UP3 attributes success to major Managed Service customer wins, sector expertise and tremendous growth in the ServiceNow ecosystem.
We founded UP3 in 2016 with the goal of helping companies digitally transform through the power of the ServiceNow platform. During this time – and especially over the last 12 months – we’ve seen huge growth in major IT infrastructure projects in the UK, brought about by the exponential need for data-based services, cloud computing and, of course, AI.
As more and more businesses have learnt about the potential of ServiceNow to play a central role in these projects, we have been kept busier than ever. In a year that really put UP3 on the map and saw us grow revenue and staff by over 50%, we wanted to share some of the highlights and ways in which we drove that success.
Driving success
A deliberate strategy of refocusing on our ServiceNow Managed Service offering resonated strongly with customers over the last 12 months. No other specialist ServiceNow partner provides such a service, and it really sets us apart in this market. Our managed service is attractive to customers for two main reasons:
- Firstly, it takes the load off resource-stretched customers. In-house teams spend lots of their time getting their ServiceNow platform to work smoothly with their legacy systems, or firefighting in-bound requests. We now handle that for our customers, letting them focus on other priorities that require their internal knowledge and relationships.
- Secondly, our dedicated team of ServiceNow experts can leverage customers’ platforms in the best way for their business. A ServiceNow investment is often a substantial, multi-year commitment and underpins business-critical applications, so entrusting it to experts is the best way to deliver exceptional ROI.
To manage this demand, we’ve put new systems and processes in place to prioritise activity, streamline our operations, upskill our team, and align everyone behind our vision. We’ve learnt that outstanding growth comes from extreme focus and clear leadership – including saying no to opportunities that would distract from our core mission.
This has led to us winning significant new projects from a brilliant set of Managed Service customers, working across some of the most complex IT environments out there. We’ve seen growth in our heartlands of rail and transport, but also the legal sector and the public sector too. Recent customer wins include two global law firms, Clyde & Co and HFW, as well as National Gas, which owns and operates the gas network across Great Britain, and the not-for-profit workplace pensions provider People’s Partnership.
All this combined has seen us grow revenue by 50% y-o-y, in a ServiceNow ecosystem that is typically growing at half that rate. Anecdotally, we are also capturing a disproportionate share of major customer projects.
So much of this success has been driven by our people. Our team has grown by 50% in the last year to reach 60 people, and we’ve appointed senior leaders to take charge of key functions in marketing, technical support and sales.
Looking ahead
We still see huge opportunities for growth. ServiceNow has set a goal of reaching $16bn in annual revenue by 2026, double where it is now. This creates enormous possibilities for UP3 as a highly respected partner in the ServiceNow ecosystem.
We know that, as in any market, growth on this scale will bring intense competition. While we are regularly coming up against much bigger players in the form of global SIs and service providers, we’re confident in our proposition and approach – indeed we’re already replacing some of these firms in our customers. That’s because we offer unrivalled expertise as dedicated ServiceNow specialists. With our boutique service, we can work with an agility and speed that is unmatched. And our years of working closely with customers gives us an intuitive understanding of how ServiceNow can deliver the business outcomes they’re looking for.
Our business evolved and matured significantly in 2023. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 12 months. We’re even more excited about the year to come.
