How do I get started with Predictive Intelligence?

You have probably heard about machine learning possibilities and how artificial intelligence can make your work easier within the ServiceNow platform. Perhaps you are a step away from deciding that you want your agents to get all the AI benefits like automatic categorization, assignments, and automatic recommendations. Predictive Intelligence and Predictive Analytics also bring many possibilities and functionalities to predict actions, make decisions, and plan the next steps based on analyzed historical data. Take a look at our summary of what Predictive Intelligence can do for you and your organization.

Predictive Intelligence as an operational brain

Predictive Intelligence covers three capabilities around AI technology – machine learning, natural language, and search and automation. Machine learning is a set of algorithms that, through historical data analysis, can make predictions, while natural language processing focuses on analyzing users’ language allowing more ‘human’ ways of communication. AI search delivers highly relevant results based on user context and natural language. Algorithms get information through deep learning, mimicking how our brains work, continuously learning and improving their ways.

By using predictive intelligence and predictive analytics, you can manage a higher volume of tasks and tickets while lowering costs. Automation, as well as AI and improved categorization, reduce:
* Task resolution times.
* The number of interactions required to resolve tasks.
* The error rates of categorizing and assigning work.

Predictive Analytics
Source: ServiceNow

Predictive Analytics is all about making intelligent predictions to improve efficiency and deliver better results on your platform. Classification and similarity framework allows searching through knowledge articles, open/closed incidents, problems, and changes. All of it is to give a ready solution to the agents as soon as they get their tickets assigned. Also, your agents have a single point of information in the Agent Workspace. The clustering framework helps them discover patterns and group tickets and lets them see the hotspots. The purpose is one – let your employees focus on more advanced tasks by powering workflows with machine learning.

Predictive Intelligence
Source: ServiceNow

Predictive Intelligence – similarity and clustering frameworks

The Predictive Intelligence similarity frameworks allow an instance to identify existing records to add new ones, thanks to the fact that they have similar values. It’s all based on building a corpus of words within a certain framework. A corpus of words is a collection of vocabulary that has been predetermined and trained, which the system relies on to find textual similarities. By reusing similar closed incidents that have a proven resolution, you can help agents and fulfillers quickly provide the best resolution for an incoming incident. It is necessary to keep the corpus of words up to date. For this purpose, from time to time, you should refresh and retrain solutions.

How can you use the clustering framework? It is very simple – just group similar records into clusters. Thanks to this function, you can deal with incidents collectively or identify patterns. For example, you can group recent incidents into a cluster to identify a serious incident. Examples of grouping into cluster frameworks are shown in the graphic below.

Source: ServiceNow
Source: ServiceNow

Why are AI and machine learning worth it?

Using Predictive Intelligence in the ServiceNow platform gives your agents advanced AI tools without data science expertise. Getting suggestions from the AI tool makes the work fast and smart and allows a quick response as well as spotting major incidents in the ServiceNow instance. Resolution times are shorter, the manual errors decrease, and the tickets are assigned to the right people at the right time. That naturally leads to better efficiency, increased customer satisfaction, and fast improvements.

Predictive Intelligence
Source: ServiceNow

Additionally, you get regression analysis to predict the time to resolution of a task. Connecting AI to analytics for real-time insights is a great advantage. You can surely count on data security, as you use your data, which means they never leave ServiceNow data centers. You also can measure and refine machine learning models thanks to Predictive Intelligence Workbench. The Predictive Intelligence tool provides your agents with recommendations in 6 languages (English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch) and does not require coding skills as you can use out-of-the-box templates. You can also connect it with the Virtual Agent to use the automation to assist users quickly and effortlessly.

Here you can learn how to choose the right Virtual Agent for your platform

Machine learning success story

Implementation of any new technology may become difficult. You must educate your teams on machine learning benefits, find the best ways to collaborate and improve incident and case management performance, and build expertise and enthusiasm around AI. And this is how the University of Maryland has transformed its IT service delivery with Now Intelligence. To deliver a great experience to university staff and students, the IT department chose intuitive self-service to report issues, access services, find solutions and share questions and answers with other community members.

Thanks to AI technology, users can now automatically create a website for a new research project or schedule delivery of equipment for specific classes. Since the adaptation of Virtual Agent and Predictive Intelligence, the staff noted a huge increase in correct incident routing. It went from 56% to 85%, helping the IT team to get the right work faster. The incident resolution time was reduced by 75% because of more accurate incident routing and thanks to the ITSM Agent Workspace, which is intuitive and easily managed by IT support.

Predictive Intelligence
Source: ServiceNow

ServiceNow’s predictive intelligence and machine learning improve productivity and work experiences. You deliver better self-service, detect major incidents, discover hidden patterns and optimize knowledge bases. Agents’ work gets easier with automatic recommendations for actions and answers, while users are empowered with accurate and relevant search results.

Remember that adopting a new feature is an essential step for your ITSM maturity. We encourage always searching for professional support to ensure you get 100% out of your ServiceNow instance. Contact us if you are interested in more and want to know how you can adjust the AI processes to your needs.