Zendesk vs. ServiceNow

Don’t compromise on finding software that elevates customer service interactions while delighting employees with IT support capabilities and a beautiful interface. You can prioritize the customer experience (CX) and strengthen employee satisfaction without breaking the bank—or requiring too much from your service team. Whether you’re looking for a service solution with customizable customer service chatbots or out-of-this-world products like Zendesk QA that keep costs low, look no further than Zendesk.

With our fast time to value, CX expertise, scalability, and easy implementation, customers prefer Zendesk over ServiceNow. But these are just a few areas where Zendesk outperforms ServiceNow, so read on to see where else our industry-leading offerings outpace them.

Agility and fast time to value

With Zendesk, you can get up and running quickly, onboard agents in record time, and adapt faster to change with simple implementation and a user-friendly interface. Its low-code environment also allows teams to rapidly customize workflows and quickly see their customer service ROI. On the other hand, ServiceNow can be complex, with some users describing the software’s setup as a hassle and its implementation and configuration as difficult.

CX expertise and support

While ServiceNow has standard support offerings, it lacks the specialized focus on customer service and experience that Zendesk offers. Zendesk excels in omnichannel ticket management and creating unified agent workspaces, enhancing operational efficiency, customer support consistency, and accessibility.

Lower total cost of ownership

Zendesk offers an excellent total cost of ownership (TCO) with low implementation and administrative costs and tiered pricing plans for cost flexibility. Its intuitive setup and lower maintenance requirements make Zendesk a cost-effective service solution. Meanwhile, ServiceNow has higher initial costs and licensing fees, straining the wallets of small businesses, startups, and even enterprise-level companies.

Scalability

Compared to ServiceNow, Zendesk is a more scalable service solution. With higher-quality automation and integration options, users can scale their service solution as their company, goals, and objectives expand. Plus, some users on G2 have reported that ServiceNow struggles to handle complex cloud environments and large-scale deployments.

More in this guide

• At-a-glance comparison: Zendesk vs. ServiceNow
• What is the difference between Zendesk and ServiceNow?
• Zendesk vs. ServiceNow: Features comparison
• Pricing plans: Zendesk vs. ServiceNow
• Why businesses choose Zendesk
• Frequently asked questions
• Ready to try Zendesk?

Here’s a quick look at the capabilities of Zendesk and ServiceNow. We based all findings on customer feedback and extensive research.

Zendesk and ServiceNow are both customer service and IT service management (ITSM) platforms, but they differ in multiple ways:

• Focus: Zendesk is an AI-powered CX software trained on billions of customer support interactions dedicated to providing customer-first solutions to buyers, while ServiceNow is primarily an IT-focused service provider.
• Features: A robust suite of integration options and artificial intelligence (AI) tools like AI copilot allows Zendesk to deliver superior features across the board.
• Pricing: Zendesk focuses on open customer communication and offers transparent pricing, demos, and free trials, while ServiceNow requires customers to inquire about pricing plans.
  Even with their similarities, Zendesk is unmatched in the high-quality support, service management, and reporting capabilities we provide to customers.
  

Below, we dive into the facts and features to compare ServiceNow vs. Zendesk and determine which is right for your business.

Ease of use

Omnichannel support

Robust integrations

Automated workflows

Keeping TCO low is a priority for Zendesk, so we make it our mission to provide every customer with transparent licensing and implementation fees. No matter which pricing plan you use, Zendesk customers receive payback in two months on average, according to the Total Economic Impact study by Forrester Consulting.

Unfortunately, ServiceNow’s pricing plans are not publicly available, so customers must create an account before speaking with a representative. However, it’s important to note that ServiceNow customers typically experience higher costs due to the necessity of dedicated administrative resources and implementation time. For instance, to hire one full-time administrator, most businesses will pay between $71K and $128K annually, according to Glassdoor.

From workflow automation to AI knowledge base options, learn what our customers have to say about why they choose Zendesk over our competitors.

Xero: Implementing an easy-to-use service solution

“The look and feel, and just the ease of use of Zendesk, has been an absolute winner for us. We never have issues with Zendesk. It’s a tool that’s doing its job and allowing us to do our work … Zendesk allows our team to process a high workload.”

—Hadleigh Lynn, head of enterprise systems at Xero.

Agoda: Improving employee service and efficiency

“We now use automation extensively to reduce the workload on our agents. We also make use of macros, automating certain categories of internal escalations and reassignments, helping us further speed up resolutions with less effort.”

—Andrea Sebestyen, senior project manager at Agoda

Eight Eleven Group: Scaling software with company growth

“We chose Zendesk because we viewed it as the best platform available to meet the needs of our employees. Thanks to the great support and adaptability of the software, we have been able to seamlessly evolve our use of it to meet the company’s needs.”

—Jake Baldwin, director of information technology at Eight Eleven Group