Actionable Insights for External AI Integrations with ServiceNow

There is considerable excitement surrounding the release of ServiceNow GenAI, which allows organisations to seamlessly integrate ServiceNow instances with large language models (e.g. Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, OpenAI API) as well as leverage its built-in GenAI features. This connectivity is designed to enhance scalability and efficiency in digital business operations. 

ServiceNow GenAI is designed to boost efficiency, streamline workflows, and enhance user experiences. Highlights include Now Assist, which uses AI to deliver natural language insights, prioritise incidents, summarise chats, and automatically generate knowledge articles to address content gaps. Additionally, the expanded Creator Workflows enable users to develop intelligent, automated processes using low-code and no-code tools, making workflow optimisation more accessible.

Core Enhancements with ServiceNow’s GenAI

ServiceNow has introduced specific features and enhancements with GenAI to make platform experiences more intelligent and personalised:

1. Now Assist: Transforming Catalog Management

Before Now Assist, a streamlined catalog with consolidated items was considered best practice to avoid overwhelming users. Now Assist changes that approach entirely.

By leveraging AI to intuitively interpret user requests, catalog items perform best when they are concise, single-purpose entries. This precision enables the AI to guide users quickly and accurately to the most relevant resource without sifting through generalised or overly broad options.

Opportunity for Catalog Optimisation

This shift offers a chance to revisit and refine catalog design with clear, strategic benefits:

• Improved Usability: Focused catalog entries enhance user navigation and ensure Now Assist can deliver precise recommendations.
• Streamlined Maintenance: Smaller, single-purpose items simplify catalog updates, making it easier to manage and reduce redundancy.
• Enhanced AI Performance: Optimised catalog entries allow Now Assist to work at its peak, ensuring users receive the right solutions faster.
• Better User Experience: Users experience less decision fatigue as they are guided directly to what they need.

To maximise these benefits, consider auditing your catalog to identify multipurpose or broad entries. Breaking them into distinct, single-purpose items aligns with Now Assist’s strengths, enabling a cleaner, more effective user experience.

2. Additional GenAI Enhancements

• Incident Prioritisation and Summarisation: GenAI accelerates incident management by prioritising and summarising issues in natural language, helping agents resolve tickets more efficiently.
• Automated Chat Responses and Knowledge Generation: Real-time AI-driven responses assist customers and employees, while automatic knowledge article generation addresses content gaps.
• Employee Self-Service Support: Leveraging natural language search and Virtual Agent, employees can effortlessly navigate tasks like benefits enrollment or equipment requests.

Balancing Agility with Privacy and Security

While GenAI offers transformative capabilities, integrating third-party AI services raises important considerations around data privacy and security. If your organisation opts to use an external AI service, it is crucial work closely with security teams to evaluate risks, ensuring compliance with data governance policies.

Key safeguards include:

• ServiceNow's commitment to isolating customer data during processing, ensuring no co-mingling with other customers’ data.
• Collaboration with security teams to establish robust protocols for external data handling.

A Strategic Path Forward

ServiceNow GenAI represents a significant opportunity to scale operations, automate processes, and enhance experiences for both customers and employees. However, thoughtful planning is essential to balance the benefits with potential risks.

At Thirdera, we specialise in guiding organisations through the complexities of ServiceNow GenAI integrations. Whether configuring external AI services or customising GenAI for your unique needs, we ensure best practices are followed every step of the way. Together, we’ll unlock the full potential of AI to elevate customer experiences and streamline your operations.