How First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) Transformed Banking with ServiceNow

In today’s digital age, banking customers solicit convenience and accessibility. They want to be able to manage their finances anytime, anywhere, without being tied to branch hours. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), one of the leading banks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with over 3 million customers, understands their needs perfectly.

FAB offers a wide range of online and phone banking services that enable customers to bank on their terms.

However, expanding digital services comes with growing challenges; ensuring a seamless and reliable experience behind the scenes. As FAB offers a wider array of products and integrates more online and mobile functionalities, its internal IT systems must remain current.

First Abu Dhabi Bank realized the need for a scalable and future-proof solution that helped them reduce the P1 cases (urgent or critical issues that lead to a complete shutdown of operations), automate manual processes, and lead to effective digital transformation.

Let’s experience the successful digital transformation of FAB firsthand which has set a new benchmark for banking excellence globally.

Let’s get started.

Centralizing Information, Automating Workflows: FAB Optimizes Service Desk Operations

The existing system of FAB was complex and difficult to manage due to tangled processes and design-level complexities. The specific regulations within the financial industry further exacerbated this complexity.

They want to improve their existing system focusing on two key areas; IT service management and IT operations management. FAB landed on the ServiceNow platform to seek solutions to these challenges.

They have implemented ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM), and ServiceNow IT Operations Management (ITOM) within the organization. Initially, they opted for the cloud-based version (SaaS) of these solutions but later switched to an on-premises version to meet some regulatory compliance requirements. The key advantage of ServiceNow in adapting to different deployment models helped FAB to put its regulatory needs first and evolve accordingly.

Here’s how ServiceNow ITSM & ITOM helped First Abu Dhabi Bank;

• Centralized data and information: Previously, FAB’s information was disconnected across different systems. ServiceNow centralized all the information and data – incident, change, problem, fulfillment, knowledge, availability, and configuration management with the CSDM framework. The centralization of data and information makes it easier to access and manage the information.
• Automated workflows: FAB leveraged ServiceNow’s end-to-end workflows and automation capabilities to ensure that the ticket is routed to the most appropriate personnel based on the nature of the issue. This eliminates unnecessary delays and ensures faster resolution.
• Enhanced service desk operations: FAB implemented an “Interaction” module within ServiceNow. This module separates simple user inquiries from complex issues classified as incidents. So, service desk personnel can prioritize incidents to improve overall customer service.
• Improved speed and safety of service delivery: ServiceNow ITSM functionalities to increase the speed and security of delivering new services. The change management process ensures that each service undergoes testing to minimize disruptions. If something went off track after delivery, then a system was in place to resolve the issues quickly to bring services back into operation. Furthermore, the centralized knowledge base allows faster issue identification and resolution with readily available information.

Less Noise, More Signal: FAB Streamlines Service Desk with User Interactions

FAB started with the basic functionality of ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITOM). They’ve achieved progress. Here is how ITOM helped the First Abu Dhabi Bank;

1. High data availability:

Despite the basic functionality, FAB has managed to achieve 80% impressive data availability within ITOM. This means they’re collecting a vast amount of data related to their IT infrastructure and services. Furthermore, they have established a scalable process to ingest even more data in the future.

2. Impactful insights with ServiceNow Impact:

FAB leverages the ServiceNow Impact to assess the potential impact of changes and incidents on their IT system. This proactive approach rewarded the FAB with the following benefits;

• Informed decisions: By understanding the potential impact, FAB can make data-driven decisions when changing or upgrading its IT infrastructure.
• Plan for unforeseen events: Foreseeing potential disruptions helped FAB to develop contingency plans, minimize downtime, and uninterrupted IT operations.

3. Improved efficiency and compliance:

ServiceNow Impact provided many useful reports that helped FAB to identify the areas of improvement such as;

• Bug-fixing: Identify the bugs within the system, so they can be prioritized and addressed timely.
• Configuration optimization: It provides insights into the configurations that can be corrected, improved, or enhanced.

4. Compliance from the start:

The biggest benefit of ServiceNow for FAB has been engineering out the compliance problems at the beginning of each process. This proactive approach minimized the risk of non-compliance.

From Guesswork to Insights: FAB Leverages Data for Informed Decision-Making

With ServiceNow, FAB has much more visibility into the process happening across all the technology. This visibility helped in informed decision-making. Here is how ServiceNow empowered the FAB;

• Increased visibility: FAB has better visibility of all its IT activities across all the departments. As a result, data-driven decisions become a breeze eliminating the guesswork.
• Data-driven culture; With reports and dashboards, FAB can identify the areas of improvement leading to leaner and more efficient IT operations.
• Easy maintenance: ServiceNow proved to be a simplified platform with easy maintenance. Furthermore, the platform is more readily available than the existing system.
• Scalability and reliability; The platform could handle the increased number of concurrent users with no performance issues.

From Foundation to Expansion: FAB Charts Its ServiceNow Roadmap

First Abu Dhabi Bank’s success with ServiceNow extends beyond the current achievements. They have plans to use the platform as a springboard for their continued growth and innovation. Here is the breakdown of the FAB’s future plans;

• Automation and efficiency: FAB wants to expand the use of ServiceNow to further automate tasks and streamline processes and workflow. So their employees can spend more time on strategic activities rather than spending time on manual tasks.
• A solid foundation for digital development: ServiceNow builds a solid foundation, leveraging this foundation, FAB paves the way for further digital transformation endeavors.

Beyond ServiceNow ITOM, ITSM, and Impact, First Abu Dhabi Bank plans to expand its ServiceNow footprint by implementing the following products;

• Hardware Asset Management
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
• Financial Service Operations
• Customer Service Management (CSM)
• Integrated Risk Management (IRM)

FAB’s Digital Transformation: Fewer Disruptions, Streamlined Work – Can Your Bank Emulate Their Growth with ServiceNow?

FAB’s customer success story clearly shows streamlined operations, empowered staff, and a future-proof foundation for growth. But can your financial institution achieve similar results? Absolutely! ServiceNow is the platform of choice for over 1900 financial institutions, including 19 of the top 25 banks globally. Your organization could be the next leveraging the ServiceNow platform to achieve operational excellence, and better employee experience.

Ready to get started with ServiceNow? Let’s schedule an obligation-free consulting with Cyntexa, a ServiceNow consultancy working with organizations of all sizes to grow by leveraging ServiceNow.