Comparing ITSM software solutions: 5 steps to make the right choice

Choosing IT Service Management software isn’t something you want to rush. It’s a long-term decision that will shape how your IT operations function for years to come. 

This is more than just choosing a tool. You’re choosing a long-term partner that will support and streamline your business operations. A well-implemented ITSM solution does more than track incidents; it connects IT with the rest of the organization, automates workflows and improves service delivery.

As an ITSM architect and consultant, I’ve worked with companies at different stages of their IT maturity, helping them choose solutions that match their business needs. 

The mistake I see most often is evaluating software based purely on features rather than considering the bigger picture. Things like implementation speed, total cost of ownership, flexibility, user adoption and vendor support all play a critical role in determining whether a tool will actually work for an organization—not just today, but as it grows and changes. 

You also need to consider scalability and interoperability: can the tool evolve alongside your business, and will it integrate smoothly with the rest of your IT ecosystem?

Let’s have a look at the steps to help businesses compare ITSM solutions effectively.

Before looking at vendors, take a step back and evaluate what you expect from an ITSM solution. You want something that goes beyond a ticketing system and instead serves as a core part of your IT operations. A well-chosen platform should help automate processes, improve efficiency and make it easier to manage IT services across departments.

Start by identifying the problems you need to solve. What are the bottlenecks in your IT operations? How do service requests flow through your organization, and where do inefficiencies arise? Understanding these factors will help you define clear requirements instead of getting distracted by feature checklists.

Once you have a clear picture of what your business actually needs from an ITSM solution, the next step is figuring out how you’ll compare vendors. This is where things can go off the rails if you’re not careful.

A lot of companies get caught up in feature checklists — does it have Incident Management? Check. A self-service portal? Check. A mobile app? Check. But here’s the thing: most ITSM platforms offer similar core features. 

That’s not what’s going to make or break your experience with the tool. What really matters is everything else: how the tool fits into your workflows, how much it actually costs over time, how easily your team can use it, and how well the vendor supports you after you sign the contract.

So instead of just asking, “What features does this tool have?”, ask: “What will it actually be like to live with this tool every day?” That’s the difference between choosing an ITSM tool that works on paper versus one that actually works for your business.

There’s a huge gap between how fast a vendor says you can implement their software and how fast you actually do it. A common promise is “deploy in just a few weeks!” You’ve heard it a dozen times. And sure, that sounds great, but only tells part of the story.

Ask:

The reality is that a fast deployment is about how well the vendor supports you, whether the tool plays nicely with your existing systems, and how complex your own environment is. If an ITSM solution requires an army of consultants just to get up and running, that’s something you need to know upfront.

The sticker price of an ITSM solution is almost never the actual price you’ll pay over time. Sure, there’s the licence fee, but what about:

• Customization costs? Some platforms require heavy configuration work just to get started.
• Maintenance and upgrades? Will you need a specialized team just to keep the platform running? How many people will you need on payroll just to maintain the system day to day? Some ITSM tools require dedicated admins to manage updates, handle routine tasks and troubleshoot issues. Others are more self-sufficient, allowing existing teams to manage things with minimal overhead.
• Training costs? If the tool is overly complicated, you’ll have to invest in training every time you bring on new staff.

Then there are the hidden costs. The ones vendors don’t always mention. Maybe you need extra modules to unlock key features, or maybe you’re charged based on the number of users, integrations, or automations you need. Before signing anything, map out the real-world costs over the next 3 to 5 years.

Your business will change. The ITSM tool you pick needs to keep up.

The big question here is: How much effort does it take to make changes? Can you modify workflows, create custom reports, or add new service categories without needing a full development team?

Some tools are rigid, locking you into predefined processes that might not match how you work. Others let you build exactly what you need, but require so much manual effort that even small changes become a headache. 

It’s easy to get caught up in what a tool can do right now, but a little foresight goes a long way. If the platform you choose today will become a bottleneck in two years, you’re setting yourself up for an expensive, time-consuming switch down the road.

Flexibility doesn’t mean you can shape the tool into anything — it means knowing which constraints you can live with, and which ones you can’t.

The ideal solution won’t adapt 100% to your organization (and if it does, it’ll likely cost a fortune to maintain). The real challenge is finding the right balance: a tool that adapts to your needs in some areas, while your processes adapt to the tool in others.

Getting that ratio right — what the tool bends to, and what your team bends to — is what makes or breaks long-term success.

Think about:

You could buy the most powerful ITSM tool on the market, but if your team hates using it, none of that power matters. 

