But the Martini effect needs another dimension

So the famous 1980s Martini jingle was "anytime, anyplace, anywhere," but with the rise of shared services — especially using ITSM tools and processes for other business functions — will we see greater demand for "anything, anytime, anyplace, anywhere"?

At ServiceNow we think so and have seen many customers leveraging our technology for other lines of business, such as:

• Service Stream, the Australian utility and networking provider, which selected ServiceNow as a business automation platform that they could also leverage for ITSM.
• MetroPCS, an operator of one of the largest telecommunication networks in the United States, which implemented 15 custom applications to improve governance and to automate workflows across HR, Engineering, Network Operations, Legal, and other service domains.

The real question is not whether this will happen more but rather how will it happen. Will it be similar processes and technologies in disparate business units or will it be a consolidated front-end with specialist resource as needed (think hub-and-spoke)? Or will it be a completely new operational model that evolves to reflect that customers don't care what is hidden behind the Wizard of Oz's velvet curtain — they just want to make a request for a product, a service, information, a change, or assistance with an issue. They don't care whose organizational domain it sits (or previously sat) under.

Surely we need to think "employee services" rather than IT, HR, Facilities, etc. services, so demand rather than supply-driven, if we truly want to be customer-centric or Outside-In? Unless of course "customers" want to be served by a disparate group of functional silos with different processes, standards, and technologies (and the potential for confusion and inefficiency).

As always your thoughts and opinions are encouraged.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dellphotos/