In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, ServiceNow's no-code development features enable organizations to innovate quickly and effectively, making application creation accessible to a wider audience. Findernest's no-code development services equip organizations with essential tools for fast application development, empowering users without technical expertise, cutting costs, ensuring smooth integrations, and promoting innovation. These features make it an appealing choice for businesses seeking to advance their digital transformation initiatives while preserving flexibility and scalability.
The Power of No-Code Development in Modern Enterprises
No-code development is revolutionizing how modern enterprises approach application creation and problem-solving. By eliminating the need for extensive coding knowledge, no-code platforms like ServiceNow allow a broader range of employees to contribute to digital innovation. This democratization of development means that business users, who are often closest to operational challenges, can now develop solutions tailored to their specific needs.
This shift is particularly significant in today's fast-paced business environment, where agility and speed are crucial. No-code development enables rapid prototyping and iteration, allowing enterprises to quickly adapt to market changes and customer demands. The result is a more responsive and innovative organization, capable of staying ahead in a competitive landscape.
Low-code development empowers a new breed of creators: citizen developers – business users with limited coding expertise. According to a recent survey, 87% of professional developers already leverage low-code platforms, signifying a clear industry-wide adoption of this democratizing technology. The global low-code development platform market is also booming, with the revenue projected to reach 190$ million by 2030, and ServiceNow stands as a prominent player in this dynamic space.
For instance, for four consecutive years, Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ has recognized ServiceNow as a Leader in Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. This esteemed recognition underscores ServiceNow's commitment to providing a robust platform that caters to both citizen developers and seasoned IT professionals.
The new breed of low-code tools like Power Platform provides an intuitive interface for process automation and simplified digital product development. Business users can use pre-made components and visual drag-and-drop builders to streamline repetitive manual processes, ranging from account reconciliation to employee onboarding. Sample low-code application use cases in banking include automated loan calculators, streamlined loan application management, and various internal audit applications.
Professional developers, in turn, can leverage low-code platforms to create custom integrations between different business systems and flexible automation of multi-step workflows. Also, they can provide new UX components, data sources, and custom business logic elements, which business users can then use in a visual building environment. On average, development teams that use Power Platform achieve a 48% reduction in app development costs, while business teams achieve over $10.2 million in productivity gains due to manual work reduction, according to a Forrester study.
Advantages of Low-Code Development
- Fast development. Substantially reduce the backlog of postponed IT projects by empowering business users and developers with easy-to-use tools.
- Low overheads. One Power Apps license provides access to a set of diverse capabilities for citizen and professional app developers. Thanks to centralized app lifecycle management and embedded security, the “upkeep” tasks are minimal.
- Cross-device ready. Power Apps could be deployed as part of the Power Apps app for iOS, Android, and Windows or as a standalone app for iOS and Android. This device-agnostic approach allows easily deploying new products across a range of devices.
- Increased business agility. Optimize internal processes to adapt to changes in the market. Improve customer service levels and employee satisfaction by giving your people better tools to do their work.
Custom Development
Although new software is easily available off the shelf, most global corporate banks (61%) still prefer to build some banking systems in-house, namely, cash forecasting solutions and 72% opt for custom development of payment processing software.
Custom solutions allow banks to maintain full control over strategically important systems and achieve competitive differentiation. Moreover, custom software development makes more sense when the project involves modernizations or customizations of the existing solution, rather than the creation of an entirely new software system.
For example, the FindErnest team helped a large Nordic bank modernize its core banking system to improve its performance and maintainability. The bank opted for custom development in this case because fully replacing the platform would have caused major operational disruptions. So based on our initial technology assessment, we found an effective strategy for the iterative splitting of the system, which would separate business logic from a technology platform.
Subsequently, our team has successfully decoupled business domain functionality into new sub-systems, thus enabling independent maintenance and preventing changes in one business logic component from affecting other domains. With the new architecture in place, the bank could also speed up time-to-market for new digital products, without worrying about disruption to downstream systems or integration issues.
Advantages of Custom Development
- Flexibility. Custom solutions are fully adapted to your business processes and operational needs to a degree no boxed solution could deliver.
- Reliability. With full access to source code and underlying IT infrastructure, you remain in full control over the system performance characteristics.
- Limitless possibilities. Expand your services portfolio; deploy distinct functionality and new digital products without any technological constraints.
- Differentiation. Increase your organization’s value through patented intellectual property and unique capabilities that competition cannot fully mimic.
How ServiceNow Empowers Citizen Developers
ServiceNow is at the forefront of the no-code movement, providing tools and frameworks that empower 'citizen developers'—employees who may not have formal coding experience but understand the business processes and challenges intimately. With ServiceNow’s intuitive interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality, these users can create and deploy applications without writing a single line of code.
