Successful businesses do not remain stagnant through the years. They must grow and transform to remain competitive and profitable. The key to this growth is often a skilled partner that can help guide a business through the difficult growing pains. According to a HubSpot survey, 65 percent of organizations view partnerships as essential to future growth, and most believe that a tech partner is the most important type for their success.
In an episode of The Distillery Podcast, Erica Volini discussed the importance of partnerships. Erica is the senior vice president of global partnerships at ServiceNow. During her talk with Jason Rosenfeld, she explained how partnerships are invaluable both for the growth of ServiceNow and the success of clients using the platform. Here are a few important ways Erica says partnerships bring value, as well as what she says makes a great partner.
The value of partnership
Any functioning partnership should be a two-way street, benefiting everyone involved. Erica says partnerships are a business strategy decision that helps all entities achieve their goals of growth and success. For ServiceNow, Erica says that the company has ambitious growth goals, aiming to roughly double its $10 billion revenue in less than four years and become the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century.
These goals cannot be achieved alone, she says. The exponential revenue growth the company wants to achieve requires more expertise and capacity than the business can put forward on its own. “Partners are critical,” Erica says. “For me, there is no path to these objectives without the partner ecosystem. So there is an inextricable link there.”
Elements of a great partner
Erica says that what defines a great partner in the ServiceNow ecosystem are the “Three Cs”: competency, capability, and customer success.
- Competency: This refers to the partner’s investment in expertise. “We look at things like number of certifications that you have, growth in certifications, what types of certifications, how many master architects do you have,” Erica says. Competency ensures that partners have the technical depth needed to deliver results.
- Capability: A partner’s ability to translate technical knowledge into market impact defines their capability. Metrics such as new customer acquisition, market trajectory, and the introduction of new logos into ServiceNow’s ecosystem highlight a partner’s ability to drive growth and value.
- Customer Success: Competency and capability are vital, but they are meaningless if the partner is unable to translate them into real value for customers. In identifying great partners, ServiceNow assesses customer satisfaction, retention rates, and the partner’s ability to produce success stories that demonstrate real business transformation.
Along with these anchor points, ServiceNow also has a tiered status for partners to achieve that helps them stand out. Partners like Cask NX that have achieved “elite” status have shown qualities above and beyond the core values.
“A partner that’s elite status is constantly growing their practice, knows about the platform in depth, really has a clear go-to-market. They’re working and they know how to bring ServiceNow to the market, and their customers love them,” Erica says. “Consistently, the customers say, ‘This is a partner I trust. It’s a partner I would go back to.’”
Implementation vs. transformation
ServiceNow’s valuable partners understand the difference between implementation and transformation. A true business transformation involves far more than just implementing a new technology or platform for a client. It involves understanding the implications of how the technology can improve processes across the organization. Erica says that customers want a partner that is creative and looks past the technology itself to find unique ways to benefit people and processes in the company. “They’re looking at ServiceNow not just as a transactional platform but as a way to fundamentally change the way work is happening,” she says.
Great partners understand what will work best for their customers and can paint a picture of how tools on the platform can transform business processes now and in the future. Erica says this is especially true as new technologies like GenAI are becoming more prominent and can dramatically change the way work is done. Partners can help clients see the value of GenAI to improve the customer and employee experience and give employees more bandwidth for important work as Gen AI takes over more mundane or repetitive tasks.
Why Cask NX?
Cask NX is a skilled partner that has reached elite status, enabling them to be a trusted resource for clients to turn to, Erica says. Cask NX is not only proficient with the “Three Cs” but has also invested significant time and resources into becoming expert guides for customers transforming their businesses, with 11 product line achievements (PLAs). While certifications validate technical knowledge, PLAs demonstrate proven success in implementation for customers. PLAs show clients that they are working with a partner who has real-world expertise. Erica says that Cask NX has also proven its value to ServiceNow, getting the platform to market and opening new markets in countries outside the United States.
Partnerships are more than service agreements; they are alliances designed to drive lasting transformation for strategic growth. An elite partner like Cask NX combines expertise in business transformation, strategic creativity, and trust to deliver value to their clients.
We’re with you for what comes next
You're working in a rapidly shifting environment.
Global dynamics, AI advancements, heavy competition–the only certainty is change.
We get it. And we’re here to help you harness the full potential of ServiceNow to simplify transformation.
Let's navigate the future together.
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Discover how ServiceNow can transform your business with innovative solutions. Learn more about Cask NX’s partnership with ServiceNow and how we can help you achieve a transformation at your own organization.
We’re with you for what comes next
You're working in a rapidly shifting environment.
Global dynamics, AI advancements, heavy competition–the only certainty is change.
We get it. And we’re here to help you harness the full potential of ServiceNow to simplify transformation.
Let's navigate the future together.
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