Cloud-based business workflow platform provider ServiceNow Friday announced the planned acquisition of Hitch Works, a developer of AI-powered skills mapping and intelligence technology.
Upon acquisition, ServiceNow will have a new layer of business experience to add to its growing AI -based services, said Gretchen Alarcon, vice president and general manager of human resources service delivery at ServiceNow.
ServiceNow has had an AI platform for a long time but lacks the ability to apply that platform to looking at employee skills with a layer based on experience, Alarcon told CRN US.
“When we looked at opportunities for measuring skills, and specifically how skills change within an organization, we saw that Hitch Works does it using AI,” he said. “Hitch Works looks at the skills employees have, whether it’s on their resume, from projects completed or from classes taken, and can map that information to areas where companies have gaps and find the most appropriate. “
The acquisition, which is set to close this quarter, is because all organizations are looking at developing and retaining talent, Alarcon said.
“Hitch Works technology can be applied to different parts of an organization,” he said. “The sales department requires different skills from the IT department. We say those skills are the new money of the business.
Hitch Works has done a great job of using AI to align skills, Alarcon says.
“In some cases, an employee may not realize how close their skills are to other areas in an organization,” he said. “This technology will enable many applications for employee success.”
ServiceNow plans to build Hitch Works capabilities on its Now Platform starting with its Employee Workflow solutions and expanding it to the rest of its customer service, IT and developer portfolios.
Hitch Works was founded in September 2019. Alarcon declined to discuss the company’s profitability or the cost of the acquisition.
This article originally appeared on crn.com