ServiceNow to acquire Hitch to help customers address talent gaps

ServiceNow has announced the acquisition of Hitch, a skills mapping and intelligence company.

Hitch will add a new layer of AI-powered skills insights to the industry-leading Now Platform to assist customers in filling talent gaps by connecting employee learning and development to workforce planning. Companies will be able to match people to projects more effectively – all from a single platform.

According to IDC, North American CEOs believe that managing the talent skills gap will be the most significant risk to business in 2022. Companies today face enormous pressure to attract, train, and retain a workforce that can respond to evolving business needs in the face of high employee turnover and an accelerated pace of change. Managers will be able to identify which employees are best suited for projects based on skills and interests using Hitch’s AI and ML capabilities.

“If skills are the new currency for business, insight into these skills is critical to driving talent retention and adapting to evolving business needs,” said Gretchen Alarcon, vice president and general manager of HR Service Delivery, ServiceNow. “But skills management has historically been siloed, with numerous point solutions and fragmented processes that don’t work together. With Hitch, ServiceNow will streamline skills intelligence on a single platform to help business leaders match employees with meaningful work.” 

Hitch was founded by HR industry veteran Kelley Steven-Waiss, who previously served as CHRO and CIO of HERE Technologies. Heather Jerrehian, a successful serial entrepreneur and one of the founders of the venture capital firm How Women Invest, leads the company. Both executives are expected to remain with ServiceNow following the acquisition.

“AI-powered skills intelligence is the foundation for the future of work,” said Jerrehian. “Joining forces with ServiceNow allows us to scale our skills and talent mobility solutions across a global ecosystem of business leaders, managers, and employees. Together we will make work more meaningful and purpose-driven for employees and deliver better business outcomes for companies.”

Hitch’s capabilities will be integrated into the Now Platform by ServiceNow, beginning with its Employee Workflow solutions, where Hitch’s ability to boost employee engagement and productivity across the enterprise is a natural extension. ServiceNow also plans to expand Hitch’s capabilities across its portfolio of products for customer service, IT, and developers in the future.

“A productive and engaged workforce is the greatest asset of an organization,” said Steven-Waiss. “As we emerge from the pandemic and face the challenges of the Great Resignation, employee experience is the key differentiator to winning 21st century talent. ServiceNow will advance Hitch’s vision of creating the next generation of workforce and skills solutions.”

ServiceNow and Hitch will work together to help businesses provide equal access to work and development opportunities regardless of who an employee knows or how well they network. This acquisition is yet another investment made by ServiceNow to improve employee experiences and power the future of work by bringing skills intelligence together on a single platform within the ongoing flow of work. 

ServiceNow has added new solutions to its Employee Workflow portfolio over the last year to support employees at all stages of their careers, including Employee Journey Management, which enables employee learning and feedback in the flow of work.

ServiceNow expects to close the acquisition in Q2 2022.