PAC recently had the opportunity to attend the EMEA Industry Analyst Summit co-located at the ServiceNow World Forum in London. Over the past year, the global software and services industry has focused itself entirely on rapidly incorporating deep learning (DL) generative and agentic AI capabilities into its existing product and service offerings. ServiceNow is no different; however, they demonstrated to PAC a keen awareness of how a pragmatic and balanced message is a more credible contrast to the overall hype around this technology. During the event, what was of particular interest to PAC was their perspective on engaging the midmarket across Europe and how they consider CRM from a different perspective than how it is typically positioned and discussed.

Growing strength in the midmarket

Based on what was presented and discussed at the event, it seems to PAC that ServiceNow’s positioning in the midmarket is maturing into one of its most strategically coherent growth narratives within Europe. The company defines this segment broadly, concentrating on organisations with substantial operational structures and legacy environments that require faster modernisation rather than start‑up agility. Across Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and Germany, this market represents a critical foundation for growth, and ServiceNow’s approach increasingly reflects a balance between simplification, connected workflows, and accelerated transformation. PAC considers that what differentiates the company’s strategy is its emphasis on delivering packages and use cases that combine operational speed with architectural clarity, addressing the reality of fragmented solutions/services and the mounting pressure on organisations to integrate existing investments into a unified operating model.
 
It was encouraging to hear that the company has continued to refine its investments and ecosystem governance to support a consistent go‑to‑market approach across national markets. This consistency enables regional flexibility without sacrificing scale, with each ecosystem centred around capable implementation partners who are equipped to adapt locally. Partnerships with established European systems integrators have become pivotal in delivering tailored industry experiences that can address the complexity typical of midmarket enterprises in manufacturing and retail, for example. This tier of business continues to respond well to the prospect of a single platform that integrates IT, HR, and now CRM functionality, enabling faster deployment cycles and lowering the total operational burden of disjointed technology stacks. It was mentioned at the event that ServiceNow is preparing to release purpose‑built commercial packages designed for these midmarket dynamics, reflecting a broader intention to simplify enterprise transformation through repeatable orchestration for midmarket organisations.

Reframing the CRM proposition

It is clear to PAC that ServiceNow’s recent focus on reimagining customer relationship management (CRM) represents a significant evolution from the traditional concept of CRM as a static system of record. The company now describes this layer as a system of action, one designed to link customer engagement, service fulfilment, and outcome delivery through a common workflow engine. From PAC’s perspective, this approach responds to the fatigue many enterprises have experienced after years of integrating multiple CRM applications without achieving the coherence promised by earlier cloud migrations. The transition embodies a shift from transactional management toward operational orchestration, creating a unified environment in which customer interactions are not just logged but resolved end to end within the same platform.
 
Within the enterprise space, this reframing of CRM has gained traction in industries that depend on seamless coordination between customer service and operational execution. Banking institutions leverage ServiceNow to manage dispute processes and regulatory outreach, while retailers use it to control inventory‑linked service operations. PAC considers that the strategic underpinning of these examples lies in ServiceNow’s capability to combine service fulfilment, field performance, and connected customer data within a single process architecture. This application of CRM aligns with the company’s larger platform philosophy, treating customer data as not only a sales enabler but also an operational intelligence layer that feeds continuous improvement cycles across an organisation. PAC is encouraged by this because it demonstrates an evolution in CRM utility from customer database to active workflow participant, closing the disconnect between front‑office ambition and back‑office execution.

Partner and platform alignment

PAC has assessed ServiceNow’s service provider ecosystem across Europe twice over the past three years because of how important partners are in the region, where demands can vary significantly within and across countries. So it was encouraging to see the continued scaling of ServiceNow’s CRM and midmarket strategy despite how it depends heavily on a strengthened partnership ecosystem and tight integration across its product architecture. It was clear again at the event that the firm’s best partnerships have evolved from delivery-oriented arrangements to collaborative development relationships that co-create industry-specific capabilities. This collaborative motion extends across Europe through alliances that embed local expertise into regulated vertical sectors such as financial services and the public sector. This model allows customers to retain sectoral specificity while benefiting from platform standardisation that ensures resilience and compliance within diverse regulatory frameworks.
 
Moreover, AI capability now permeates every layer of the firm’s CRM approach, reinforcing ServiceNow’s positioning as a workflow intelligence platform rather than a purely functional CRM vendor. When PAC engages with organisations, it is clear that those making adoption decisions increasingly recognise that the operational impact of AI emerges most clearly when built directly into core processes rather than applied as an external enhancement. This alignment of intelligent automation and process design is particularly relevant to midmarket organisations that lack the resources to integrate AI independently but require immediate, consumable value. As the partner community continues to deepen its specialist practices, PAC considers that this type of model allows organisations to pursue platform modernisation through a single engagement framework while maintaining the governance and localisation necessary for European operating contexts.