Drowning in a pile of alerts, notifications, and endless user tickets? Dive into the world of IT service request management software, which streamline these processes for you. In this guide, we break down the best service request management software out there so you can decide which tool works best for your business needs. Trust us—your workflow will thank you.
Software to Streamline The Work of IT Teams
What Is Service Request Management?
How Does Service Management Software Work?
Benefits of a Request Management Software
13 of the Best Service Request Management Software
1. SolarWinds Service Desk (our pick)
7. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Conclusion – What is The Best Service Request Management Software?
Software to Streamline The Work of IT Teams
In the last few decades, ‘ ‘there’s been explosive growth in the number of digital devices, services, and applications that have transformed business operations across all sectors. At the same time, the underlying IT infrastructure supporting this digital growth has also become complex. As a result, many IT teams are constantly receiving numerous alerts, notifications, and service requests or tickets from end users.
Prioritizing the work in such an environment can be a big challenge for organizations lacking the proper tools for service request management. This is where IT ticketing management software or a service desk can offer a way forward. Here are some of the most important features a service request management software should offer along with a list of the best service request software on the market today.
What Is Service Request Management?
An ITIL service request is when an end user asks for a standard service. Note this differs from an incident, which is an unexpected disruption to an IT service needing urgent attention. An ITIL service request ‘doesn’t imply something is malfunctioning; rather, a desired specific service or item. For example, if ‘ ‘you’re listening to your playlist and the music suddenly stops, this is’ ‘ an incident. However, if you wanted to upgrade your streaming app or add a new feature related to your music experience would be a service request. For organizations across industries, a service request can be anything from a new employee wanting to set up new hardware or software to a user requesting VPN access for remote work.
Service request management involves software designed to help your IT team keep track of and organize requests as ‘ ‘they’re received, processed, and addressed. These can include requests for:
- access to applications
- a new software license or its renewal
- hardware installation
- software configuration
- resetting of passwords, and more.
Now what makes a specific service request management software great? ‘ ‘It’s ability to assist a service desk team in the management of the entire lifecycle of requests. It should enable end users to easily raise a request, monitor its status, and get some idea about the time required for its resolution.
It should also offer insights into the efficacy and performance of your entire service request management process. With various performance reports, decision-makers can get a bird’s-eye view of their service desk ‘teams’ performance and allocate resources to different departments or regions based on workloads and business priorities.
While service request management is important, there are some other closely related IT practices organizations should follow for uninterrupted connectivity, productivity, and security, including:
- Incident management—Involves managing unplanned events or contingencies disrupting or degrading routine business/user activities,
- Problem management—Focuses on managing processes designed to help esolve underlying issues or problems to reduce the frequency of associated events or incidents,
- Change management—Handles all change requests (adding, modifying, or removing something) with proper authorization and compliance and ensures there ‘aren’t accidental disruptions caused by these changes.
A modern service request software should offer all the above features with a high degree of automation, deployment flexibility, and integration with the existing IT ecosystem in any organization.
How Does Service Management Software Work?
Service management software acts as a centralized hub to streamline business operations, particularly for IT and service tasks. When there’s an issue or a request, users can input it into the system. Using its defined protocols, the software ensures the right department or individual addresses it. Service management software also typically provides dashboards to offer a clear snapshot of operational performance, much like an analytics tool gauges business health.
What’s particularly beneficial about this tool is its compatibility. Most service management software is designed to integrate seamlessly with other organizational tools, facilitating a smooth flow of information across platforms to enhance communication and collaboration across your business.
Read also: What is an ITSM assessment, and how does an ITSM Maturity Model help?
Benefits of a Request Management Software
In any business, efficiency is the key to success. IT service request software offers organizations a robust solution to expediting and simplifying service processes while optimizing user interactions. They also offer several benefits worth considering, including:
1. Smoother Workflows
A service request management tool eliminates the ambiguity often associated with manual or disparate processes by centralizing the intake of requests and standardizing processes. It helps IT teams ensure every request follows a consistent path from initiation to resolution, reducing bottlenecks and checking tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
2. Enhanced Accountability
A transparent trail means each request is associated with a specific team or individual, promoting responsibility. This system-driven accountability can improve performance, as teams are more cognizant of their roles and responsibilities.
