ITSM.tools takes a snapshot of the IT service management (ITSM) tool market every couple of years. It’s not designed to create a pie chart showing which ITSM tools have the biggest share. Instead, it’s a short poll about whether ITSM tool change or “churn” is still happening and what the primary drivers for the ITSM tool replacements are (or were).
The 2025 poll is here; we would appreciate you taking one minute or less to complete it. The insight this survey provides every couple of years is both fascinating and helpful to you and your ITSM peers. The results from 2023 survey are also included at the end of this article.
Please take our latest ITSM Tool Change poll
It should hopefully take you less than 60 seconds to answer the following two questions in this Google Form:
1. How do you feel about your organization’s primary ITSM tool?
- It’s great; we’ve used it for years
- It’s great, it’s less than two years old
- Undecided
- We are replacing it (now or soon)
- We’ll replace it when we can
- Don’t know/We don’t have an ITSM tool
2. If you have an ITSM tool, why did or will you change your ITSM tool? (The primary reason)
- We don’t have an ITSM tool
- Old tool failed to deliver the expected benefits
- Tool dissatisfaction related to: ITIL-alignment, usability, manual activity, flexibility, or customization
- Multiple service desk and tool rationalization project
- Corporate cloud strategy, a larger transformation project, a senior employee dictated it
- New ITSM process adoption required a new tool, including enterprise service management support
- Dissatisfaction with vendor support and/or relationship
- Excessive costs related to maintenance fees, admin effort, or upgrading the existing tool
- Tool was end-of-life or simply outdated or a homegrown ITSM tool was no longer workable
- Liked the look of an alternative tool or convincing vendor marketing or industry hype
- We wanted AI capabilities that worked
- Other
These two poll questions are the same as those asked in 2023, except for the addition of a “We wanted AI capabilities that worked” option.
The ITSM tool change poll results will be shared in a future ITSM.tools article. The data will also be used in other helpful ITSM pieces across articles, eBooks, papers, and presentations. Thank you in advance for your input and help.
ITSM tools in 2023 at a glance
You can read the full poll results here: Why Organizations Are Still Changing Their ITSM Tools. But here’s a quick summary of the reported ITSM tool change in 2023:
- 35% of respondents stated they are happy with their ITSM tool, but over 40% said they are either replacing or will replace their ITSM tool when they can.
- The primary reasons for ITSM tool change were consistent with previous surveys (despite my view that ITSM tool change drivers had become more positive); the top three were “Tool dissatisfaction” (16%), “Excessive costs” (14%), and “New ITSM process adoption” and “Tool was end-of-life or simply outdated” (13%).
- Excessive costs had jumped from 6th to 2nd place, doubling its percentage score between 2019 and 2023 (there was no 2021 poll).
- The top three percentage range was close in 2023 – 13%-16%, versus 14%-23% in 2019 and 12%-18% in 2017.
Sophie Danby
Sophie is a freelance ITSM marketing consultant, helping ITSM solution vendors to develop and implement effective marketing strategies.
She covers both traditional areas of marketing (such as advertising, trade shows, and events) and digital marketing (such as video, social media, and email marketing). She is also a trained editor.
