Nelnet, founded in 1996 and based in Lincoln, Nebraska, began as a student loan servicer and has since grown into a diversified company spanning education technology, payment processing, broadband, and renewable energy (nelnetinc.com). Guided by its mission to serve others, Nelnet focuses on delivering solutions that balance the needs of customers, associates, shareholders, and communities. 

Following an acquisition in 2018, Nelnet’s IT environment became increasingly complex across multiple locations and systems. When the pandemic shifted the majority of their workforce to a remote model, the company sought a scalable way to manage IT asset returns. Nelnet adopted ReturnCenter’s Box Program to simplify immediate needs, later integrating the ReturnCenter App within ServiceNow to automate workflows, improve visibility, and eliminate manual processes.

The Challenge
Following its acquisition of Great Lakes Higher Education, Nelnet’s IT asset environment became more complicated, spanning six additional locations across four states. When the pandemic hit, the workforce shifted from 20% to 95% remote, creating an urgent need for an efficient, scalable way to retrieve IT assets from departing employees. 

The process at the time was highly manual and fragmented:

• Multiple disconnected systems for ticketing and asset tracking
  
• Coordination across IT, HR, and the mailroom via spreadsheets, email, and chat
  
• Manual mailroom fulfillment with paper forms and delayed tracking updates
  
• Frequent confusion between outbound and inbound tracking number
  

The Tipping point came during federal student loan forbearance, when nearly 1,000 terminations occurred at once.

“We had systems—but not a process. It was very ad hoc.” — David Peterson, IT Manager for Infrastructure, Nelnet 

The Goal
Nelnet needed a single, streamlined process for remote IT asset recovery that would: 

• Eliminate redundant manual steps and reduce human error
• Integrate directly with ServiceNow and existing HR systems
• Improve visibility for all stakeholders in the offboarding process
• Scale to handle both individual terminations and seasonal bulk off-boarding events

The Solution
Phase 1 – ReturnCenter Box Program
As an immediate improvement, Nelnet adopted ReturnCenter’s turnkey Box Program to centralize remote asset returns. IT and mailroom teams could order pre-labeled shipping kits—complete with packing materials and return labels—through an online platform, routing devices to the correct facility. 

Phase 2 – ServiceNow Integration
When Nelnet’s ServiceNow instance was ready, they deployed the ReturnCenter App for ServiceNow, enabling: 

• Automatic import of offboarding employee contact information from Workday
• Embedded return logistics within ServiceNow tickets
• Automated shipping label creation and tracking updates
• A “single pane of glass” workflow for IT, HR, and mailroom staff

“Integrating ReturnCenter saved time across IT, HR, and our mailroom, freeing up resources and reducing errors. We went from paper forms and Excel sheets to a unified, automated process that actually works.”— David Peterson

The Results 

• Faster Returns – Backlog of termination tasks reduced; assets returned more quickly
• Improved Visibility – Real-time tracking in ServiceNow accessible to all stakeholders
• Operational Efficiency – Reallocation of staff from manual admin work to higher-value activities; mailroom reduced staffing through attrition
• Reduced Errors – Eliminated paper forms, spreadsheets, and tracking number mix-ups

“The ReturnCenter App allowed us to eliminate multiple manual handoffs and streamline our workflow within ServiceNow,” David said. “We finally got the process to a place that felt manageable. ReturnCenter didn’t just make the process faster—it made it work.”
— David Peterson

Looking for more perspectives? Check out these resources: 

Case Study: Secureworks Streamlines IT Asset Recovery with ReturnCenter’s ServiceNow Integration 

Webinar: Reclaim Your Time: Reduce ITAM Workload, Streamline Hardware Shipments in ServiceNow

 Find out more about ReturnCenter’s solutions for ServiceNow.