2026 Strategic Account Plan
A transformational partnership opportunity aligned to CEO Dan Schulman's mandate for profitable growth through operational efficiency and customer-first transformation.
1
Executive Summary
Dan Schulman
CEO, Verizon
CEO, Verizon
CEO Transformation Context: Dan Schulman's Mandate
Assumed CEO role October 2025 • Former CEO, PayPal (2014-2023)
"We are determined to be an AI first company, deploying AI at scale. We will use AI to optimize our operations and fundamentally reshape the customer experience."
"We aim to be the most efficient telecom company in our industry as we continue to reduce complexity, eliminate structural inefficiencies, divest non-core assets, and deploy automation at scale."
"Make no mistake, our number one priority is to invest in our business to drive our future growth. No company ever cost-cut its way to greatness."
Dan Schulman assumed the CEO role in October 2025, bringing transformative leadership experience from PayPal where he tripled revenue from $8B to $30B and grew EPS 5x. His mandate is clear: create a simpler, leaner, scrappier organization focused on customer delight while achieving profitable growth. This strategic inflection point creates significant opportunity for ServiceNow to position as the operational platform enabling Schulman's transformation agenda.
$27.3M
Total ServiceNow ACV
(Annual Contract Value)
(Annual Contract Value)
$138.2B
Total Revenue
(FY 2025)
(FY 2025)
~90K
Employees
(Workforce)
(Workforce)
146M+
Total Customers
(Wireless + Wireline)
(Wireless + Wireline)
CEO Dan Schulman's Strategic Transformation Pillars
PILLAR #1
Customer Experience
Customer-obsessed culture. Eliminate complexity, remove pain points, make it easier to do business with us. Hyper-personalized experiences—eventually, every individual customer will have a tailored proposition.
SUCCESS METRICS
• Customer Retention ↑
• Customer Trust/Loyalty ↑
• Churn ↓
• Customer Trust/Loyalty ↑
• Churn ↓
PILLAR #2
Market Share Growth
Playing to win—no longer the hunting ground. Q4 2025: 616K postpaid phone net adds (highest in 5 years), 1M+ total net adds. Convert network advantage into market gains through activation, selling, and support excellence.
SUCCESS METRICS
• Time-to-Revenue ↓
• Speed-to-Market ↑
• Net Adds ↑
• Speed-to-Market ↑
• Net Adds ↑
PILLAR #3
Operational Excellence
AI-first, automation at scale. $5B OpEx war chest (in-year). Goal: most efficient telecom company in the industry. Reduce complexity, eliminate structural inefficiencies, deploy automation at scale.
SUCCESS METRICS
• MTTR ↓
• Cost-to-Serve ↓
• OpEx Savings → $5B
• Cost-to-Serve ↓
• OpEx Savings → $5B
CEO Transition: Hans Vestberg to Dan Schulman (October 2025)
Hans Vestberg Era (2018-2025)
"Build the Best Network"
- Infrastructure-first investment
- $20B+ CapEx annually
- Network quality = competitive moat
- Technology-led strategy
Dan Schulman Era (October 2025+)
"Delight Customers Profitably"
- Customer experience transformation
