7 Pitfalls That Limit ServiceNow ROI and How to Fix Them
ServiceNow holds enormous potential to streamline operations, drive enterprise-wide productivity, and improve service delivery. But many organizations stall after the initial rollout. Platform momentum slows. Adoption dips. Business leaders question the return. This white paper outlines seven common reasons why—and how to avoid them.
Key Takeaways
- A breakdown of the seven most common reasons ServiceNow ROI falls short, backed by real-world patterns Datavail sees across industries.
- Insights into how governance gaps, poor data integrity, and inconsistent strategy create mounting technical debt.
- A framework for fixing misalignment between ServiceNow investments and actual business value.
- Steps for increasing platform adoption by treating it as a behavior change, not just a technology rollout.
- Guidance on building a ServiceNow Center of Excellence to improve platform consistency, governance, and expansion.
Sneak Peek
The Problem: Limited Strategy and Roadmap
Many ServiceNow journeys begin with a tactical focus — a quick win in ITSM or a single high-visibility workflow — with no clear ownership of the platform’s long-term strategic role. A platform lacking deliberate leadership and an agreed-upon roadmap tends to expand reactively: workflows are added piecemeal, integrations become brittle, and modules are purchased without a clear plan for business value.
The Fix:
- Develop a ServiceNow roadmap that is business-first, not IT-first. Prioritize platform investments that directly support enterprise objectives over tactical enhancements.
- Establish strong platform governance. Use a Center of Excellence to provide cross-functional leadership, align roadmap decisions with strategic priorities, and monitor platform value realization over time.
- Manage platform evolution intentionally. Agile methodologies support flexibility, but they must operate within the guardrails of a clear strategic roadmap — otherwise scope creep and value dilution are inevitable.
Download the white paper to learn how smarter platform governance can turn your ServiceNow estate into a source of measurable business value.
FAQ: Getting More from Your ServiceNow Investment
Why do so many ServiceNow implementations fail to deliver long-term ROI?
Initial implementations often focus on a single use case—like ITSM—without establishing a governance model, platform roadmap, or business alignment strategy. As the platform expands, so do the gaps.
What role does data integrity play in ServiceNow success?
Data issues like poor ownership, weak governance, and untrustworthy integrations quickly erode platform trust. Adoption drops. Reports lose credibility. Fixing the data layer is essential to sustaining ROI.
How can we encourage adoption across departments, not just IT?
Treat ServiceNow like a behavior change initiative. Design for real-world workflows, gather feedback throughout, and show how new features help each user group meet its goals. Adoption won’t follow by default—it must be earned.
What’s the most important first step to fixing ServiceNow underperformance?
Conduct a ServiceNow estate review. Identify governance gaps, realign the roadmap to business priorities, and address data, adoption, and delivery issues holistically. Datavail’s Estate Review Workshop helps clients do exactly that.
How does Datavail help clients turn things around?
Datavail helps midmarket and enterprise teams evaluate their current ServiceNow state, pinpoint what’s not working, and define the fixes—from staffing and training to governance and architecture. We don’t just build; we help you lead and scale your platform strategically.
Download the White Paper