This post was written with the help of Generative AI (Claude, ChatGPT)
Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending the UK ServiceNow User Group (SNUG) meetup in Manchester. The event delivered exactly what the ServiceNow community needs—real-world implementation stories, technical insights, and genuine networking opportunities with peers who understand the unique challenges of platform ownership.
The day-long event featured an excellent balance of structured presentations and open discussions, kicked off with welcome remarks from Will Trotman, ServiceNow’s Solutions Marketing Director for UK&I and SNUG Liaison. The SNUG committee, featuring representatives from Rolls-Royce, Aberdeen plc, bp, Computacenter, and UP3, has created a formula that works—mixing user stories with technical deep dives and facilitated roundtable discussions.
User Stories: Learning from Real-World Implementations
Three organizations shared their ServiceNow journeys, each illuminating different aspects of implementation and optimization:
Homes England: The Platform Owner Perspective
Homes England presented their experience of taking Public Sector stakeholders on an ITOM journey—demonstrating how government agencies can successfully navigate digital transformation using ServiceNow’s capabilities beyond basic ITSM
Optum: Revolutionizing NHS Software Support
Aaron Riley, Head of Business Platforms at Optum, delivered one of the more compelling presentations of the day, detailing how they enhanced support for NHS software users through Customer Service Management. Their journey from 2018 to 2025 showed a remarkable evolution:
- Beginning with predominantly phone-based support (85% of interactions)
- Implementing chat bots and live agent chat functionality
- Deploying Engagement Messenger to further improve customer experience
- Successfully integrating multiple acquired entities into their ServiceNow CSM instance
CGI: Post-Migration Value Maximization
Tony Kavanagh, Director of Business Consulting at CGI, offered valuable insights into their 2023 migration from Remedy to ServiceNow. The scale of this implementation was staggering:
- 175 CGI customers migrated
- 250,000+ configuration items in the CMDB
- 93,000 registered users
- 23 integrations with ticket brokering, LDAP, and monitoring tools
- 450+ service catalog items
CGI’s focus wasn’t just on the technical migration but on maintaining momentum afterward—a critical consideration that many organizations overlook. Tony emphasized the importance of viewing the new platform as “a launchpad, not a finish line” and building a value-focused roadmap that aligns with business goals rather than simply implementing features.
Technical Deep Dive: Optimizing ServiceNow Performance
The ServiceNow update session was led by Hafiz Rehman and Tom Diggins-Barnes from ServiceNow’s Account Escalation Engineering team. Their presentation on “Optimising ServiceNow Performance” provided invaluable insights into instance architecture and common pitfalls.
I found their explanations of performance bottlenecks particularly useful:
- Primary database issues – How CPU usage, IO delays, and History List Length impact overall instance performance
- Semaphore availability constraints – Understanding the limitation of 16 UI threads per node
- Application node memory problems – How poorly designed scripts can trigger excessive garbage collection
What made this presentation especially valuable were the real-world examples, showing how simple oversights (missing database indexes, queries without proper limits, invalid filter variables) can dramatically impact system performance. Their best practices for building high-performing applications follow a simple but effective framework:
- Write “light” code that processes small chunks
- Aim for fast transactions (under 1 second)
- Set limits on data retrieval and processing
- Test thoroughly in representative environments
- Plan and communicate major changes with your ServiceNow account team
Roundtable Discussions: The Heart of SNUG
For me, the highlight of any SNUG event is always the roundtable discussions, and Manchester didn’t disappoint. Eight topics were available across two sessions:
- Build Apps & Integrations
- Optimise IT Service Operations
- Deliver Strategic Technology Initiatives
- Ensure Data Foundations
- Enhance Employee Service Experience
- Elevate Customer/Client Experience
- Lead Platform Ownership
- Optimise ServiceNow Performance
I participated in the “Build Apps & Integrations” and the “Optimise ServiceNow Performance” sessions. Both discussions were filled with practical advice and candid conversations about challenges faced by organizations at various stages of their ServiceNow journey. The roundtable format encourages honest discussions about both successes and difficulties—something you rarely get from polished conference presentations.
Looking Ahead: SNUG Events for 2025
The UK and Ireland SNUG calendar for 2025 includes:
- UK Meeting in London (July 8th)
- UK Meeting in Glasgow (week of November 24th)
- Ireland Meeting in Dublin (week of December 8th)
I’ve already marked these dates in my calendar and would encourage anyone involved with ServiceNow to do the same. These events provide tremendous value, not only through the formal presentations but also through the connections made during networking sessions.
Final Thoughts
What continues to impress me about SNUG events is the genuine sense of community. Despite representing different organizations across various industries, attendees share a common goal of maximizing value from the ServiceNow platform and are remarkably open about sharing their experiences—both good and bad.
The Manchester event reinforced my belief that participating in the ServiceNow community is essential for platform success. The insights gained from peer discussions often prove more valuable than any official documentation or training.
If you’re working with ServiceNow and haven’t attended a SNUG event yet, I strongly encourage you to join the next one!
