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ServiceNow Communications and Training Toolkit

A key to a successful migration to ServiceNow requires regular and clear communications and training. This toolkit offers suggestions on when, what, and how to communicate to your teams. Click the links below to see how University IT did it and in partnership with your ServiceNow business analysts, adapt the the tools to your local needs.

At two to three months before go-live, begin communicating at a high level what changes are around the corner: who will be impacted and how, when and how to sign up for user acceptance testing (UAT), the project timeline status, and how to start preparing early.

1
Lay the groundwork

1. Project website

A good start for project communications is to have a digital space to send people for project updates, resources, and information.

2. Plan your steps

The following are templates and examples of a communications plan and a training plan. Use these as guides to plot your content, audiences, and delivery timing. 

2
Introduce the project

1. What is ServiceNow and why is it important?

Use newsletter articles, videos, and other communications channels to start communicating about the project. Talk about what changes to expect, important dates, and how to start preparing early.

2. Follow up with specifics

How can your audiences start preparing? To help fulfillers get to know service management processes and explore the tool, give them access to information about the tool to help relieve the anxiety of change. Another action to give them is to begin clearing out old Remedy tickets.

What are the details about user acceptance testing? Who can/should be involved?

3. Give presentations

Gather stakeholders or change champions (those who will bring back project updates to their groups) to present updates and give demos of the tool. This will give people a place to ask questions.

At one month before go-live, focus on training communications, project timeline status, and perhaps a message from individual unit leaders to reassure and remind their teams of the bigger picture for the ServiceNow implementation.

1
Training and leadership support

1. Communicate training details

Send communications about training enrollment and any pre-work that should be done. Keep your project site updated with all training information.

2. How can leadership help?

If leadership is on board, have them send a message to their individual units. This is an example of a message sent from an executive leader.

2
Other training resources

Free, online STARS courses:

TIP: For those who want to get their feet wet with ServiceNow before training, this "Intro to ServiceNow" video is a good place to start.

One week before go-live means crunch time. It's important to convey a more detailed message on what will be different on the day of go-live, how users can be prepared, and reassurance of post-production support.

1
Launch countdown

1. Send reminders

Use your newsletter and website channels to give detailed reminders about go-live day and post-production support.

2. Last minute details

Are there still opportunities for training or practice? Counting down to the launch, what are the last few details you need your audience to know?

2
Other resources

TIP: Give users a venue where they can ask questions and give feedback.

  • Example: ServiceNow Feedback Form (Feedback to UIT)
  • Example: Slack channel or other chat rooms (Feedback within local workgroups)

Congrats, you've made it to go-live! Keep your messaging to users simple: "Now what?" - remind them where to login to ServiceNow and that Remedy tickets are still around; and "Support, support, support." They need to know where to go for help because it's day 1 in a brand new system, and most may not remember 100% of their training.

1
It's Alive. Now what?

1. The Go-Live email

On the day of go-live, send an email addressing the most immediate needs: Now what? And where to go for support?

2. News and announcements

Keep your project site and main site up-to-date with project information, resources, and announcements. UIT communicated about the go-live often through internal and client-facing newsletter articles.

2
Beyond go-live

1. Share any updates

A couple weeks after go-live, UIT communicated a project timeline change through internal channels. Continue to communicate any project updates through the most effective channels for your audience.

2. Get feedback

Don't wait too long after go-live to hold a forum for your change champions (those impacted by the change). Find out how they're doing and what feedback they may have about the system. Give more project updates during that forum.

3. Build knowledge

As questions come in from having more users in the system, start build knowledge articles to share solutions.