If the interface is cluttered, clunky or confusing, expect resistance from your IT team, service desk agents and end-users. And if adoption is low, your investment is wasted.

Some ITSM solutions focus so much on adding every possible feature that they forget about making those features easy to use. Others go in the opposite direction, oversimplifying things to the point where advanced functionality is buried or hard to configure.

When evaluating ITSM tools, consider:
• How much training will be required? If it takes weeks just to learn the basics, that’s a red flag.
• Can users find what they need quickly? An ITSM platform should make life easier, not more complicated.
• What’s the experience like for non-IT employees? If end-users struggle with the self-service portal, your service desk will be flooded with unnecessary tickets.

A lot of vendors will promise the world before you buy, but what happens once the contract is signed?

If you run into issues — whether it’s a bug, a missing feature or a tricky integration — how responsive will the vendor be? Some companies provide dedicated account managers and proactive support, while others leave you to fend for yourself unless you pay extra.

Questions to ask:

A tool is only as good as the support behind it. If a vendor is slow to respond or unhelpful when problems arise, that’s going to impact your IT team’s ability to do their job.

Some vendors are transparent about these factors, while others bury the details under marketing jargon. It’s your job to cut through the noise and figure out how the software will actually perform in a real business environment.

That’s why evaluating ITSM tools involves talking to current users, watching demos and digging into real-world experiences. You’re not looking for the longest feature list, but the tool that will actually work for your team, your processes and your business as a whole.

Once you have comparison criteria, it’s time to explore what’s available. Vendor websites only tell (the best) part of the story, so it’s important to seek out objective insights.

Platforms like Gartner Peer Insights allow IT professionals to compare ITSM tools based on real customer feedback. PeopleCert’s Accredited Tool Vendor (ATV) registry is another valuable resource – it lists ITSM tools that meet specific criteria aligned with ITIL practices. Analyst reports from Forrester and IDC provide structured evaluations, while sites like G2, TrustRadius and Reddit discussions offer candid user opinions. AI tools can also summarize market trends, but they should never be the sole source of research.

Looking at multiple perspectives will give you a clearer sense of how different solutions perform in real-world business environments.

Now that you have a shortlist, the next step is seeing the tools in action. Vendors often provide polished demos, but it’s important to go beyond that and explore independent sources.

Check vendor websites and YouTube for product walkthroughs. Attend industry events where ITSM providers showcase their platforms. Request live demos tailored to your use cases, and don’t hesitate to ask for customer references.

Real-world feedback, including opinions shared on Reddit and IT forums, can also provide unfiltered insights into how these tools perform under daily business operations.

At this point, you should have a refined list of ITSM solutions that align with your requirements. The next step is to create a request for proposal (RFP) that clearly defines what you’re looking for.

A good ITSM RFP prioritizes essential business needs over a long list of “nice-to-have” features. It should outline not just technical specifications but also non-technical factors such as training, vendor support and integration requirements.

Before committing to a purchase, request a proof of concept to test how the software performs in your environment. This is your chance to evaluate how well the tool integrates with your existing systems, how customizable it is, and whether your team finds it intuitive.

Pay close attention to vendor responsiveness during this stage. The level of support you receive during the PoC often reflects the experience you’ll have as a customer.

The final selection should go beyond software capabilities. Beyond product functionality, consider the vendor’s reputation, their commitment to customer success and the total cost of ownership over time. Does the solution align with your business goals? Can it scale as your company evolves? 

Once your ITSM solution is up and running, the work isn’t over — it’s just entering a new phase. Implementing a tool is only valuable if it delivers on the goals that led you to choose it in the first place.

This is the moment to ask: Did we get there? Are service delivery times shorter? Are incidents being resolved more efficiently? Is the user experience better — both for IT and the rest of the organization?

Go back to the problems you identified at the start of the process. Compare those original goals to your current performance. If there’s a gap, it’s worth understanding why — and whether the issue is with the tool, the way it was implemented or something else entirely.

And once you’ve taken stock, ask yourself: What’s next?

This is where the continual improvement mindset kicks in. An ITSM tool isn’t just something you “set and forget.” It should grow with you. Maybe now it’s time to optimize specific workflows, roll out new service categories or integrate with other tools across your organization.

At the end of the day, the “best” ITSM solution isn’t necessarily the most powerful or the most popular. It’s the one that works for your business. The one that fits your processes, your team and your long-term goals.

Before you make that final call, ask yourself:

If the answer to any of those is shaky, keep looking. ITSM is too critical to settle for a platform that’s “good enough.” Choose a partner that you trust to evolve with your business, solve problems alongside you, and help you get the most out of your investment.