Salesforce - ServiceNow Integration guide

In the following lines well discuss the integration of Salesforce and ServiceNow. Well also try to pinpoint the benefits of integrating Salesforce and ServiceNow and what would be the best approach in your particular use case.

Lets dive in.

About Salesforce

Salesforce is a leading cloud-based CRM platform. Its comprehensive features provide organizations with the chance to automate important business operations such as customer relations, marketing, and analytics. The CRM platform helps the organizations business units get a better overview and build action plans when it comes to handling important company services.

Additionally, the platform enables the timely resolution of crucial customer issues and understanding customer-related data.

What makes Salesforce so popular is the fact that companies rely on its functionalities to cope with time management, access accumulated customer-related data from any point and at any time, enhance the collaborations between the department and units, and more.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow is one of the most popular service desk applications available on the market today. Due to its complex functionalities, ServiceNow acts both as a SaaS and PaaS tool  depending on its users needs. Additionally, the systems help users easily handle the processes of incident management automation and its resolution.

ServiceNow also makes it easier for teams to build and manage the organizations complex workflows and even to configure customized reports based on the accumulated data.

Why integrate them?

Often, the companys departments use Salesforce and ServiceNow separately  with one unit using Salesforce while the other utilizing ServiceNow. This would imply that both systems are not connected in any way.

As a result, important tasks and valuable information transfer often happen manually. This not only takes a lot of time and resources. It can also lead to errors and misunderstandings between the companys departments.

Connecting the two systems eliminates this. It allows the automation and speeding up of information transfer between them. Furthermore, establishing a connection between Salesforce and ServiceNow significantly improves the teams overall productivity and helps achieve important business goals.

Using a reliable and flexible tool to link the two is the key. Marketplaces offer plenty of options to choose from. However, not all of them are scalable and allow customizations that fit complex use cases and needs.

The best possible solution is for Salesforce and ServiceNow to connect through a flexible and scalable integration tool. This will amplify the capabilities of each one of the systems. ZigiOps is such a solution. It is a comprehensive no-code integration tool that connects Salesforce and ServiceNow in a few minutes. It is easily configurable and has a library of pre-built templates. It is fully customizable which means that it can cover even the most complex use case.

Connecting Salesforce and ServiceNow via ZigiOps allows the instant real-time transfer of cases, attachments, and comments.

Common ServiceNow  Salesforce use cases

The most common use cases that define the integration between Salesforce and ServiceNow revolve around transfer of Cases.

But lets look at some of them to gain an insight into their importance. One of your departments uses Salesforce as a CRM system. Another one relies on ServiceNow to handle customer-related issues. Although both systems are used daily, they are not connected in any way. New cases in Salesforce need to be transferred to ServiceNow. The solution is to establish a connection between both Salesforce and ServiceNow  a task that ZigiOps can finish in no time.

We have a new case created in Salesforce. ZigiOps notices it and instantly fetches it. This happens on a pre-defined interval. ZigiOps then forwards the collected information to ServiceNow, where it creates a related Incident/Change Request. ZigiOps advanced functionalities enable users to control important actions like data filtering. Regular fields, custom fields, lifecycle fields, comments, and attachments are instantly synchronized. The data field mapping option, provided by the ZigiOps system, allows defining how ZigiOps reports data to ServiceNow.

Updates on Salesforce Cases that are already in the ServiceNow system are also gathered on a pre-defined interval. They can later be synced with the related Incident/Change in ServiceNow for regular fields, custom fields, lifecycle fields, comments, and attachments.

ZigiOps also collects the ServiceNow updates for the Incidents/Changes created as Cases in Salesforce. This action is also performed at a scheduled interval. It syncs them with the related Cases in Salesforce for regular fields, custom fields, lifecycle fields, comments, and attachments.

How to integrate Salesforce and ServiceNow in 5 minutes with ZigiOps

ZigiOps is ZigiWaves flexible no-code integration platform. It is a simple, yet powerful solution that supports complex use case scenarios, without the need for any previous API or coding skills. ZigiOps makes integrations easier and accessible for everyone by providing a list of out-of-the-box templates for the integration of some of the most popular systems on the market. Each template is customized and scaled with the advanced filtering and field mapping options, to fit the current needs of the integration.

