AstraZeneca is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, with revenues of nearly $25 billion in 2019. The company stated that its mission is to “break the boundaries of science” and provide life-changing drugs to those who need it. In order to achieve this goal, it certainly requires its scientists to focus on important tasks-science-and not be suppressed by manual processes and organizational bureaucracy.
With this in mind, in recent years, AstraZeneca has been using the ServiceNow Now platform to automate processes, deliver self-service tools, and integrate different systems to increase the productivity of scientists.
Gillian Davies, Director of Shared Services and Automation, AstraZeneca, and Ellis Stapleton, ServiceNow Business Analyst, IT End User Services, AstraZeneca, gave a speech at the recent ServiceNow Now at Work event, detailing the company’s The IT platform begins the journey, human resources, supply chain, marketing and facility management methods.
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Davis explained that AstraZeneca has three strategic priorities:
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Leadership in growth and therapy
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Accelerate innovation science
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Become a good place to work
She believes that the widespread use of the ServiceNow Now platform is helping to support these strategic goals. As mentioned above, the pharmaceutical company started using the platform for ITSM a few years ago, followed by custom applications for disaster recovery and business continuity. Over the years, the scope has expanded to include human resources, finance, ITBM, GRC, configuration and discovery. AstraZeneca has 65 active topics, about 100 in-flight needs at any time, and 34 ServiceNow professionals worldwide.
Davis said that AstraZeneca’s ServiceNow strategy contains three key elements. These include:
Outside the box. Since we have been customers for some time, we made some mistakes in the process. We have learned a lot about governance, customization and control. Therefore, one of the things we are trying to do is simplify and reuse so that we can take advantage of some of ServiceNow’s innovations.
The next focus area is outstanding employee experience in corporate services. We combine the roadmap with business functions and corporate service management to introduce some new features that come with the ServiceNow platform. Recently, we launched a virtual agency that spans finance, IT and human resources.
Third, we recognize that we are at a unique moment in history and that our culture has a strong theme of digitization and innovation. Need to do more with less and ensure that every dollar is spent on our purpose of delivering life-changing drugs. Therefore, we began to support new areas of business to use the powerful features of Now Platform to help them solve some challenges.
New use case
AstraZeneca will deliver many new projects through the Now platform this year. Business analyst Ellis Stapleton introduced these projects in detail. The first solution is that of the company’s supply chain call center in Madrid, which focuses on helping the team automate its processes and better track product-related issues, declarations and requests. These are received through multiple channels (including fax!), and it is easy to forget who is handling the content and status of each request. Stapleton explained:
Therefore, the solution is based on the core ServiceNow functionality of ticket recording and tracking, allowing the team to better manage its end-to-end process. A key aspect of the solution is to import data from SAP to bring in information about products, customers and their orders. This allows the team to associate the ticket in ServiceNow with the order placed by the customer and allow them to verify the request. So, for example, if a customer calls and says they have ordered 10 products, but only 9 have arrived, the team can confirm this without having to jump between different systems. This saves them time and improves the customer experience.
We also integrate with third-party logistics providers, who work with call center teams to resolve customer inquiries. The established integration creates a new ticket for any queries issued directly with this logistics provider, so we always get this record in ServiceNow. It will also update any existing vouchers to reflect any changes made by the supplier.
AstraZeneca adopted the solution a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a global lockdown, which helps supply chain teams ensure they can continue to provide life-changing drugs to patients. Stapleton added:
We are very proud to be able to provide this solution that allows them to work more effectively in an unprecedented period of time.
Another newer project focuses on helping companies support their operations. AstraZeneca currently operates in nine locations near Cambridge and has nearly 4,300 employees-most of whom are scientists. Once the facilities are ready, they will all be transferred to the new R&D center in the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Knowing this, ServiceNow has been used to develop facility management solutions for two of the existing sites, with the goal of standardizing work methods so that they can be rolled out to new campuses when they are ready.
The main element of the solution is a new site operations portal, which encourages employees to self-service requests and information. It provides a comprehensive request catalog, a multi-level knowledge base, can provide information for scientists and other end users, and has reporting and tracking functions. The goal is to make the portal a one-stop shop so that scientists can view all the content they request and order.
The second major element is the scientific preparation ordering system. Scientists can order experimental materials once or repeatedly. Repeat orders are automatically generated by the platform. Stapleton said:
We need our scientists to do what they do best and work in our laboratories to develop life-changing drugs-instead of sitting at a desk and making demands. The scientific ordering solution also includes a shopping cart function. The last thing to point out is that items that can be ordered through the portal are completely managed by the enterprise, making them agile in providing services.
The project has brought many benefits to the field operating community and scientists. First of all, regarding costs, we can now make suppliers take responsibility based on the number of tasks they are completing, because everything can be tracked in the system. In the past, everything was paper-based or spreadsheet-based. In this way, the team can review the service level agreement with the supplier, thereby saving costs.
Since the team is now able to schedule, report and review what is happening in the FM space, productivity has also improved. It enables them to take a proactive approach instead of reacting to user feedback. Moreover, the process is improved through standardized operations across sites. Through a single point of contact and familiar UI of other portals, our scientists can easily interact with the solution, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. These CSAT scores are now reportable, which allows the team to better understand the areas that need improvement, and ultimately allows us to contribute to the great workplace of the strategic pillar. Having more data to drive decisions about supporting building infrastructure, thereby reducing risk.
Advice and tips
Considering AstraZeneca’s long history of using the ServiceNow Now platform, Stapleton also took the opportunity to provide some advice to other organizations that might see it as a tool to increase productivity and efficiency.
First, Stapleton pointed out that one of the main challenges is that not everyone in the business will understand ServiceNow and the people who work closely with the platform. Therefore, she said, it is important to spend time working with new stakeholders to educate them about platform functions. Stapleton said:
ServiceNow has some great online materials that you can share with them. Together with demonstrations and seminars, it will truly bring them to life on the Now platform. What you end up with is someone who is just getting started and eventually becomes your network of advocates.
Second, it is important to understand and understand your surroundings. In this way, Stapleton means having a clear understanding of the environment in which your stakeholders are working.
Of course, in the pre-COVID era, this was much simpler because you could visit customers and spend a day of life. However, by asking the right questions and maintaining this level of participation, this can actually be done. Remember that not everyone works at the desk is the key. Sometimes, your initial design or solution may change based on your understanding of the customer’s surrounding environment.
Third, Stapleton urges companies to remember that conditions can change in a rapidly changing environment-this has never been so clear in the COVID-19 world. She suggests that keeping stakeholders involved and ready to be agile should enable you to adapt to any disturbances or changes that occur.
Finally, Stapleton provided the following wisdom points on how to successfully deploy the Now platform throughout the organization. she says:
Networking within the organization is the key, and the connection with the enterprise is very valuable. Pay attention to the activities you can participate in or the meetings you can participate in. But, of course, there is nothing better than chatting at the coffee machine. When building a network, always remember to be an advocate for Now Platform. If you are passionate about what it can do, others will do the same, they will want to work with you and hear your opinions.
Demonstrating your success is also very important, which really helps AstraZeneca. There is no doubt about understanding the company’s strategy. If you can align the ServiceNow platform strategy with the organizational strategy, then you will be a winner.
Finally, look for opportunities and opportunities to solve business problems on the Now platform. Then, use your network to advocate for what you can do by selling previous successes.
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