Choosing the right ITSM tool is crucial for improving operational efficiency and aligning with your organisation’s needs and goals. But before you dive into the sea of available ITSM tools, you need a structured tool selection process. It’s essential to understand your organisation’s specific goals, challenges, and priorities.
How do you choose the best ITSM tool?
The ITSM software selection usually begins with a thorough assessment of your current ITSM processes and an understanding of your company’s service management maturity. Once you identify these foundational aspects, you will be able to select an ITSM solution that meets your current needs and supports future growth.
In this comprehensive guide to choosing service management software, we’ll run through all the key criteria so you can make the best choice for your organisation.
So, let’s dive in!
Key things to consider when selecting an ITSM tool
When you’re looking for a tool, consider the range of features it offers. While the basic features are important, you should also consider more advanced capabilities. Look for robust capabilities in change management, service catalogue, asset management, and powerful reporting and analytics.
In our recent research, we found some valuable insights into the use and satisfaction levels of ITSM tools. The data below reveals trends that can help you choose and prepare for the future. It also highlights the significance of making a thoughtful choice when selecting the right ITSM tool.
According to our Service Desk Benchmarking Report 2024, 82% of respondents are happy with their current ITSM tool selection. The data shows that while most respondents are happy with their tools, there’s still room for improvement to address the concerns of the dissatisfied minority.
There’s also a growing concern about the return on investment for ITSM service desk tools organisations use. Based on our research, disagreement on ROI recognition increased to 40% in 2023 from 28% in 2019 and 2017.
This suggests that a growing portion of users are dissatisfied with their tool. It also highlights the need for a solution that not only performs well but also demonstrates clear, measurable value to stakeholders.
📈 “In 2023, 90% of respondents stated that they would use more self-help and self-service facilities in the future.”
As we move forward, these trends indicate a strong shift towards more autonomous and intelligent service desk solutions. AI-driven solutions are also becoming increasingly important in enhancing service desk operations, highlighting the need for a solution that can seamlessly integrate these technologies.
So, when choosing the right tool, think about the one that can not only meet your current tool requirements but also offer scalability and adaptability to your future needs. This will help cut down your ITSM tool churn and negative user experiences.
Top Tips for Selecting an ITSM Tool
Now that we’ve investigated some recent data, let’s explore some tips for the tool selection process. Choosing the right ITSM tool involves careful consideration of various factors to support your organisation’s IT operations effectively.
Here are 8 tips to help your ITSM tool selection:
✅ Understand your requirements – Assess specific needs and top challenges. Select a solution that offers a certain degree of customisation and flexibility to tailor the solution according to your specific workflows and processes.
✅ Prioritise user-friendliness and usability – The tool should have an intuitive user interface. A strong focus on user experience and tool usability is critical for user adoption and overall success. Choose a solution that consistently receives high satisfaction ratings, which indicates reliability and ease of use for your IT teams and end users.
✅ Consider scalability and flexibility – Choose a tool that can grow with your organisation. The future of ITSM is leaning towards AI-driven technologies and self-service capabilities. Choose a tool that is adaptable and scalable, with features that can integrate with emerging technologies such as chatbots and virtual agents.
✅ Check integration capabilities – A modern ITSM tool must seamlessly integrate with your existing systems. Verify the integration capability with essential platforms like your identity provider (for SSO), monitoring tools, and even project management software. This ensures a unified workflow and a single source of truth.
✅ Assess cost and value – Consider upfront costs and ongoing expenses. Compare features and benefits against the cost.
✅ Evaluate your tool vendor’s customer support and engagement – Your relationship with the tool vendor is a long-term partnership. Evaluate their customer support responsiveness, community engagement, and available training resources. A strong vendor relationship can significantly enhance your experience and ensure you get the most out of the ITSM solution.
✅ Ensure security and compliance – Verify essential security features like encryption and access controls. Ensure the tool complies with relevant industry standards and regulations.
✅ Analytics and reporting – Ensure the tool offers robust reporting and analytics to help you track performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Look for a solution that allows you to create custom reports tailored to your specific metrics and KPIs.
