Top 3 sessions from ServiceNow’s World Forum London 2023

Executives from across the globe gathered at the InterContinental London to listen to visionary keynotes and to attend thought-provoking sessions at ServiceNow’s World Forum 2023.

UNLEASH’s senior journalist Lucy Buchholz attended the day to share insights into her top three sessions. Here’s how she got on:

Put AI to work

Kicking off the event with a bang, ServiceNow’s chief strategy officer, Nick Tzitzon, and head of design, Amy Lokey gave an exclusive insight to how the Now Platform is being used to boast incredible new generative AI (Gen AI) capabilities.

Throughout the session, various platforms that improve employee experience were discussed, including the Employee Center Pro, which sits on top of ServiceNow’s single platform.

Using the example of an individual named Emily – an ambitious career woman who is also focused on starting a family – the executives explain that the platform enables users to find solutions to problems easily by bringing together all systems and departments, so employees can get the information that they need in a single place.

This helps provide a consistent experience, which gives users tailored recommendations, top-used resources, and company-wide access to communications.

During the session, it was highlighted that when Emily found out she was pregnant, she wanted to discover more about her company’s maternity policies. Previously, she would have asked her HR manager, however now, with Employee Center Pro, she can ask an AI agent to deliver the same result, but faster.

“This is a huge time saver,” they say. “And Emily may have been a little anxious, wondering what’s ahead. Having this information readily available to her probably made her feel a lot more confident about what the next steps are.”

Likewise, the session then highlights a second case study using Uma as an example with the Now Assist platform.

In Uma’s anecdote, she pre-ordered a round of coffee on an app – but to the wrong coffee shop. To ensure she got her refund swiftly, the coffee shop used Now Assist’s generative AI system to assist customers.

Thanks to this platform, the work is automated across departments and integrated with third parties, so the refund request can be passed through in a much quicker time.

These are just two example of how ServiceNow is helping businesses save employee’s time, while also reducing service costs.

‘I Am Remarkable’: Sharing your accomplishments in the workspace and beyond

For many, finding a space where they feel comfortable to share their achievements can be a challenge.

That’s why, the ServiceNow belonging group ran a session inspired by the Google initiative #IAmRemarkable to empower women and underrepresented groups to speak up and share their workplace achievements, challenges, and successes.

The panel consisted of three women: Stacey Marston, head of people systems and operations at National Gas; Arthi Krishnamoorthy, program manager – group projects at Mott MacDonald Ltd, and Rama Varsani, senior manager of solution consulting at ServiceNow.

The three women came together to share the challenges they’ve faced – touching upon cultural and gender modesty norms, imposter syndrome, and self-esteem and confidence – in the hope that their stories would resonate with other professionals and inspire them.

The trio highlights that 89% of employees feel like it’s bragging to share their achievements – which is one of the main reasons as to why people – particularly women – refrain from doing so.

Marston resonates with this, stating that as she grew up in a working-class background, she became accustomed to self-deprecating humor explaining: “If I spoke about my achievements, it would have to be seen as showing off.”

In contrast, Krishnamoorthy highlights how she overcame her fear of speaking up in meetings, stating: “I needed to find a group of people to practice speaking in for. After all, actions speak louder than words. I also learned the importance of showing respect to everyone and speaking a language that everyone can understand – avoiding jargon!”

From Pen to Automation

“Where do we start with automation?” was a common burning question at the forefront of many minds at this session.

Businesses today deal with a huge volume of admin-intensive tasks and manual work to process with legacy technology hampering productivity. This can result in inefficiencies, poor employee morale, and even loss of revenue.

The session consisted of four executives: Paul Hardy, field innovation officer at ServiceNow; Nic Davies, Platform Owner at UK Parliament; Dean Moss, head of IT service management at the Houses of Parliament; and Paul Mukherjee, senior director of digital architecture and solutions at Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

The four discussed how team members can become overburdened with a backlog of tasks, which can cause them to waste a significant amount of time and resources. In contrast, the right automation technology could complete these tasks in minutes.

Closing thoughts

Overall, ServiceNow’s World Forum London 2023 hosted a number of phenomenal speakers, that highlight some of the most pressing topics the HR industry faces today – spanning how AI can boost customer experience, how to elevate women and marginalized groups in the workplace, and how automation is driving the future of work.

After attending the event, we were left with just one question: “When can get our tickets for next year?”