3. Data-Driven Decision Making
Over time, request management tools gather substantial data about requests’ volume, type, and resolution time. Analyzing this data can help spot trends, identify improvement areas, and make informed decisions about resource allocation or process modifications.
4. Improved User Satisfaction
When users know requests are addressed quickly and effectively, their trust in your service request system grows. This trust leads to increased user satisfaction, fostering a more positive relationship between your service providers and their users.
5. Cost-Efficiency
Sure, implementing a request management tool requires an initial investment in both time and money, but the long-term savings are worth it. By reducing manual errors, improving resource allocation, and optimizing processes, request management software can help lower your operational costs. And as processes become more refined over time, ‘ ‘you’ll be saving money in the long run.
Integrating a service request management tool is not about keeping up with the digital age. It’s a strategic move offering tangible benefits, making it an essential asset for modern companies looking to optimize their services from the inside out.
Here’s a brief overview of the top 13 service request management software we recommend.
Read also: AI in ITSM: GenAI for Asset, Knowledge, Incident Management
13 of the Best Service Request Management Software
1. SolarWinds Service Desk (Free Trial)
© 2023 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.
SolarWinds Service Desk is an AI-driven, cloud-supported IT service management (ITSM) platform designed to boost productivity and resolution times. One of its standout features is its automation capabilities, which allow you to route tickets automatically and assign them based on keywords, categories, requesters, and other criteria. Embedded machine learning tools also make it possible for your IT teams to categorize tickets and transfer them to the right employees. You can also build automated workflows to standardize processes and maintain consistency throughout the entire lifecycle of your ITIL service requests.
Service Desk doesn’t stop at singular incident resolution. Its emphasis on problem management facilitates a more proactive approach, enabling teams to group recurring incidents, identify and address root causes, and prevent future related incidents from happening.
With comprehensive tools for in-depth data analysis, organizations can glean insights from key metrics such as ticket volume, resolution times, and user satisfaction. With this holistic suite of features, SolarWinds Service Desk is the best all-around service request software for large businesses looking to upgrade their existing management system or those starting from scratch.
Learn More Download Free Trial
If you want to try it out, SolarWinds offers a free 30-day trial to test drive this comprehensive software solution.
2. Web Help Desk (Free Trial)
© 2023 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.
SolarWinds Web Help Desk is a popular IT ticketing management software designed to help ITSM teams diagnose incidents effortlessly and automate ticket routing. It also integrates closely with knowledge base articles and enables easy management of ITIL service requests, known problems, and service level agreements.
While the entire list of features is exhaustive, the native integration with LDAP and Active Directory is a key feature, which makes the initial setup easier for organizations. To help gather critical data and information for ticket resolution, the software allows the creation of custom request forms dynamically with unlimited fields. Web Help Desk also offers business-based action rules to automate ticket assignment and ticket updates.
For effective change management, Web Help Desk allows organizations to track and automate their workflows with rule-based approval and voting features. It helps choose approvers and change advisory boards dynamically, based on the ‘ ‘request’s origin. The software also allows managers to track the performance of service desk teams in real time, using a built-in customizable reporting dashboard. The dashboard provides insights into the status of service requests, real-time billing data, major problem types with regions of their origin, and more.
Want to take it for a test run? Visit ‘SolarWinds’ website to use Web Help Desk free for 14 days.
3. ServiceNow ITSM
© 2023 ServiceNow. All rights reserved.
Virtual chatbots, predictive intelligence, and development tool integration—these are just a few capabilities the ServiceNow ITSM tool has to offer. ‘ ‘It’s comprehensive, intuitive, and forward-thinking, giving the most complex organizations more organized control over their entire service request system. Its unified agent workspace simplifies operations by consolidating service requests, incidents, and tasks into one efficient platform, making every issue easily traceable and manageable.
While ServiceNow ‘ ‘ITSM’s vast array of features makes it an all-in-one tool for service request management, ‘ ‘best for large-scale operations that handle overwhelming loads of information daily. Thanks to its AI and machine learning, ServiceNow efficiently sorts, directs, and prioritizes tasks, ensuring timely resolution. Collaborative efforts are also presented in a visual task board, giving leaders a glimpse into real-time teamwork. ServiceNow ITSM even comes with Dynamic Translation to remove language barriers common with global enterprises.
