ITSM Freshworks

Freshworks’ 2025 Freshservice Benchmark Report analyzed 10,743 IT teams and over 180 million tickets, making it one of the largest live ITSM data sets in the market. The report shows AI-enabled teams cutting resolution times by about 76% and dramatically improving first-response metrics with Freddy AI Copilot and AI Agent.​

Beyond IT, Freshservice now positions itself as an enterprise service layer, with ESM modules for HR, Facilities, and Finance, mirroring the shift from “IT-only” to organization-wide service workflows. This aligns tightly with DataLunix’s own ESM-led transformation projects across HRSD, Facilities, and shared-services teams.​​

What makes Freddy AI in Freshservice so impactful?

Freddy AI combines a virtual agent for self-service with an AI copilot for agents, attacking both demand and supply sides of IT support. In the 2025 benchmark, the AI Agent deflected around two-thirds of tickets, while Copilot users saw resolution times fall by roughly three-quarters compared with non-AI teams.​

Those AI gains translate into saved human hours: Freshworks reports more than 430,000 support hours returned annually to IT teams through AI deflection and acceleration. For mid-sized IT organizations already stretched on headcount, this is the difference between surviving and scaling without constant hiring.​

Key AI benefits you can tap today

• High ticket deflection with conversational self-service and integrated knowledge.​

• AI-powered suggestions and summarization inside agent workspaces to shrink handle time.​

• AI-assisted routing, prioritization, and anomaly detection across ITOM and incident queues.​

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How strong is the ROI story for ITSM Freshworks?

A Forrester Total Economic Impact study on Freshservice reports a 356% ROI over three years with a payback in under six months for the modeled organization. That analysis attributes value to reduced downtime, legacy tool retirement, and agent productivity gains through automation and AI.​

For budget-conscious IT leaders, this is reinforced by positioning from vendors and analysts that show Freshservice as materially cheaper and faster to deploy than full-stack ServiceNow in many mid-market scenarios. DataLunix projects similar patterns across its multi-vendor ITSM portfolio, especially when consolidating fragmented tools into a single platform.​​

ROI levers typically unlocked with Freshservice

• Retirement of aging ticketing and point tools within the first 6–12 months.​

• Large reductions in manual effort via codeless workflows and AI-driven triage.​

• Improved CSAT and employee experience, which correlates with lower business disruption costs.​​

  
  

How does ITSM Freshworks compare with ServiceNow, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine?

From a platform strategy perspective, Freshservice sits between heavy enterprise platforms like ServiceNow and lean, cost-optimized tools like HaloITSM or ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus. ServiceNow still dominates complex global enterprises, while Freshservice, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine are often better fits for mid-market or regionally distributed organizations.​​

DataLunix works across all four platforms and uses a requirements-first fitment model, not a “one tool for all” approach. That means comparing change complexity, governance needs, ITOM depth, ESM ambitions, and internal admin skills before recommending any specific stack.​

How do the major ITSM platforms stack up for mid-market teams?

Dimension	ServiceNow ITSM	Freshservice (ITSM Freshworks)	HaloITSM	ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Ideal fit	Large, digitally mature enterprises with complex cross-domain workflows. ​​	Mid-market and “right-sized enterprise” teams needing strong ITSM/ESM with faster rollout. ​​	Cost-sensitive organizations wanting flexible configuration and strong out-of-the-box ITSM. ​​	SMBs to mid-large enterprises wanting integrated ITSM plus rich ITAM/UEM options. ​​
AI & automation	Deep AI, AIOps, and low-code flows but often needs specialist admin skills. ​	Native Freddy AI for deflection and copilot, plus visual workflow automation for admins. ​	Strong rule-based workflows; relies more on scripts and admin expertise for advanced logic. ​​	Good automation combined with monitoring and UEM modules, but more UI complexity. ​​
ESM maturity	Dedicated enterprise modules (HR, Legal, Finance, etc.) and advanced governance. ​​	Built-in ESM capabilities for HR, Facilities, Finance with shared portal and workflows. ​​	Configurable for non-IT teams but lighter governance compared with ServiceNow. ​	Partial ESM support; often extended through customizations and add-ons. ​
Time-to-value	Months to a year for full programs; high design & implementation overhead. ​​	Often weeks to a few months using out-of-box templates and codeless setups. ​	Typically faster than ServiceNow; depends heavily on internal configuration capacity. ​​	Moderate timelines, influenced by the breadth of modules (ITSM + ITAM + monitoring). ​​
Licensing & TCO	Higher entry ticket; minimum license and deal sizes often significant. ​​	Flexible licensing and lower TCO for mid-market compared with enterprise stacks. ​​	Competitive pricing with high functional coverage at lower tiers. ​​	Strong value for money when ITAM/UEM modules are fully leveraged. ​​

What core capabilities define ITSM Freshworks in 2025?