- $5B OpEx savings mandate (in-year)
- Operational efficiency = survival
- AI-first, automation at scale
⚡
100 days in — investment windows OPEN
💰
$5B OpEx target creates ROI urgency
🎯
Priority shift: IT infra → CX + Ops
🔑
"AI-first company" (Q4 2025 call)
2
Strategic Context & Business Evolution
Verizon Organizational Structure
Verizon Consumer
Services: Wireless, wireline, wholesale & FWA
- • 115M retail connections (83% postpaid)
- • 10M broadband connections (3M Fios)
- • 2025 Revenue: ~$106B
- • 76% of total Verizon revenue
Verizon Business
Services: Wireless, wireline, FWA, broadband, video, corporate networking, managed network services, security, IoT, advanced services
- • Enterprise, Business Markets & Public Sector
- • 31M wireless connections
- • 2M broadband connections
- • 2025 Revenue: ~$29B
- • 22% of total Verizon revenue
Verizon Network
Infrastructure Layer: Wireless, Wireline, Union Workforce
- • Network operations & infrastructure
- • Frontier Communications
- • Acquisition: Closed Jan 20, 2026
- • 30M+ fiber passings
- • $1B+ synergies by 2028 (doubled from initial)
- • Fiber expansion strategy
Key Financial Signals
Revenue & Margin
$138.2B Total Revenue (FY 2025)
"Stuck, growth stalled"
~12% Profit Margin
"Treading water"
Net Income bounce back from 2023 low
"Stuck, growth stalled"
~12% Profit Margin
"Treading water"
Net Income bounce back from 2023 low
Operational Health
$20.1B Free Cash Flow (FY 2025)
"Bright spot, cash is up"
$17.0B CapEx (FY 2025)
"Leveling off"
~$47.6B Adj. EBITDA
"Implied from 32.6% margin"
"Bright spot, cash is up"
$17.0B CapEx (FY 2025)
"Leveling off"
~$47.6B Adj. EBITDA
"Implied from 32.6% margin"
Segment Performance
43% Consumer EBITDA Margin
"Healthy, stable"
~23% Business EBITDA Margin
"Shrinking to survive"
VCG = 76% of revenue (protect & grow)
VBG needs to stop the bleeding
"Healthy, stable"
~23% Business EBITDA Margin
"Shrinking to survive"
VCG = 76% of revenue (protect & grow)
VBG needs to stop the bleeding
🎯 2026 Guidance (Jan 30, 2026)
Revenue: $93B
2-3% growth
2-3% growth
EPS: $4.90-$4.95
4-5% growth
4-5% growth
FCF: $21.5B+
~7% growth
~7% growth
Capital Return: ~$55B to shareholders through 2028 | $25B buyback program (at least $3B in 2026)
Verizon Company Evolution (5-Year)
2020-2021
Network Build Era
5G rollout, C-Band deployment, massive CapEx ($20B+/year). Hans Vestberg infrastructure focus.
CEO: Hans Vestberg | Focus: Build best network
2022-2023
Efficiency Pivot
CapEx reduction begins, workforce optimization (-25K employees). Wireless market saturation recognized.
Focus shifts to cash generation.
Reality Check: Network quality ≠ revenue growth
2024
Strategic Inflection
Frontier acquisition announced ($20B, 25M homes). FWA hits 5M+ subscribers.
Revenue flat, margins under pressure.
Challenge: Growth stalled despite network leadership
2025+
Transformation Era (Schulman)
"Simpler, leaner, scrappier" mandate.
More cuts coming — OpEx efficiency focus. Both segments need to do more with less.
