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.
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.
- Example: ServiceNow project website
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.
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.
- Example: "Up Next for ServiceNow" (newsletter article)
- Example: "ServiceNow: Why Does it Matter?" (newsletter article)
- Example: Video: What's coming in December?
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.
- Example: Training resources (webpage)
- Example: Reducing aging Remedy tickets (email)
What are the details about user acceptance testing? Who can/should be involved?
- Example: Call for UAT participants (email)
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.
- Example: Change Champions presentation (PowerPoint)
- Template: ServiceNow update (PowerPoint)
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.
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.
- Example: Training webpage
- Example: Introduction to ServiceNow (video)
- Example: Enroll in ServiceNow Training (email/intranet)
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.
- Template message (Word doc)
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.
Launch countdown
1. Send reminders
Use your newsletter and website channels to give detailed reminders about go-live day and post-production support.
- Example: ServiceNow Project website
- Example: "HelpSU is Changing" (UIT newsletter)
- Example: "Two Ways to Get IT Help: Live Chat and Knowledge Articles" (UIT newsletter)
- Example: "HelpSU is Changing (Homepage announcement)
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?
- Example: "Just 7 Days to ServiceNow Launch" (UIT intranet)
- Example: Stakeholders presentation (PowerPoint)
- Template: ServiceNow update (PowerPoint)
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.
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?
- Example: "It's Alive... ServiceNow December Launch Complete" (Email)
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.
- Example: "HelpSU is Changing" (UIT newsletter)
- Example: "Two Ways to Get IT Help: Live Chat and Knowledge Articles" (UIT newsletter)
- Example: Homepage announcement
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.
- Example: "Order IT Migration to ServiceNow Delayed One Year" (UIT intranet)
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.
- Template: ServiceNow update (PowerPoint)
3. Build knowledge
As questions come in from having more users in the system, start build knowledge articles to share solutions.
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