Finding the Best ITSM Tools: Key Features to Consider
While specific ITSM tool requirements will vary, there are several core features that any modern ITSM tool should offer to drive operational efficiency.
✅Incident and problem management: Core functionalities for tracking, managing, and resolving IT issues to restore service quickly.
✅Change and release management: Structured workflows to manage changes to the IT environment, minimising risk and disruption.
✅Service catalogue: A user-facing portal where employees can request approved IT services and products.
✅Knowledge base: A centralised repository for articles, how-to guides, and FAQs. A robust knowledge base empowers users with self-service options and helps agents resolve issues faster.
✅Automation and workflows: The ability to automate routine tasks, approvals, and notifications to reduce manual effort and improve consistency.
✅Asset management and CMDB: Tools to track and manage IT assets and their configurations, providing crucial context for incident and change management.
What are the best ITSM tools on the market?
Here’s a list of some of the ITSM tools and vendors featured in our guide.
#1 ServiceDesk Plus
ServiceDesk Plus by ManageEngine is a unified service management platform that integrates IT service management essentials, asset management, and a CMDB. This unified platform enables IT leaders to streamline and automate workflows across various business departments and IT functions with features like visual workflow orchestration, AI-powered intelligence, and deep IT management integrations.
ServiceDesk Plus is available both on-premises and as a SaaS solution, with a free 30-day trial to help organisations explore its capabilities.
✅ Availability: 30-day free trial.
#2 ALVAO Service Desk
ALVAO Service Desk is an ITSM solution focused on delivering efficient service desk operations. It provides functionalities like incident and request management, integrated with Microsoft tools for enhanced productivity. ALVAO is available for cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployments.
✅ Availability: Free managed trial
#3 Sunrise MSP Software
Sunrise Software provides IT service management tools designed for service desk teams and managed service providers. From AI-powered chat bots to self-service capabilities, Sunrise streamlines IT processes with unmatched efficiency. The software supports cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployments.
✅ Availability: 30-day free trial.
#4 Freshworks Customer Service Suite
Freshworks Customer Service Suite is an all-in-one customer service platform that integrates ITSM capabilities. It features ticketing, automated workflows, and AI-driven analytics. It is available on cloud and on-premise.
✅ Availability: 21-day free trial
#5 ServiceNow Service Operations
ServiceNow Service Operations is a leading ITSM tool known for its robust capabilities in incident, problem, and change management. It supports extensive automation and AI to streamline IT operations. ServiceNow is available on cloud, on-premise, and hybrid platforms.
✅ Availability: Free trial available
#6 NinjaOne
NinjaOne is a unified IT operations platform that combines remote monitoring, endpoint management, and ITSM functionalities. It provides a user-friendly interface and automation to simplify IT management tasks. NinjaOne supports cloud and on-premise deployments.
✅ Availability: Free trial available
#7 Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
Ivanti Neurons for ITSM provides advanced service management capabilities, including automated workflows, self-service, and analytics. The platform supports proactive and predictive IT operations. Ivanti Neurons is available for cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployments, with a free trial option.
✅ Availability: Free trial available
#8 SolarWinds Service Desk
SolarWinds Service Desk is an IT service management solution with features like incident management, service catalogue, and change management. It integrates well with other SolarWinds products for a comprehensive IT operations suite. The tool is available in cloud and on-premise versions.
✅ Availability: 30-day free trial.
#9 InvGate Service Desk
InvGate Service Desk offers an intuitive interface and robust ITSM capabilities, including ticketing, problem management, and knowledge management. It focuses on improving service delivery and efficiency. InvGate supports both cloud and on-premise deployments and provides a free trial.
✅ Availability: 30-day free trial.
#10 Vivantio ITSM
Vivantio ITSM is a flexible IT service management platform catering to both small and large organisations. Key features include incident management, service catalogue, and customer self-service portals. The tool supports cloud and on-premise deployment options.
✅ Availability: Free trial available
Download the FREE guide now to see the full list of the best ITSM tools and vendors. We cover the key features, pricing, availability, and deployment options.
