Proactive Support Strategies for ServiceNow Apps

Most support teams work in a reactive mode: a system goes down, it’s restored, a user complains, and they look for the problem. But ServiceNow is more than just incidents and automation. It’s a dynamic platform that requires constant attention. Without a proactive approach, the platform gradually loses its effectiveness. That’s why ServiceNow proactive support strategies are the foundation of a stable IT infrastructure.

Proactive support reduces incidents, speeds up the release of updates, improves quality control, and builds trust in digital processes. It’s an approach where the team doesn’t wait for failures to happen, but rather predicts and prevents them with ServiceNow AI-driven automation, monitoring, and standardized procedures.

Strategy #1: Monitor App Performance and Behavior

The decline in application performance is most often noticed by users themselves, but by then, the consequences are already tangible. To avoid this, system monitoring is necessary. It includes regular performance checks through ServiceNow service health monitoring and analytics.

Recommended metrics:

• Interface and form loading time;
• API call performance;
• loading of script and task queues;
• database load metrics.

For this purpose, you should use Performance Analytics. With the help of dashboards, the team can see trends, not just current indicators. In the event of a performance decline, a detailed ServiceNow instance health check is performed to identify the root causes before tickets start appearing.

Strategy #2: Audit Customizations and Dependencies

With each custom solution, the level of platform complexity increases. Dependencies accumulate, and even a minor change can cause side effects in other modules. To avoid such situations, you need to conduct regular audits:

• the amount of custom code;
• compliance with updates;
• identification of outdated dependencies and unused objects.

With ServiceNow Predictive Intelligence for ITSM, you can determine which areas need attention first by analyzing system behavior patterns. Companies that conduct audits at least twice a year have significantly fewer critical failures, which has a positive impact on overall process continuity.

Strategy #3: Automate Testing Processes

Deploying new features without regression testing is a high risk. A single forgotten script in a legacy customization can break an entire feature. To avoid this, you should implement ServiceNow automated incident resolution and test scripts.

The Automated Test Framework (ATF) tool allows you to:

• model user scenarios;
• test basic functions after updates;
• compare results without manual intervention.

The initial setup takes time, but it helps reduce risks and optimize testing in the future, especially in large-scale projects where several ServiceNow proactive support strategies are used simultaneously.

Strategy #4: Leverage User Feedback

No monitoring tool will show the real quality of user experience better than users themselves. But collecting feedback should be systematic, not sporadic. Recommended approaches:

• implementing microsurveys after key interactions;
• analysis of recurring support requests;
• conducting UX sessions with business representatives.

This approach helps to identify both technical and functional gaps. In addition, it increases user engagement and acceptance of the service, which directly affects the ROI of automation.

Strategy #5: Instruct the Team and Document Processes

Knowledge, documentation, and standards are not enough to support a complex system – intuition or experience is needed. Proactivity is based on understanding the application structure, dependencies, and priorities.

Benefits of structured training and documentation:

• Reduced risks during team changes;
• faster incident resolution;
• simplifying the adaptation of new team members.

Documentation should be live, up-to-date, and cover both technical and operational parts. This is one of the key elements of a sustainable ServiceNow proactive support strategy that directly affects the effectiveness of support and the development of the platform.

Want to make your ServiceNow platform truly proactive, not just reactive? Learn how our Application Management Services can support, optimize, and future-proof your ecosystem. And remember, proactive support for ServiceNow it’s a necessity. From performance monitoring and auditing customizations to automating testing and leveraging user feedback. These strategies prevent disruptions before they occur.

ServiceNow support is a strategic tool that determines how effectively your digital ecosystem works. A reactive approach no longer works in a world where every minute of downtime can cost thousands. Only proactive support with continuous monitoring, auditing, automated testing, and feedback can ensure stability, scalability, and trust in business processes. Most importantly, it transforms ServiceNow from an automation platform into a source of competitive advantage.

Want your ServiceNow support to work before failures, not after them? Read the article Best Practices for Supporting Enterprise ServiceNow Environments and learn how to organize support that not only fixes problems but also guarantees growth.

Oleksii Konakhovych, CTO, Jun 20, 2025