KPMG steps in as implementation partner for ServiceNow's own HR overhaul
KPMG has expanded its alliance with ServiceNow, becoming an implementation and services partner for the vendor's EmployeeWorks and HR Service Delivery platforms while also helping ServiceNow transform its own internal HR operations. The work combines ServiceNow's recent Moveworks acquisition, agentic AI workflows, and KPMG's Mystro platform, with the first phase targeting a minimum viable product within 180 days.
The engagement runs in two directions. KPMG will implement the technology for joint customers, and ServiceNow has hired KPMG to modernize its own HR function. Gary Plotkin, KPMG's global ServiceNow practice leader, said ServiceNow wants an end-to-end HR transformation, not a pilot.
"That's not what this is," Plotkin said. "This is an end-to-end transformation being done in phases. This is full-on leveraging ServiceNow and its AI capability, along with KPMG's knowledge and innovation, to fundamentally change ServiceNow's HR operation."
What EmployeeWorks brings to the table
ServiceNow EmployeeWorks functions as the enterprise "front door" for employees, combining a unified portal with conversational AI from ServiceNow's March acquisition of Moveworks. Employees can ask questions and the system takes actions, not just returns answers. HR Service Delivery sits behind it, digitizing and automating internal HR requests and workflows.
Joe Koester, KPMG's US ServiceNow practice leader, said ServiceNow is "thinking about agents along with employees to deliver HR services" and bringing Moveworks in as the front end for all employees globally. The goal is a new operating model for HR built around AI and agentic workflows.
Mystro maps the agentic roadmap
KPMG's Mystro platform ingests data about an organization's current staffing and operations, then identifies where AI and agentic improvements can deliver the biggest efficiency gains. Koester said Mystro ranks targeted opportunities and fed directly into the roadmap for ServiceNow's engagement, including what ServiceNow calls "Agent Assists."
The first phase runs about six months. "We are all committed to achieving significant phase one of this in 180 days," Koester said.
Client zero, with a twist
ServiceNow President of Global Customer Operations Paul Fipps described KPMG as "the best version of client zero" because the firm is both implementing the technology internally and doing the work for ServiceNow itself.
"It's a huge growth area for us," Fipps said. He pointed to the combination of native AI in the agentic front door and native AI in core HR Service Delivery as the driver. "Behind the scenes, we have our core HR Service Delivery product, also native AI, that actually helps you agentify those core processes."
Once the HR implementation is complete, KPMG expects to expand the relationship into finance and supply chain work. ServiceNow also plans to use the transformation as a reference point for customers. "They want to be a shining bright beacon of how their clients should be using their tools and technologies as well," Koester said.
Why this matters for HR professionals
ServiceNow is betting that AI agents will sit alongside human employees in HR service delivery, not just as chatbots but as systems that take action. For HR teams, the signal is clear: the vendor is rebuilding its own HR operations around this model and will show customers the result. The 180-day timeline also sets expectations for how fast an agentic HR transformation can move when a major systems integrator and the platform vendor commit to it. HR leaders evaluating ServiceNow or planning their own AI for Human Resources initiatives can watch this deployment as a working reference. Executives mapping their own strategy may also want to review the AI Learning Path for CHROs to understand the operating model changes that come with agentic workflows.
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