4. SysAid
Copyright © 2023 SysAid. All Rights Reserved
Unlike ServiceNow ITSM, SysAid comes in three package options based on your ‘ ‘organization’s size, maturity, and goals: SysAid Help Desk, SysAid ITSM, and SysAid ITSM AI.
SysAid is the most basic model and it comes with ticket and self-service automation, 360-degree service management, a mobile solution, standard reporting capabilities, CMDB, asset management, and LDAP integration. ‘ ‘It’s the most user-friendly option to use, but it lacks AI tools and ITIL features its more advanced alternatives offer.
SysAid ITSM and SysAid ITSM AI both provide a wide spectrum of management features to manage more mature and complicated service request systems. At their core is a comprehensive service desk, ensuring IT issues, whether big or small, are logged, managed, and resolved with precision.
Similarly, ‘ ‘SysAid’s asset management tools provides a clear view of all IT assets in an organization, from procurement to decommissioning, for optimal utilization and timely maintenance. The platform also places a strong emphasis on self-service. With its user-friendly portal, end-users can easily report issues, track their status, or access a rich knowledge base for DIY solutions.
SysAid stands out because of its adaptability—organizations can tailor the platform to their unique requirements, thanks to its customizable fields and templates.
5. InvGate Service Desk
© InvGate
This IT service request management software solution is packed with features leaving no touchpoint unaddressed. From linked requests and an accessible knowledge base to real-time customer ratings and visual analytical dashboards, InvGate Service Desk is highly detail-oriented without sacrificing user-friendliness.
InvGate Service ‘ ‘Desk’s reports allow you to cross-analyze 150+ metrics for faster and smarter decision-making. ‘ ‘What’s more, you can share your dashboards with customers to keep everyone on the same page while providing an up-to-date snapshot of their service request status. Plus, you can enjoy extra features like email and ticket templates, AI-generated notifications, end-user authentication, and more.
6. NinjaOne
© Copyright NinjaOne
NinjaOne is an IT service management tool taking into account the new remote nature of workspaces, with a one-click remote access featuret enables admins to connect to their devices while on the move for uninterrupted endpoint management. Plus, all remote sessions are logged for documentation and added security.
This request management tool also presents a bird’s-eye view of all ticketing activities, agent assignments, and service metrics—including live device inventory for real-time data about connected devices. This level of visibility enables teams to stay on top of challenges and always meet service level agreements.
Integration is another prominent feather in ‘ ‘NinjaOne’s cap. With its ability to smoothly integrate with popular third-party tools, NinjaOne offers convenience, scalability, and feasibility to make service request management a breeze.
7. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
© 2023 Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus runs on ITIL practices to deliver consistent and timely ticket resolution. Equipped with automation features, agents can tackle more complex issues at a quicker pace.
The key to this platform’s efficiency is the user-friendly self-service portal packed with a resourceful knowledge base. This empowers users to resolve issues independently, reducing the load on support teams.
The platform is highly streamlined yet intuitive, taking care of repetitive tasks and duplicate errors through automation so IT teams can focus on providing high-quality customer support. With low-code custom functions, your business can make ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus work the way you want it to, with visual workflows for at-a-glance updates.
8. Zendesk
©Zendesk 2023
Zendesk, which is known for its CRM products and solutions for support, sales, and customer engagement, also offers request management. The solution is part of its Zendesk Suite and offers ITIL service request management across multiple channels, using what it calls an omnichannel ticket system.
Teams can manage the entire ticket lifecycle by implementing ITIL best practices for verifying, testing, and triaging of tickets, using key fields to track issues, and communicating the status of requests. It also offers a centralized hub, which allows decision-makers to track their support ‘ ‘team’s performance using various metrics, KPIs, and SLAs.
9. Zoho Desk
© 2023, Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Built for organizations of any size, Zoho Desk shines when it comes to multi-channel support and collaboration. It shines with its AI-driven assistant, Zia. Unlike many other platforms, Zia provides real-time suggestions, streamlines tasks, and predicts customer satisfaction levels, making the your ’employees’ jobs significantly smoother.
