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What is enterprise service management (ESM)?

Read the Gartner® ESM success report
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Overview

Benefits of a single service desk platform: A CIO’s perspective

Enterprise service management (ESM) is the application of IT service management (ITSM) principles and capabilities to non-IT functions such as HR, facilities, legal, finance, payroll, and procurement. By leveraging ITSM best practices—like service catalogs, streamlined workflows, self-service portals, knowledge management, and SLAs—organizations can deliver consistent, efficient, and user-friendly services across all departments.

Gartner® How to Build a Successful Enterprise Service Management

This Gartner report explains how to achieve ESM success by establishing a center of excellence (COE), choosing the right platform, and using performance metrics to gauge success.

Access the full report

Enterprise Service Management (ESM)

What is the difference between ITSM and ESM?

IT service management (ITSM) focuses on managing and delivering IT services using ITIL-aligned frameworks for processes such as service request management (e.g., resetting passwords or ordering new laptops), incident management (restoring services after outages), and change management (deploying software updates and patches).

ESM, on the other hand, uses ITSM best practices to deliver non-IT services and support across the organization. Some examples include handling employee benefits requests in HR, managing visitor registrations in facilities management, and generating new procurement requests in procurement services. Unlike IT teams, most business departments rarely face technical issues like system downtime or software updates, but they still benefit from structured service delivery and streamlined support.

Can ITSM and ESM use the same platform?

Yes, ITSM and ESM can run on the same platform. In fact, top ITSM vendors typically include enterprise service management capabilities within their ITSM solution. Using a single platform for both offers several key benefits:

  • Cost efficiency: Reduce licensing and maintenance costs by consolidating tools.
  • Unified experience: Provide employees with a single service portal for all requests.
  • Improved collaboration: Support cross-departmental workflows. For example, onboarding a new employee may involve HR, facilities, and IT working together in a coordinated process.
  • Scalability: Easily extend service management practices to new departments without adding complexity.

Solutions like OpenText™ Service Management include both ITSM and ESM capabilities in one platform, helping organizations unify service and support delivery across the organization.

Which departments benefit most from Enterprise Service Management?

All departments can benefit from implementing enterprise service management, but HR and facilities are often early adopters.

Take HR, for example. Repetitive, high-volume benefits-related requests—such as fitness reimbursement, education reimbursement, and leave policies—are ideal starting points.

Integrating the ESM tool with an HR system like SAP SuccessFactors delivers several benefits. Integration connects service management workflows with core HR processes, enabling greater automation, better employee experiences, and stronger compliance. Combined data from both systems enhances visibility into request volumes, SLA performance, and workforce trends.

Once early adopter departments demonstrate value, it becomes easier for other departments to embrace ESM and expand enterprise service management practices across the organization.

Take a tour of ESM for HR

What should organizations consider when selecting ESM software?

To find the ESM solution that best fits your organization, look beyond basic ticketing. Key features to consider include:

  • Unified self-service portal for IT and non-IT services.
  • AI-powered support for conversational assistance, self-service resolution, and agent productivity. If privacy and data protection are critical, ensure the AI service is private and secure.
  • Centralized knowledge management for easy access to reliable answers for employees, agents, and AI.
  • Prebuilt intake forms and templates for common services to save time and ensure consistency.
  • Workflow automation and integrations with tools like communication, productivity, HCM, and content management systems.
  • SLA monitoring to track performance against service-level targets.
  • Advanced privacy controls to restrict ticket visibility to authorized roles or groups.
  • Satisfaction surveys to measure trends and improve service quality.
  • Reporting and dashboards for actionable insights into performance, compliance, and improvement areas.

Read the service management for HR teams ebook

What are the best practices for ESM implementation success?

Prioritize these best practices to drive successful outcomes:

  • Define clear goals: Set objectives early to guide priorities and measure success.
  • Start with quick wins: Choose use cases that are easy to implement and deliver strong ROI, high adoption, and greater employee satisfaction.
  • Design for employees: Use intuitive layouts and employee-friendly language for self-service.
  • Localize for compliance: Involve regional teams to address laws, regulations, and cultural nuances.
  • Empower champions: Identify department advocates to train teams and support adoption.
  • Establish feedback loops: Collect input from employees and agents to optimize services continuously.

As IT plays a pivotal role in enabling service automation, IT teams should partner closely with functional teams to translate business needs into digital workflows.

How do you demonstrate ESM success?

Enterprise service management brings structure and scalability to enterprise-wide services, delivering value to employees, business functions, and IT alike. ESM offers benefits such as:

  • Faster resolutions
  • Standardized, consistent service delivery
  • Improved employee experiences
  • Reduced silos and application clutter
  • Lower operational costs

Importantly, ESM also maximizes ROI from your existing IT service management tool through broader enterprise use.

So, what’s the best way to measure these benefits and show value?

Start by choosing metrics that align with your department’s goals and use cases. HR might track CSAT scores, ticket volumes, and knowledge article views. Other common metrics include self-service adoption rates, SLA compliance, reopened cases, and time saved through automation.

For a deeper dive into how ESM drives performance and the type of metrics to choose, read the Gartner® research, How to Build a Successful Enterprise Service Management Program

What’s the future of ESM?

According to the latest Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Service Management Platforms, “The ESM market is experiencing unprecedented expansion driven by a shift from process-centric and reactive IT operations to proactive enterprise-wide service management.”

At the same time, AI is redefining service management with “greater efficiency, responsiveness, and personalization,” says Forrester. To fully realize these benefits, organizations will need to build AI trust and ensure knowledge readiness. Preparing your sources of knowledge across departments will be a critical step in enabling AI to deliver precise, context-aware service management.

Related products

OpenText™ Service Management

A comprehensive solution for ITSM, ESM, and ITAM that automates and streamlines enterprise service delivery.

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Footnotes