ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) is a relatively new application from ServiceNow. It was released on May 18, 2016, and is already gaining market share from its competitors.
The ServiceNow Customer Service Management application enables you to provide service and support for your external customers.
Coming from an ITSM background, I didn't immediately understand the significance of this. Big deal, it is just a new application right? However after doing a few implementations of CSM, I now realize the benefits.
In this article I am going to break down the questions faced when considering CSM for your organization.
Why change?
If your company already has a Customer Relationship Management application like Salesforce Service Cloud or similar, why rock the boat and go to ServiceNow instead?
1. One Platform
By using ServiceNow CSM, you will be connected to all other ServiceNow applications without integrations. You will be on one platform with those benefits.
Combined platform for Customer Service, IT, and other departments
Shared Knowledge Base
One Employee Service Portal
One Customer Service Portal
Only Javascript to support
2. Innovation
ServiceNow is hungry in this space and is taking dramatic steps to build a market-leading CRM application.
With the power of the ServiceNow Platform (and development funds) they are really improving and building this application.
I have experience with the first version of ServiceNow CSM and the latest version of CSM. ServiceNow has listened to our suggestions for improvements and made them. Everything I have asked for was added to the latest version! They want to sell this and their efforts show.
Other CRM applications have not changed in years. Their product development ended as they had the functionality built and are not focused on innovation.
3. Functionality Overlap
If you continue to use an existing CRM application, you will build similar functionality at times as in ServiceNow. Same integrations, SLAs, fields, notifications, etc. Systems have different architecture, and have to design and maintain functionality in two systems.
Why build the same thing twice?
4. User Overlap and Licensing Costs
As CRM and ServiceNow Incident Management often overlap, you will be paying for user licenses in both systems. Users will sometimes have to swivel chair between systems. Users of course hate that.
5. User Confusion
If you use an existing CRM application, that often has a portal. You just spent time/money to build the ServiceNow Service Portal as well. If you have any Customers in ServiceNow, it gets confusing for customers.
What site do they use to submit their issue?
Then the confusion between which system to use at times. Different email address for inbound email, outbound communications from two different systems to a customer.
6. Cost Savings
This all depends on your licensing agreement, but often ServiceNow can be cheaper.
I did mention the cost savings from eliminating licenses on your old system. However on some licensing agreements, ServiceNow is the cheaper system.
7. Tenancy
You may know about the multi-tenant vs. multi-instance debate. What you may not know is that is a major part of the power of ServiceNow. Use a multi-tenant application with its limitations, and you'll understand that it does matter...a lot.
8. POWER OF THE PLATFORM
One of the great competitors to ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) is ServiceNow Incident Management. These ServiceNow applications are so popular that they compete with themselves!
Yes, ServiceNow CSM and ServiceNow Incident Management are similar, but are different all the same. They have different functionality, different process, and do things in their own way.
Although they are different, they both can use the same functionality the other ServiceNow applications use. Knowledge Management, Asset Management, Configuration Management, etc. That is the power of the platform.
FEATURES
1. New Application
When installed, CSM will be a new application in your system, with new functionality.
2. Case Management
In CSM, a case may be open for a long time. Customers may ask for many items, but they don't always receive it.
For example, a customer requests that a field be the color purple on an application. Some of the other customers may want that, but others want it to stay the same. Just because one customer wants it, doesn't mean the other customers agree. So often the case stays open until agreement, or until is verified that they will always disagree.
The ITIL incident management process ensures that normal service operation is restored as quickly as possible and the business impact is minimized. Incidents don't stay open long periods of time, at least they try not to do that.
That separation between Incident Management and CSM also allows CSM specific features and doesn't impede on Incident Management processes.
Cases have Customer-Specific Data
Accounts - Account information about customers and partners. Each account contains details such as contacts, Locations, casts, assets, contracts, entitlements, releated accounts, relationships, and team members
Contacts - Contacts are the people tied to the accounts
Entitlements - An entitlement is kind of like an SLA. It indicates the type of service the customer paid for and is tied to the contract.
Service Contracts - the contract the customer has for service.
Install Base - All the products the customer has installed
3. Customer-focused Portal
Customer Service application also includes its own portal. In the portal, users can manage user accounts, assets, and cases, which is different than the standard service portal.
4. Special Handling NOTES
Use the Special Handling Notes application to create notes that bring important information about individual records to the user's attention.
Great idea to really catch attention for visibility.
5. TargETED COMMUNICATIONS
The Targeted Communications application provides the ability to create and send communications with optional email notification to internal and external customers.
This didn't exist in earlier versions of CSM, and it something users from other CRM applications have been looking for.
6. MATCHING RULES
Create powerful matching rules with scripting to assign agent resources. This can be based on case attributes and details in the case to execute the routing.
7. Knowledge Product Entitlements
The Knowledge Product Entitlements application enables administrators to designate the knowledge bases and knowledge articles that customers can view from the customer portal.
This a product-based way to show KB articles, much more powerful than standard user criteria on KB articles. It is something that CRM users expect in a CRM application.
8. CTI Softphone
Use a CTI soft phone to take and receive calls without leaving the Customer Service app.
9. Connect Support
Chat with customers and create cases directly from a chat.
10. Performance Analytics
Special PA Dashboards and indicators for Customer Service. Use the Context Sensitive Analytics for Customer Service to open context sensitive Performance Analytics dashboards in customer service forms based on UI actions.
MORE INFORMATION
Here is an additional video on Customer Service Management
Also read more about CSM on the Customer Service Management wiki