When: Now | CEO: Dan Schulman
3
Stakeholder Relationship Map
Executive Leadership
Dan Schulman
CEO, Verizon
Transformation mandate: Customer-first, simpler/leaner/scrappier
Sponsor
Bill McDermott
CEO, ServiceNow
Status
No defined relationship
Kyle Malady
CEO, Verizon Business
Largely Unknown
Proposed Sponsor
Paul Fipps
No Relationship
Sampath Somyanarayan
CEO, Verizon Consumer
Early Stages of ServiceNow usage
Partner Relationship: BCG & KPMG
Partner Relationship: BCG & KPMG
Proposed Sponsor
Amit Zavery
No defined relationship
Joe Russo
EVP, Global Networks & Technology
Minimal ServiceNow footprint
Partner Relationship: Accenture
Partner Relationship: Accenture
Proposed Sponsor
To be determined
No Relationship
Shankar Arumugavelu
EVP, Verizon Global Services
Central IT/Operations leader
ROLE TRANSITION — Leaving end of February
ROLE TRANSITION — Leaving end of February
Sponsor
Chris Bedi
Are acquainted
Alfonso Villanueva
EVP, Chief Transformation Officer
Oversees AI integrated transformation agenda
Partner Relationship: Unknown
Partner Relationship: Unknown
Proposed Sponsor
To be determined
No Relationship
Sam Hammock
CHRO
Casual support of ServiceNow
Partner Relationship: McKinsey
Partner Relationship: McKinsey
Sponsor
Jacqui Canney
Are acquainted
Key ServiceNow Relationships
Wael Faheem
CIO, Global Networks & Technology
Reports to: Shankar (for now)
Scott Lawrence
Chief Product Officer, VBG
Reports to: Kyle Malady
Jagan Rangarajan
VP of Global Infrastructure, Cloud & Network Operations
Reports to: Sudharsan Srinivasan
James Chappo
Sr Director, Enterprise Platforms
ServiceNow champion
Reports to: Ashis Sarkar
Reports to: Ashis Sarkar
Mufazzal Bohri
Director of SRE Platforms and AI
Site Reliability Engineering lead
Reports to: Ashis Sarkar
Reports to: Ashis Sarkar
Sudharsan Srinivasan
CIO, Global Infrastructure
Reports to: Shankar (for now)
Arvind Basra
Sr Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Solutions
Reports to: Amit Kapoor
Lee Field
Vice President - Global Sales Engineering
Reports to: Daniel Lawson
Daniel Lawson
SVP Global Solutions
Reports to: Scott Lawrence
Stakeholder Relationship Gaps
Vivek Gurumurthy
SVP and CIO, Verizon Consumer & Business Group
Reports to: Shankar (for now)
Adam Koeppe
Chief Network Officer, Core
Reports to: Joe Russo
Srini Kalapala
Chief Network Officer, Wireless
Reports to: Adam Koeppe
Joseph Beasley
VP Verizon Global Operations and Infrastructure Services
Reports to: Joe Russo
Brian Higgins
Chief Customer Experience Officer - Verizon Consumer
Reports to: Sampath Somyanarayan
Mano Mannoochahr
Chief Data & AI Officer
Reports to: Alfonso Villanueva
4
Current ServiceNow Footprint
Verizon Contract Summary
$27.3M
Total Current ACV
6
Active Instances
$0
Now Assist ACV
$8.5M
FY26 R4Q Pipeline
Account ACV by Product Suite
| Account | TX | CRM | CBS | PAI | RISK | CEG | ACV | Verizon BU | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon Wireline | $6.9M | - | $67K | $1.6M | $3.6M | $184K | $12.4M | CSG (AYS/OneRISK) | Dec 2027 |
| VBS - Managed Network Services | $4.8M | $3.9M | - | $2.0M | - | $550K | $11.3M | Verizon Business | Dec 2026 |
| Verizon GovCloud | $123K | $258K | - | $139K | $240K | $356K | $1.2M | Verizon Business | Sep 2028 |
| Verizon GN&T | - | $28K | - | $976K | - | $175K | $1.3M | GN&T | Dec 2026 |
| VBG - Polaris | $14K | $661K | - | $218K | - | - | $935K | Verizon Business | Dec 2026 |
| Verizon Connect | - | $154K | - | $1K | - | - | $190K | Verizon Business | Dec 2026 |
| Verizon Enterprise Solutions | - | $24K | - | $1K | - | - | $25K | Verizon Business | Dec 2026 |
| TOTAL | $11.8M | $5.0M | $67K | $5.0M | $3.8M | $1.3M | $27.3M |
5
FY26 Pipeline
2026 Opportunity Scenarios
CONSERVATIVE
$6M - $10M
Defend & secure core portfolio with targeted expansion
- Moveworks & HR defense
- VBG consolidation
- Now Assist MVPs
- Natural growth
TARGET
$15M - $20M
Aggressive expansion across instances + new workloads
- VCG Now Assist + CRM expansion
- HRSD deployment
- Network AI
- Business as usual ELA
STRETCH
$30M - $60M
Transformational platform plays requiring executive sponsorship
- SFDC CRM replacement
- Enterprise Autonomous AI
- Network as a Service
- TMT AI co-innovation
2026 Big Bets
Critical
AI for Global Technology Services (GTS)
$2M - $4M
1H 2026
Autonomous IT operations for GTS organization. Moveworks front door leading to HRSD, TNI expansion to AICT external network operations, opening door for larger Risk and Asset Management plays across the business.