This empowerment extends beyond mere application development. By enabling employees to take charge of their digital tools, ServiceNow fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Teams can automate routine tasks, streamline workflows, and create custom applications that address unique business needs, all while reducing dependency on IT departments.
Key Features of ServiceNow No-Code Tools
ServiceNow’s no-code tools are designed to be user-friendly and powerful, offering a range of features that facilitate easy and effective application development:
1. Drag-and-Drop Interface: Allows users to build applications by simply dragging and dropping elements onto a canvas, making it accessible for non-technical users.
2. Pre-built Templates: Provides a variety of templates for common business processes, enabling users to get started quickly and ensuring best practices.
3. Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly connects with other systems and applications, ensuring a unified and efficient workflow across the organization.
4. AI and Machine Learning: Incorporates advanced AI and machine learning capabilities to automate tasks and provide predictive insights, enhancing the functionality of no-code applications.
5. Mobile-First Design: Ensures that applications are accessible and functional on any device, promoting productivity and flexibility.
Key Low-Code Tools within the Now Platform
While many low-code platforms offer drag-and-drop simplicity, the Now Platform also presents a robust suite of integrated tools that expand citizen developers’ opportunities in building business applications. Let's delve into some of these key tools and explore their impact.
UI Builder
ServiceNow UI Builder enables users to create visually appealing and intuitive UIs. This tool offers drag-and-drop functionality and a variety of interface elements. Users can design effective UIs that improve data comprehension and application effectiveness, seamlessly integrating with data managed within the Now Platform.
Table Builder
This powerful low-code tool forms the foundation for your application's data. With ServiceNow’s Table Builder, you define the structure of your data by creating tables, specifying data types for each field (e.g., text, number, date), and establishing relationships between tables. This ensures data integrity and simplifies data retrieval and manipulation within your applications.
Flow Designer
Flow Designer simplifies process automation for everyone. Using a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, both citizen developers and business users can automate routine tasks like approvals, ticketing systems, and data processing workflows.
Workspace Builder
Users can create custom workspaces within applications. These workspaces can be tailored to specific user roles or departments, providing a personalized experience for users interacting with the platform.
Decision Builder
With the ability to define clear rules and conditions, Decision Builder improves efficiency by eliminating manual decision-making and also ensures consistency and reduces the risk of errors.
App Engine Studio
Now, let's talk about App Engine Studio, as a central hub for creating new applications, managing roles and permissions, and configuring workflows. This tool lies at the heart of the Now Platform's low-code philosophy, providing an intuitive visual development interface and a library of pre-built components and templates. With its help, citizen developers – business users with limited coding experience – can build custom applications, automate routine tasks within their domain, reduce reliance on IT resources, and foster innovations.
The Total Economic Impact of ServiceNow’s App Engine was studied by Forrester with users noticing a 75% efficiency increase and over $2 million in cost savings.
Out-of-the-box solutions (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
Ready-to-deploy boxed software solutions have been on the market for decades. Cloud computing, however, further commoditized access to new software, drastically reducing the costs of acquiring and operating new technologies.
In the banking sector, cloud technologies have also created a whole new sector of B2B FinTech players, offering access to an array of specialized software, ranging from digital payment processing and wealth management to internal compliance tools, distributed via APIs.
New market entrants can also speed up time-to-market by using banking as a service (BaaS) platforms from mature banks to support core operational processes. In Europe alone, the total addressable market (TAM) for BaaS companies is expected to reach €90-105 billion by 2030.
Competitive costs, coupled with streamlined deployment make out-of-the-box solutions a core element of digital transformation strategies for banks. In fact, 61% of European banks are purchasing SaaS services and/or rely on consultants for implementing new solutions.
Advantages of Boxed Solutions in Banking
- Rapid deployment. Adoption, configuration, and training can take as little as several days to a maximum of several weeks, which is substantially faster than low- or full-code development.
- Cost-efficiency thanks to pay-per-use and other subscription-based models, which eliminate CAPEX costs.
- Banking industry best practices are already incorporated into the product(s), which substantially reduces compliance overheads.
- Continuous access to innovative features, delivered by the vendor and instantly accessible on the current plan or via license updates.
When Low-Code Reaches Its Limits: Custom Development Use Cases for ServiceNow
The Now Platform is designed to accommodate a variety of user needs. While citizen developers can build basic applications, some situations require the expertise of professional developers, also known as "pro-coders" within the ServiceNow ecosystem. Pro-code development (aka custom development) offers the flexibility and control to tackle complex functionalities that extend beyond the capabilities of low-code tools. For instance, complex system integrations, high-performance computing needs, or highly customized user interfaces might necessitate pro-code development.
