When More Choice Means More Confusion…
A Head of Finance once asked me why his staff always emailed HR rather than using the shiny new ServiceNow portal. I sat with his team and watched them try to request a payslip.
Four different catalogue items seemed like they might do the job. Each used slightly different wording, and none matched what the team called it in conversation. After three failed attempts, they gave up and sent HR a direct email.
Sound familiar? ServiceNow is a powerful tool, but a messy catalogue is like a restaurant menu with fifty pages. More options don’t help, they just slow everyone down.
The ServiceNow Service Catalogue Creep Problem
Here’s why your ServiceNow service catalogue grows out of control:
- Old items never get retired.
- New services are added by different teams, each with their own labels.
- Duplicate entries linger after every upgrade.
- No one “owns” the catalogue, so it becomes a dumping ground.
The result? Confusion, misrouted tickets, and a growing resistance to self-service.
Why Decision Makers Should Act
A lean catalogue makes the whole business more efficient.
- Less friction means higher adoption and happier users.
- IT and HR teams spend less time correcting tickets or re-routing requests.
- Leadership sees ROI, not just from technology, but from smarter processes.
Five Steps to a Cleaner Catalogue
1. Audit Regularly
Set a quarterly calendar reminder. List every item.
- Which ones are used?
- Which are confusing or duplicated?
2. Merge and Retire
If two services do the same thing, combine them. Archive the old ones. Remove anything not used in the last year.
3. Use Plain, Consistent Names
Every request should match what users say in the hallway. No more “Employee Remuneration Documentation Request” when you could say “Get a Payslip.”
4. Organise by User Intent
Don’t group by department, group by what employees want to do. For example:
- My Pay
- My Leave
- My IT
- My Team
5. Test with Real Users
Watch a manager try to complete a basic request. If they get stuck, your catalogue needs another round of pruning.
What Happened When We Simplified for a UK Retail Client
We worked with an HR team whose catalogue had grown to over 200 items. Many were duplicates, others had outdated names, and nobody knew what half of them did. After a focused audit and merge, we cut the list by half.
- Portal adoption jumped by 30%
- Ticket volume dropped
- HR finally stopped fielding “what form do I use?” calls every morning
The team described it as “taking a weight off our process.”
Quick Wins for Leaders
- Put catalogue clean-up on the quarterly leadership agenda.
- Assign a single owner (even if it rotates by quarter).
- Encourage feedback, let users flag confusing items.
- Reward simplicity: the shorter the menu, the better the experience.
Make Self-Service a No-Brainer
A simple, plain-English catalogue removes barriers, speeds up everyday requests, and gets your investment working harder for everyone.
If you want help, Monochrome’s team can run a rapid catalogue audit, recommend quick fixes, and set you up for a cleaner, more effective Employee Center. Why not book a UX Workshop today.
Quick Answers for Busy Leaders
Q: How often should we audit our ServiceNow catalogue?
A: Every three to six months. Small, frequent reviews beat a once-a-year overhaul.
Q: Who should own catalogue simplification?
A: Pick one accountable person or team, ideally someone close to daily operations.