Products
Moveworks
AICT
TNI
HRSD
Key Stakeholder
Sudharshan Srinivasan (CIO, Global Infrastructure)
Champions
Mufazzal Bohri, James Chappo
High
Verizon Consumer AI & Retail Operations
$1M - $3M
2026 H2
AI-powered customer experience transformation for Verizon Consumer, starting with retail operations automation. Aligned to Schulman's "customer-obsessed culture" mandate. Early stages of ServiceNow usage in VCG—greenfield expansion opportunity.
Products
CRM
Now Assist
Retail Ops
Key Stakeholder
Brian Higgins (CCXO, Verizon Consumer)
Champions
Adam Chando
High
Verizon Business Autonomous CRM & Consolidation
$2M - $4M
2026-2027
Platform consolidation play across Verizon Business. Autonomous support for VBSM, Hub 360 full automation, and CRM displacement. Head-to-head with Salesforce. Tightening operations through workflow consolidation.
Products
CRM
RaptorDB
WDF
SPMT
Key Stakeholder
Kyle Malady (CEO, Verizon Business)
Champions
Arvind Basra, Daniel Lawson
6
Executive Engagement Strategy
Executive Sponsorship Summary
Dan Schulman
CEO
Kyle Malady
CEO, Verizon Business
Sampath Sowmyanarayan
CEO, Verizon Consumer
Joe Russo
EVP, President GN&T
Alfonso Villanueva
EVP, Chief Transformation Officer
Sam Hammock
EVP, CHRO
Bill McDermott
Align "business reinvention" to AI-first turnaround agenda
Paul Fipps
Autonomous CRM & platform consolidation
Amit Zavery
Co-innovation for AI-powered telecom operations
Rohit Batra
Autonomous AI-powered Network as a Service
Chris Bedi
Accelerate time-to-value on AI agenda
Jacqui Canney
Prepare and empower Verizon's workforce through AI
ServiceNow: The AI Control Tower for Verizon's Turnaround
The only platform that unifies Data, AI, Workflows, and Security - enabling the autonomous operations Dan described: anticipate pain points, deploy automation at scale, and delight customers across the enterprise.
SENSE
"We will use our data and AI capabilities..."
Connect 8 ServiceNow instances across VCG, VBG, GN&T into unified operational visibility. Real-time context from network, CRM, and customer systems.
DECIDE
"By using predictive models, we can anticipate customer pain points before they happen"
Predict network issues before outages. Anticipate churn signals. AI grounded in Verizon's policies and customer segments, not generic models.
ACT
"We are determined to be an AI first company, deploying automation at scale"
Autonomous incident resolution - not recommendations, actual execution. AI Agents that resolve billing inquiries and complete work end-to-end.
GOVERN
"When we invest, the bar will be high. We will only do so when it drives growth, delights our customers and delivers for shareholders."
Prove ROI on every AI investment against the $5B OpEx war chest. Track value realization with auditable outcomes.
