I’ve been fortunate to work with ServiceNow customers for the past 11 years. Throughout this period, I’ve seen organisations fall into two camps:

– those who use ServiceNow as a tool.

– those who use ServiceNow as a platform.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with using ServiceNow as a tool – it can address specific needs and deliver tangible benefits. However, treating it exclusively as a tool reduces its worth as an organisational strategic asset.

This approach often raises questions about ROI and the total cost of ownership.

but what Is the difference between a tool and a platform?

A tool is designed to perform a specific task or solve a focused problem. It’s typically specialized, narrow in scope, and often siloed in functionality. A platform, on the other hand, is a foundational system that provides an environment where multiple applications, and services can be deployed, integrated, and extended. A platform supports a broader ecosystem of functionality, enabling scalability, collaboration, and multi-purpose use.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself that may help you to answer whether you’re using ServiceNow as a tool Or a Platform.

– Do I use ServiceNow for multi-purpose, wide-scope functionality?

– Do I leverage ServiceNow to support multiple workflows across my organization?

– Do I utilize ServiceNow for diverse use cases, spanning departments or business units?

If your answers to these questions are ‘YES’, congratulations—you’re likely tapping into ServiceNow’s potential as a platform.

If your answers to these questions are mostly ‘NO’, it’s time to think about a transition plan from ServiceNow as a tool to ServiceNow as a platform. For this transformation to succeed, it requires more than technical expertise. It demands strategic vision, architectural foresight, and the ability to bring together diverse groups together to get the most value out of the platform