ServiceNow study: 2018 will see routine activities replaced in operations

The ServiceNow study shows that the use of machines in everyday work environments drives revenue growth, creates new jobs and allows employees to focus on essential tasks. ServiceNow surveyed more than 1,850 executives consisting of C-level positions as well as VPs (vice presidents), directors and managers in seven countries.

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of automation on everyday business services, as well as the workload of managers and their opinions on the future of work processes.

Study results at a glance

The survey also examined the relationship between automation levels and operating costs. Companies are already reaching their breaking point and urgently need intelligent automation solutions

• 41 percent of respondents say they will need increased automation in 2018 to handle the volume of workloads, up from 49 percent globally. In 2020, 8 out of 10 (82 percent) German companies will reach the load limit.
• Seventy-eight percent say data generated by mobile devices and the Internet of Things contribute to this burden.
• 90 percent confirm that intelligent automation can increase productivity. This includes artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) to optimize decision-making processes and thus execute business processes faster and more accurately.
• 54 percent of the study participants already use intelligent automation in at least one business process. 89 percent of German companies are already planning or examining the use of intelligent automation solutions.

"In a world of smart homes, smart cars and smart commerce, the workplace is still not smart - but not for long," says Georg Goller, Area Vice President Germany, ServiceNow. "The shift to automated processes has already begun and will change everyday work."

Automation ensures financial growth and increased productivity worldwide

• Highly automated companies are 6 times more likely to increase their revenue by 15 percent compared to companies with less automated processes.
• For example, companies with revenue growth of more than 20 percent have automated an average of 61 percent of their business processes, while companies with low or negative revenue growth use automation in only 35 percent of their processes.

In German companies, only about one third of the processes are automated. Great deficiencies are shown by the areas of personnel management and customer service. IT support scores best in the efficiency of operational processes, while personnel management comes last.

• Overall, only 35 percent of business processes are automated. This also affects managers, who waste two full days or 15 hours per week on manual administrative tasks.
• Specifically, in HR the share of automation is only 30 percent, in customer service it is 27 percent. In comparison, 49 percent of services in IT are automated.

Checklist for more efficient processes:

To help companies, ServiceNow has established recommendations for leaders:

1. Identify business processes in HR, customer service, IT or other departments that need improvement.
2. Define critical business services and automate workloads
3. Discuss the proposed changes with each department to address and allay concerns.
4. Establish best practices around change management
5. Developing employee competencies to help them navigate the automated work environment

Additional information about the "Today's State of Work" study can be found at this Link