I recently attended the ServiceNow Knowledge ’19 conference in Las Vegas, a conference that draws more than 20,000 attendees. Here I gave a presentation to some of the absolute leading ServiceNow developers in the world about my experiences with developing and getting one of Automize's ServiceNow apps certified, so that our app is now on the ServiceNow Store.
After my presentation, which by its very nature was very tech-oriented and targeted at the developers, many have asked me what are the business benefits of getting an app certified, and whether everyone can just achieve that kind of certification?
So in direct continuation of my tech presentation in Las Vegas, here comes the business side of the matter.
Let me start with a specific customer case. One of our good customers was a few years ago in need of developing a solution in ServiceNow. We developed, tested and implemented the solution together with the customer, they paid for the development work, and they took the solution into use. After a while, new needs and wishes arose from the customer, we developed, tested and implemented the new functionality in the solution, the customer paid and took it into use. In the meantime, we had tested first the original solution and then the new solution up against two different releases of ServiceNow because the customer had upgraded.
All in all, a very traditional customer-supplier collaboration over time, where the customer pays for the development and maintenance of a specially developed solution for ServiceNow - and where you simultaneously have to handle upgrading to new releases of ServiceNow, and test that the specially developed solution works on it new release. In the end, there is one to pay for the whole party, namely the customer.
Another approach is to bring the ServiceNow Store into the equation. In the specific case, we had together with the customer developed a solution that with a few adjustments could be standardized to cover similar needs of quite a few, other companies - exactly the same kind of 'standardization movement' as we see it with virtually all other types of software for different, business needs. (Here, of course, we exclude specially developed software with competitive advantages for the company.)
Together with our customer, we agreed that the way forward would be to get the app certified by ServiceNow and have it posted on the ServiceNow Store.
The customer could see the potential in that they now no longer have to pay for all further development, testing and maintenance - that task was now taken over by Automize. In return, our app can now be used by more customers.
As an added benefit, Automize now receives feedback, evaluations and suggestions for further development of the app from many, many users and companies instead of just from a single company. Ren win-win-win.
Certified ServiceNow apps developed and maintained as described above can be a sensible business case for you and us. The basic premise from your point of view is that the app does not have to be 100% adapted to your needs in even the most remote corner, but you can have 80-90-95% of your needs met. And from our point of view, the app must cover sufficient 'generic' needs, so that the app has a market potential and can reach a critical mass of users.
In return for the standardization, you get the advantage that you do not have to pay for the entire app development party yourself. And when there are new releases of ServiceNow, you also do not have to test and possibly. adapt the app to the new release - instead, Automize, as the developer of the app, must proactively ensure that it is tested and ready for new versions of ServiceNow.
If you as a company have upgraded to the new version of ServiceNow, then you also just press 'Upgrade' on your ServiceNow app, and then the piano plays immediately. Just as we know it from the App Store or Play Store on our smartphone: We just upgrade to the new version of iOS or Android when it suits us - and either our apps work on the new version or we are asked to update the apps that require it. And then there is no more hassle with that.
Finally, I must remember to point out that only IT development houses that are ServiceNow Technology Partner can get certified apps for the ServiceNow Store.
This means that if you are faced with having to develop something for your ServiceNow platform, then you can of course choose freely between the many really skilled ServiceNow development houses that are available on the market. But if you want to keep the opportunity open to be able to go the ServiceNow Store path with your solution at a later date (or from the start, but then it gives a bit of itself), then it is necessary to choose a development house that is ServiceNow Technology Partner .
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