Complex Integrations Beyond Pre-Built Connectors
Low-code development with ServiceNow excels at basic integrations with pre-built connectors. On the other side, complicated third-party systems frequently necessitate custom programming for managing errors, complex data transformations, and mapping. A recent survey revealed that 98% of IT teams encounter challenges in digital transformation, particularly in efficient integration. Using custom development, you can write scripts that make data move smoothly, even between legacy systems.
Building Business Processes from Scratch
While ServiceNow Flow Designer provides a robust library of pre-built workflows for common business processes, this may not be enough for your specific business needs. Custom development with ServiceNow unlocks the full potential of the Now Platform — you can build highly customized workflows with specific approval steps tailored to your hierarchy, dynamic notifications to keep everyone informed, and reporting structures designed to capture the data that matters most. For example, with custom development on ServiceNow, you can build a complex procurement process with multi-level approval routing to the appropriate managers and custom reports detailing spending by department.
Advanced Automation and Testing
According to Gartner, 80% of executives see automation as viable for any business decision. ServiceNow’s low-code solutions offer basic automation capabilities, but for complex scenarios like comprehensive test automation for IT service management (ITSM) or large-scale data imports with complex transformations, custom scripting becomes essential.
For instance, consider a complex IT service request fulfilment process with multiple conditional steps and error handling. Low-code solutions might struggle here. In contrast, custom scripting within ServiceNow allows you to write robust scripts to seamlessly automate even the most challenging tasks.
Large-Scale Data Migration and Management
Though ServiceNow's low-code solutions help simplify importing or exporting data, you may need custom development for large volumes of data, its migration, and advanced management. For example, should you want to migrate client data from the legacy CRM system (with complex custom fields and relationships) to ServiceNow and enable seamless integration into your existing data ecosystem. Additionally, with custom coding and automated workflows, you can facilitate data management in ServiceNow and minimize manual errors.
Granular Access Control and Security
Common knowledge states that low code provides basic access control to tables and fields. But what if you need granular security based on user roles, dynamic data conditions, or specific record attributes? With custom development, you can incorporate scenario-adaptive logic with sophisticated security practices. As an example, consider the implementation of access restrictions for sensitive customer data, which are contingent upon the customer's risk profile. Custom development enables the creation of resilient security measures.
Real-World Success Stories with ServiceNow No-Code Solutions
Organizations across various industries have successfully leveraged ServiceNow’s no-code tools to drive innovation and efficiency. For instance, a global manufacturing company used ServiceNow to create a custom inventory management application, significantly reducing stock discrepancies and improving operational efficiency.
In another example, a healthcare provider developed a patient scheduling and follow-up system using ServiceNow’s no-code platform. This system streamlined appointment bookings, reduced administrative overhead, and improved patient satisfaction. These success stories highlight the transformative potential of no-code development in solving real-world business challenges.
Future Trends and Innovations in No-Code Development
The future of no-code development is bright, with continuous advancements poised to make these platforms even more powerful and accessible. Emerging trends include the integration of more sophisticated AI and machine learning capabilities, which will further enhance automation and decision-making processes within no-code applications.
Additionally, as businesses increasingly adopt hybrid and remote work models, the demand for mobile-first and responsive design features will grow. ServiceNow is expected to continue leading the charge, providing tools that not only meet current demands but also anticipate future needs. The ongoing evolution of no-code platforms will ensure that organizations can remain agile, innovative, and competitive in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Conclusion
ServiceNow's low-code platform offers a strong choice for companies aiming to boost innovation, enhance agility, and empower employees without technical skills. However, in complex scenarios, custom development remains essential. Companies can maximize their use of ServiceNow by recognizing the limits of low-code solutions and strategically incorporating custom development techniques.
Historically, banks have achieved digital differentiation by developing technology internally. But with cloud computing making software more accessible, innovation has become faster and more cost-effective. Often, vendor-supplied banking software exceeds the quality of the in-house technology banks have developed over time. As technology progresses, buying software solutions is often more appealing than creating custom ones. Still, custom software development is vital for banks looking to grow revenue through tech innovation or to stand out with unique customer experiences.
Low-code solutions act as a "middle-ground," enabling banks to customize, expand, and adjust existing proprietary or commercial solutions to better meet their needs. With intuitive workflow automation and swift low-code application development, banks can more effectively streamline various support and back-office functions for more efficient operations.