7
Competitive Tech Stack Landscape
| Company | Footprint | Threat Level | Additional Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build It | Enterprise-wide tendency | Critical | Historical preference to build custom solutions internally. Technical debt and maintenance burden growing. Have homegrown GenAI called Vegas built on Gemini. |
| Pega | VCG "Empire" | High | Entrenched in consumer workflows. Vivek is champion. ServiceNow team hands been slapped for CSM convos in consumer due to Pega. Verizon is a keynote speaker at PegaWorld and a case study. |
| Salesforce | ~$90M/year (VBG largest) | Medium | Verizon frustrated after new pricing. Benioff gave old CEO back $17M during $5M AgentForce deal, removing all Retail Operations SF footprint. Slack wall-to-wall. |
| Microsoft | MS Dynamics | Medium | Have purchased MS Dynamics following issues with Salesforce. |
| Workday | HRSD | Low | Blocking HRSD expansion but limited threat beyond HR. |
8
Value Framework & Business Outcomes
Quantified Business Outcomes for Verizon
Network Operations
| Outcome | Improvement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reduction in MTTR | 40% | Forrester TEI |
| Fewer critical outages | 40% | Customer ref |
| Incident volume reduction | 60% | Telecom outcomes |
Field Service
| Outcome | Improvement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First-time fix rate | 25% | Customer ref |
| Fewer truck rolls | 30% | Telecom outcomes |
| Technician utilization | 15% | FSM benchmarks |
Customer Service
| Outcome | Improvement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Churn reduction | 8% | CSM outcomes |
| Faster order-to-activate | 50% | Telecom outcomes |
| Case resolution time | 50% | Customer ref |
IT Operations
| Outcome | Improvement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Automation rate | 70% | Telecom outcomes |
| Annual savings potential | $50M+ | Industry benchmark |
| Tier-1 incident deflection | 30% | Customer ref |
AI-First Dream Big Strategy
"We must reorient our entire company around delivering for and delighting our customers… simplify operations and address the complexity and friction that slow us down."
ROI Calculation Logic
- Total time saved across agents: ~22M hours/year
- Standard FTE: ~2,000 hrs/year
- FTE equivalent: 22M ÷ 2,000 = ~11,000 FTEs
- Net benefit per workflow: $3.75 saved
- AI cost per workflow: $3.75
- ROI: $3.75 ÷ $3.75 = 100%
Every enterprise has repeatable workflows that show up across business lines. These repeatable workflows exist across Verizon's service, network, and operations teams and still rely on human handoffs. At scale, they create friction that slows execution and increases cost-to-serve across millions of interactions each year.
Platform-Wide AI Efficiency Model
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Blended avg labor cost | ~$75K/year |
| Blended time | ~0.5 hr per workflow |
| BAU Cost | ~$18.75 per workflow |
| Future State Cost | ~$15 per workflow |
| Labor Cost Avoidance | ~11K FTEs |
| Time Back to Business | ~22M hrs/year |
| Efficiency Gain | ~20% |
| ROI per Workflow | 100% |
Verizon Growth at Scale (5-Year Projection)
| Current | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customers | 146.0M | 150.4M | 154.9M | 159.5M | 169.3M |
| Employees (Status Quo) | ~90K | 98K | 96.04K | 94.12K | 90.39K |
| Employees + AI Agent | ~90K | 94.16K | 88.65K | 83.46K | 73.96K |
| Cost Avoidance | - | $288M | $554M | $799M | $1.23B |
AI Agent Use Cases by Domain
| Agent | Domain | Volume/Year | BAU Time | Time Saved | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Issue Resolution | CRM | 55M | 30 min | 12 min | Consumer + Business support |
| Billing Resolution | BSS | 9M | 20-25 min | 10 min | Billing questions, disputes, credits |
| Mobile Activation | OSS | 30M | 30-40 min | 15 min | Device activations, upgrades |
| Network Incident Resolution | OSS | 4M | 45-60 min | 15 min | Incident coordination, remediation |
| Service Impact Intelligence | OSS | 3.5M | 20-30 min | 12 min | Impact analysis, dependency mapping |
| Service Request Automation | IT | 1M | 15-20 min | 10 min | Access, hardware, software requests |
| Employee Support | HR/IT | 400K | 10-15 min | 8 min | Policy, benefits, case management |