ServiceNow is acquiring Hitch Works in a deal that is expected to close in Q2 2022. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Hitch uses AI tools to map people’s capabilities across projects. Upon acquisition, Hitch’s features will be made available across the ServiceNow platform.
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These days, how companies treat their employees (aka, the employee experience) is more of a focal point than in the past. According to IDC, CEOs in North America believe that managing the talent-skills gap presents the greatest risk affecting business in 2022. Faced with the challenges of the Great Resignation. employers are making more efforts to attract, train and retain a worker who can pivot to their evolving needs. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, managers can determine which employees are best suited for projects based on their overall abilities and interests.
“If skills are the new currency for the business, insight into these skills is critical to driving talent retention and adapting to evolving business needs,” said Gretchen Alarcon, vice president and general manager of HR Service Delivery in ServiceNow. “But management practices have historically been siloed, with many solution points and fragmented processes that don’t work together.” The point of Hitch’s addition, he said, is to allow ServiceNow to streamline intelligence practices into one platform to help organizations match employees to meaningful work.
In addition, ServiceNow understands that it can secure larger deals with customers if it can deliver a quick return. In a recent interview with diginomica, ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott clarified that boosting productivity for customers is key to the company’s strategy.
AI as a Foundation
The hurdle was started by HR-industry veteran Kelley Steven-Waiss, previously the CHRO and CIO of HERE Technologies. The company is led by CEO Heather Jerrehian, one of the founders of venture capital firm How Women Invest. Both women are expected to remain with ServiceNow once the acquisition is completed.
“AI-powered intelligence skills are the foundation for the future of the job,” Jerrhian said. “Combining forces with ServiceNow allows us to measure our capabilities and talent mobility solutions in a global ecosystem of business leaders, managers and employees.”
ServiceNow will build Hitch’s capabilities on its Now Platform, starting with Employee Workflow solutions, then turning into IT, developer and customer service workflows.
“As we move away from the pandemic and face the challenges of the Great Resignation, employee experience is the key difference in winning talent in the 21st century,” said Steven ‑ Waiss. ServiceNow, he said, will help Hitch advance its work to create new solutions to workers and skills.
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