Service Catalog Best Practices

Overview

Even a well-designed Service Catalog with excellent content and intuitive navigation can struggle with adoption if customers are not aware it exists, do not understand how to use it, or do not know how to find what they need. Training and guidance are the bridge between a catalog that exists and a catalog that is used.

Best Practice

Invest in making the Service Catalog discoverable and learnable. Introduce new customers through structured onboarding — a short video, a guided walkthrough, or a quick start guide. Embed contextual help directly in the catalog — brief guidance next to complex fields, tooltips explaining required information, and links to how-to guides. Promote the catalog actively through internal communication channels, especially when new services are added or improvements are made.

Benefit(s)

Training and in-catalog help content accelerate adoption and reduce the learning curve for new users. Customers who receive a structured introduction use the catalog more consistently and more successfully. In-catalog help reduces incomplete submissions by providing guidance at the exact moment it is needed.