If you already have a specific Salesforce-ServiceNow use case and would like to see how ZigiOps can resolve it schedule a 45-minute demo.We can start your free trial or PoC immediately after the demo.

Step 1: Installing the ZigiOps Integration Platform

ZigiOpscomes with on-premises and iPaaS versions, but the setup and launch of integrations are the same. For the purposes of this example, we will use the on-prem version. The installation process is straightforward and takes no more than 10-15 minutes. Once installed,it istime to log-into ZigiOps.

Step 2: Establishing the connection with the Salesforce and ServiceNow systems

When you log in, you will then see the dashboard, whichdisplaysall your active licenses, integrations, andoperations data. These are important metrics, which must be monitored before the initial integration.

To add the systems, you want to integrate (in this they are Salesforce and ServiceNow), go to the Connected Systems menu, and click Add New System:

Once you choose the systems, you need to connect to them. This isquite easy. You will only need your instance URLs and admin details.You do not need to make any changestoyour Salesforce and ServiceNow settings.

A lengthyi lst of pre-built templates is also available to choose from.

Once you choose the systems, you need to connect to them. This isquite easy. You will only need your instance URLs and admin details.You do not need to make any changestoyour Salesforce and ServiceNow settings.

For Salesforce you need to fill in these fields:

• X system URL
• Username
• Password

After filling them, click on the Save button.

ZigiOps will automatically check your connection with X and let you know when its successful.

Then you do the same for ServiceNow. You click on Add New System, then enter your instance URL, username and password. And click Save  as a last step.

When this is done, you have successfully established the connection with the two systems.

Step 3: Setting initial integration details

ZigiOps comes with a library of ready-to-use integration templates. They are all customizable, yet you can always start an integration from scratch.This is useful when it comes to complex use cases that need an out-of-the-box approach.

From the Configurator menu, click the button Add New Integration, and from the available templates just choose the one for Salesforce to ServiceNow.

Once you load it, you can define which system will be first and which  second (our destination).

In this case, our first system is Salesforce, and our destination is ServiceNow.

Note: There are integration entities that you can choose. If working with a template they are pre-defined, but you can add more or customize them. These can be cases, comments, or attachments.

Step 4: Configure the integration

Once you have set the systems in the correct order, you cango through the list of available operations (or actions) and select the ones you want the system to execute.

Each integration template has pre-defined business logic and settings and consists of configuration objects called actions.

An action consists of two sections (or tabs) called source and target. It represents a set of trigger conditions (or filters) and field mapping configuration for a particular pair of entities.

The trigger can be set to polling where ZigiOps goes and checks for updates in a predefined interval or to listener, where the integration platform receives updates from the source once there is something new to transfer.

After you finish the trigger configuration, you must define the integration actions such as filtering field mappings, conditions, and data collection. ZigiOps reads the schema dynamically and provides a drop-down menu list of all the items that can be synchronized. You can define the logic that will show ZigiOps how to synchronize and keep both systems updated after the initial transfer of information.

Then in the Field map section, you can create the field mapping for the corresponding operation:

From there on, the integration is ready.

Step 5: Save and test

Once you are ready with the triggers and mapping, click the Save button, to save your integration.

After that, you are ready to test how your new integration works.

ZigiOps will pick it up and transfer all the relevant data and fields you have defined in your field mapping to ServiceNow.

Conclusion

Keeping a close eye on all client-related processes and operations is extremely important for businesses. Thats why CRM and service desk applications are so deeply planted into the IT ecosystem of almost every enterprise. Salesforce and ServiceNow contain all the necessary features and functionalities to enable their users to maintain full control over different aspects of their business operations.

Unfortunately, in most cases, they are not connected in any way. This prevents the automation and real-time data transfer between them. It can also lead to significant data gaps due to errors and delays. To overcome this, enterprises must connect them. In this way, data-related obstacles can be diminished. Workloads and productivity can increase, too.

ZigiOps offers a seamless integration between Salesforce and ServiceNow in just a few clicks. Agile and fully customizable, ZigiOps can handle even the most specific use case scenarios with ease  providing timely solutions to important processes.

Choose smart integration  tryZigiOps.Schedule a demo now and start your free PoC.