger ITSM environment and clearer processes in place, the company saw an immediate increase in productivity and improvements in their ability to deliver services more efficiently. Their ability to provide faster, more reliable service to their diverse customer base improved, helping them keep pace with growing demands. The leadership’s choice to invest in this transformation allowed them to fully capitalize on their platform and continue refining how they deliver value to customers.
This transformation demonstrates what’s possible when strategy and technology come together. By taking these steps, the company set itself up to tackle both current challenges and future opportunities with confidence as they continue to scale the ServiceNow platform across the business.