Freshservice now packages ITSM, ITAM, ITOM, and ESM capabilities into a single cloud-native platform with an AI-first design. The emphasis is on simplifying configuration and focusing on out-of-the-box value over heavy bespoke development.​

Key IT capabilities include full ITIL-aligned incident, problem, change, release, and request management with modern agent UX and mobile access for hybrid workforces. DataLunix typically layers this with process modernization, service catalog redesign, and service-mapping work to unlock real operational gains, not just tool replacement.​​

Technical pillars worth highlighting

• Codeless workflow orchestration with drag‑and‑drop designers for approvals, routing, and automations.​

• Integrated, auto-updating CMDB tied to discovery, incidents, changes, and projects.​

• Native ITAM and SaaS visibility with integrations into discovery and device tools such as Device42.​

• ITOM capabilities for alert correlation and end-to-end visibility of infrastructure and services.​

  
  

How does Freshservice support Enterprise Service Management (ESM)?

Freshservice extends ITSM constructs—tickets, workflows, knowledge, SLAs—to non-IT departments such as HR, Facilities, and Finance via one employee-facing portal. Forrester has previously recognized Freshservice as a strong ESM performer, particularly for organizations seeking fast time-to-value and AI-enhanced alerting.​​

DataLunix has implemented similar multi-department ESM patterns using Freshservice, HaloITSM, ManageEngine, and ServiceNow, choosing the platform based on the breadth of governance, compliance requirements, and geographic footprint. Where ServiceNow is still preferred for heavily regulated, global enterprises, Freshservice is often a better cultural and financial fit for agile mid-market organizations.​​

Typical non-IT use cases on Freshservice

• HR service desks for onboarding, offboarding, and policy queries with employee-facing knowledge.​​

• Facilities requests (moves, repairs, access) routed via one central catalog instead of email.​​

• Finance shared services for invoice queries, card requests, and expense policy support.​​

  
  

How does ITSM Freshworks handle hybrid work and omnichannel support?

Freshservice lets employees raise requests from email, portal, chat, and collaboration tools, mirroring how distributed teams actually work. Integration with tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams means employees can stay in their workspace while IT receives structured tickets and context.​

This omnichannel approach has been critical during the shift to hybrid and remote work, where asynchronous communication patterns and multiple devices are the norm. DataLunix sees higher adoption and better self-service usage when Freshservice is embedded in the collaboration platforms users already live in.​​

Hybrid work–friendly features

• Teams/Slack apps for ticket creation, approvals, and notifications.​

• Mobile apps for field engineers and on-call teams.​

• Global portal access with localized experiences for distributed employees.​

  
  

Where does Freshservice lag versus Ivanti or other heavyweights?

Ivanti positions itself directly as a “Freshworks alternative”, claiming over 1,000 prebuilt integrations versus a few hundred in the Freshworks marketplace. It also emphasizes deeper SecOps, GRC, and integrated DevOps capabilities out-of-the-box to appeal to enterprises consolidating ITSM, security, and risk on one spine.​

For organizations needing extremely broad integration coverage, specialized GRC stacks, or advanced SecOps-native workflows, tools like Ivanti or ServiceNow may still be better long-term anchors. In those cases, DataLunix often positions Freshservice as a satellite or transitional platform—for example, to modernize service delivery quickly while a larger transformation is being defined.​​

When should you choose Freshservice vs HaloITSM or HaloPSA?

HaloITSM and HaloPSA frequently win on configurability and licensing economics, especially when MSP-style requirements and multi-tenant operations are in play. Halo often delivers a very high functional score per dollar spent, though it may require more hands-on configuration and internal admin sophistication than Freshservice.​​

Freshservice tends to be a better fit when your priorities are AI acceleration, no-code setup, rapid ESM rollouts, and a highly polished agent and requester experience. DataLunix has clients running Halo for specific MSP and operations use cases while standardizing internal IT and ESM on Freshservice to simplify employee experience.​​

How does Freshservice compare with ManageEngine for ITAM and ITOM?

ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus plus ITOM modules (OpManager, Applications Manager, UEM) create a powerful stack for organizations prioritizing deep monitoring and endpoint control. Analysts highlight ManageEngine as especially strong in digital experience monitoring and unified endpoint management.​​

Freshservice, by contrast, offers “good enough” discovery, CMDB, and ITOM-lite for many mid-market teams, with a UX and AI layer that’s typically easier for non-specialist admins. DataLunix often recommends ManageEngine for IT-heavy organizations with strong network and infrastructure teams, and Freshservice when business stakeholder experience and time-to-value are paramount.​​

How does DataLunix help you right-size ITSM Freshworks?

DataLunix is a multi-vendor digital transformation partner working across ServiceNow, Freshworks, HaloITSM, ManageEngine, and related ecosystems in EMEA and APAC. This allows DataLunix to design platform-agnostic roadmaps, then select ITSM Freshworks only when it meaningfully outperforms alternatives against your constraints.​

Engagements typically span assessment, platform selection, implementation, integration, and ongoing optimization, often delivered with cost-efficient hybrid teams anchored in India. Real-world case studies include multi-department ESM rollouts, 90%+ reductions in ticket age, and six-figure annual savings from modernization of IT operations.​

What you can expect from a DataLunix engagement

• Vendor-neutral ITSM and ESM platform comparison tailored to your use-cases.​

• AI adoption blueprints across Freshservice and ServiceNow, including governance and change management.​

• Integration design with monitoring, UEM, identity, and collaboration tools to avoid new silos.​

  
  

FAQ

1. Is ITSM Freshworks a real alternative to ServiceNow for enterprises?

Yes, for many mid-market and select enterprise environments, Freshservice is a practical alternative to ServiceNow with lower complexity and faster rollouts, especially where deep SecOps and GRC are not primary drivers. For highly regulated, globally complex enterprises, ServiceNow may still be the more appropriate long-term core platform.​​

2. How does ITSM Freshworks pricing compare with other tools?

Most independent comparisons place Freshservice below ServiceNow and Ivanti in total cost of ownership, while being similar or moderately higher than HaloITSM and ManageEngine for comparable modules. The Forrester TEI study’s 356% ROI and sub–six-month payback window highlight its cost-effectiveness when well implemented.​​

3. Can ITSM Freshworks support HR, Facilities, and Finance?

Yes, Freshservice supports enterprise service management with modules and templates for HR, Facilities, Finance, and other internal service teams, all delivered through a unified portal and shared workflows. For organizations moving away from email-driven internal support, this is often one of the biggest immediate wins.​​

4. How mature is AI in ITSM Freshworks today?

Freddy AI is already delivering significant measurable outcomes, including ~65% ticket deflection and around 76% faster resolution times for AI-enabled teams according to the 2025 Benchmark Report. While AI configuration still needs governance and tuning, it is beyond “pilot” stage and firmly part of daily IT operations for many customers.​

5. How can DataLunix help migrate from legacy ITSM to ITSM Freshworks?

DataLunix offers structured migration programs covering data, workflows, knowledge, automations, and user experience, whether you are moving from legacy tools, email-based processes, or heavyweight platforms. The team also helps you compare Freshservice against alternatives like HaloITSM, ManageEngine, or ServiceNow before committing to a migration path.​

What should you do next with ITSM Freshworks and DataLunix?

If you are evaluating ITSM Freshworks alongside ServiceNow, HaloITSM, or ManageEngine, your next step should be an objective fitment and ROI assessment rather than a vendor-led demo comparison. DataLunix specializes in exactly this kind of analysis, drawing on hands-on implementation experience across all four stacks.​​

You can engage DataLunix to:

• Run an ITSM/ESM platform comparison workshop for your leadership and architecture teams.​

• Model a business case using benchmark data, Forrester TEI findings, and your own operational metrics.​​

• Design a phased rollout of Freshservice—with AI, ITAM, ITOM, and ESM—aligned to your hybrid work and regional compliance realities.​​

  
  

To explore whether ITSM Freshworks is the right fit for your organization, invite DataLunix to host a discovery session or arrange a guided Freshservice trial aligned to your real use-cases rather than generic demos. This approach maximizes your chances of becoming the kind of AI-enabled IT team showcased in the 2025 Benchmark Report—faster, leaner, and measurably more effective.