The ‘s refined ticketing system ensures every customer query is efficiently categorized, prioritized, and directed to the appropriate team. This efficiency is further amplified by ‘ ‘Zoho’s standout Team Collaboration feature, which promotes seamless internal communication on each ticket, minimizing delays and miscommunication.
10. Help Scout
© 2023 Help Scout
With an emphasis on serving midsize businesses, Help Scout excels in affordability and accessibility, merging all the tools service request managers need all in one place. Its shared inbox provides a unique way to collaborate on tickets and track a request from receipt to completion. Help Scout also houses several channels so no matter where your customers contact your organization from, ‘ ‘you’ll see it all in a single pane of glass. In this way, it does a great job at making every customer interaction feel personal.
A standout feature is the platform’s Beacon, a blend of chat, search, and an embedded help center, that provides customers instant access to relevant articles without leaving the page. This proactive approach minimizes incoming requests and empowers customers, offering them immediate solutions.
11. Freshservice
© 2023 Freshworks Inc. All Rights Reserved
Freshservice, an IT service management solution from Freshworks, offers a unique experience that mimics the online shopping environment consumers are familiar with. Service items are presented in a catalog format so that end-users can easily select and request specific services. Meanwhile, employees can integrate apps like MS Teams and Slack to keep communication lines open and transparent, without disrupting existing collaboration processes.
To keep up with the fast-paced demands of your consumer base, Freshservice helps your IT team configure workflow automation, including agent assignment and notifications, to handle repetitive tasks for you. ‘ ‘It’s also powered by an AI engine to help your employees best navigate workloads, change management, and problem resolution to make smarter request management decisions.
12. Jira Service Management
Copyright © 2023 Atlassian
Jira Service Management is another capable ITSM solution designed to simplify service request management. The solution offers a clean interface and is easy to set up without the need for lengthy coding or configuration. Plus, businesses large and small are able to select only the features they need, for scalability that fits your exact operational needs. While it offers basic and advanced ITSM capabilities, you can configure it to meet specific IT service management needs with the marketplace of various integrations and apps.
If ‘ ‘you’re already using Atlassian products like Confluence, Opsgenie, and Statuspage, your organization will find the solution suitable for collaboration and service delivery. The solution also offers a native mobile app to assist ITSM professionals in resolving service requests on the go, and a self-service portal for around-the-clock troubleshooting and technical support.
13. HubSpot
Copyright © 2023 HubSpot, Inc.
Hubspot, traditionally recognized for its popularity among marketers and CRM users, offers a free help desk and ticketing software to help businesses with service request management issues. Central to its offering is its intuitive service hub, a dedicated platform helping address every customer query, concern, or feedback. This hub is fortified with a ticketing system that logs and categorizes requests and prioritizes them to ensure that pressing matters receive immediate attention.
Another one of HubSpot’s standout features is its integrative feedback tool. By keeping tabs on your ‘customers’ history, previous issues, and more, HubSpot provides invaluable insights into user satisfaction levels, allowing your business to recalibrate your strategies accordingly and offer a more personalized experience. The platform’s reporting dashboard also presents a panoramic view of service metrics, enabling teams to monitor performance and identify areas of improvement continuously.
Conclusion – What is The Best Service Request Management Software?
As discussed, IT service request management is a complex practice and requires dedicated tools and processes. ‘ ‘We’ve covered the important features required for efficient service delivery in large organizations, as well as why we thinkSolarWinds Service Desk is the best service request software in the market. While all these software options are equally capable, finding the best fit for your organization can take a bit of trial and error.
For instance, certain organizations might prefer the on-premises deployment of Web Help Desk as it is FIPS 140-2 Compatible, while others might prefer the SaaS-based SolarWinds Service Desk, which is ITIL Pink Verify Certified. As all the above solutions offer free trials, organizations can evaluate them based on their integration with their existing IT tools, degree of automation, and ease of usage.
To get started, we recommend a free trial of SolarWinds Service Desk, an affordable and simple solution with basic and advanced features for IT service management.
