Don’t Just Deploy It, Prove It with These 7 KPIs for ServiceNow

There’s a temptation with any digital transformation to get so focused on the what, the platform, the implementation, the use cases, that we lose sight of the why. That’s especially true when it comes to ServiceNow’s Customer Workflows. It’s a powerful solution, yes, but to truly understand its value, you need to measure its impact in the right places.

Let’s talk KPIs. Not vanity metrics. Not guesswork. But the actual key performance indicators that tell you whether your investment in ServiceNow’s customer workflow capabilities is moving the needle, for your customers and your business.

1. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

This one’s obvious, but often underutilized. With ServiceNow, the end of a service order or case isn’t the end of the customer journey—it’s the beginning of measurement.

With built-in CSAT survey capabilities in Customer Service Management (CSM) and Field Service Management (FSM), you can instantly gauge how your team performed, where you’re falling short, and where your customers are delighted. Automating CSAT capture post-interaction ensures consistency, and tracking CSAT over time gives you an honest trend line for customer sentiment.

KPI to monitor: Average CSAT score per channel (portal, phone, field) over time.

2. First-Time Fix Rate (FTFR)

If your customer calls for service, and you have to roll a truck three times to solve it—nobody’s winning.

ServiceNow FSM helps improve first-time fix rates by ensuring the right technician, with the right skillset and parts, is dispatched the first time. Paired with Knowledge Management and mobile playbooks, your team is empowered to resolve issues efficiently.

KPI to monitor: % of work orders resolved on the first visit.

3. SLA Compliance

SLAs are more than internal benchmarks, they’re promises to your customers. And broken promises are expensive.

ServiceNow lets you define, track, and report SLA performance in real time. More importantly, it lets customers see those metrics too—building transparency and trust. Publishing SLA compliance via Customer Service Portals isn’t just good service; it’s a competitive differentiator.

KPI to monitor: % of incidents, cases, or requests completed within agreed SLA.

4. Time to Resolution (TTR)

Customer expectations today are shaped by Amazon, Uber, and Netflix. They want speed and clarity. If you can’t resolve their issue quickly—or at least give them real-time visibility into progress—they’re going to churn.

Customer Workflows give you the automation tools to shrink resolution times and the portal tools to show your progress. Use Now Assist to summarize cases and route them faster, and give customers proactive updates so they’re never left wondering.

KPI to monitor: Average time to resolution per case type, per channel.

5. Self-Service Deflection Rate

Customers love the option to help themselves—as long as it works. The more issues you can resolve through a knowledge base, virtual agent, or automated workflow, the more you can reduce costs and improve satisfaction.

Track how often customers resolve issues via the ServiceNow Virtual Agent or portal without escalating to a live agent. That’s your self-service deflection rate—and it’s a major lever for efficiency.

KPI to monitor: % of issues resolved without human intervention.

6. Customer Retention Rate

Here’s the big one. Every improvement to experience, speed, and transparency should drive toward one outcome: keeping your customers. Retention is the clearest business-case KPI for ServiceNow Customer Workflows.

When the experience is smooth, the outcomes reliable, and the communication proactive, customers stay. It’s not magic—it’s measurable.

KPI to monitor: % of customers renewing or expanding contracts year-over-year.

7. Portal Engagement Metrics

ServiceNow’s Customer Service Portal is more than a digital front door—it’s the customer’s hub for insights, entitlements, and interaction. But only if they use it.

Monitor engagement: How often are customers logging in? What actions are they taking? Are they submitting cases, reviewing SLAs, or requesting parts? High engagement means you’re reducing friction.

KPI to monitor: Avg. portal sessions per user, case submissions via portal vs. phone/email.

Final Thought: Don’t Just Roll Out Workflows—Roll Out Scorecards

When I speak with executives about deploying ServiceNow, I always ask: What will success look like to you in 6 months? 12 months? If they don’t have KPIs defined, the best implementation in the world won’t feel complete.

ServiceNow is built to deliver data-driven insight across Customer Service Management, Field Service, and Connected Operations. But insight only matters if you act on it.

Define your KPIs. Align them with business goals. Build scorecards into your portals. And let the data tell the story of your success.

Ready to Measure What Matters?

If you're exploring how to get more out of your ServiceNow investment, or you're just getting started, our ServiceNow experts are here to help. Book a meeting with us to talk through your goals and how to align your workflows with the KPIs that matter most to your business.