The essential ITSM features that power modern service desks

Digitally-operating companies are experiencing change at ever-increasing rates. This means it’s imperative that your IT team needs more than just good intentions to deliver great service. With rising ticket volumes, growing tech stacks, and user expectations at an all-time high, the tools you rely on can make or break your service delivery.

So what’s the solution? We believe at least part of it is your IT Service Management processes, as well as the tools that enable them. These tools make up your IT Service Management (ITSM) software, and are equipped with features designed to streamline operations, boost efficiency, and delight users. In this blog, we’ll break down the must-have ITSM features that matter, explain why they matter, and how you might go about choosing the right solution for your IT service desk.

Incident Management

Incident management is a central ITSM feature that helps service desks capture, categorise, prioritise, and resolve user-reported issues quickly and efficiently. A robust Incident Management feature should support automated ticket creation (via email, portal, or chatbot), prioritisation rules based on impact and urgency, and escalation workflows.

When issues arise, the speed and accuracy of your response determines how much downtime users experience. Incident management is a critical ITSM feature, then, because it ensures service continuity and enhances customer satisfaction. TOPdesk makes it easy to manage incidents with a centralised ticketing system, customisable workflows, and intuitive categorisation, helping teams respond faster and more consistently. If you’d like to see our Incident Management feature in action, check out this video, and if you’re curious to understand how our Incident Management feature meets your company’s needs, book a personalised demo here.

Knowledge base & Knowledge Management

Knowledge management enables your team to store and share institutional knowledge across your organization. A strong ITSM solution includes a searchable knowledge base filled with how-tos, FAQs, and step-by-step guides. This is important because when users and agents can find the answers themselves, ticket volume drops and resolution times improve. But searching a knowledge base is only half the fun; the other half is building it up. A good knowledge base enables IT teams and end-users alike the power to create new pieces of knowledge using helpful templates and standardized forms. Another key benefit of knowledge bases is that they ensure continuity as team members come and go.

Therefore, a great knowledge base—such as TOPdesk’s ITSM software knowledge base—empowers both end-users and agents with built-in knowledge-sharing features, ensuring that key information is always readily available, and if it isn’t, you can create it.

Self-Service Portal & service catalogue

Another fantastic ITSM feature is the Self-Service Portal (SSP). These portals allow users to log issues, request services, and find information without needing to contact your IT service desk directly. The service catalogue lists all available services, with clear descriptions and request forms. So why is this important? Self-service improves user autonomy, reduces ticket volume, and sets clear expectations around service delivery.

TOPdesk’s Self-Service Portal combines intuitive design with strong functionality. Users can request services, check ticket status, browse the knowledge base, and more. In essence, it’s a knowledge base, customer portal and service catalogue in one—and it’s accessible all from one straightforward, branded hub, this makes it a must-have ITSM feature.

Automation & AI-driven support

Automation and AI sometimes get a bad rep, and while these powerful technologies left unchecked may lead to grey societal and moral places, when harnessed correctly, they can be greatly beneficial to humanity. Automation in ITSM streamlines repetitive tasks like password resets, approvals, and ticket routing. More advanced solutions include AI capabilities like predictive analytics, smart ticket categorisation, and virtual agents.

This suite of functionality isn’t designed to replace your IT team. Automation improves efficiency, reduces human error, and allows IT teams to focus on more strategic work. AI adds a layer of intelligence that accelerates service delivery.

TOPdesk's Action Sequences make it simple to automate key workflows. Meanwhile, AI-assisted service management enables your IT team to let go of repetitive tasks such as call categorisation and solved-ticket-to-knowledge-item creation. These tools give your IT service desk the helping hands they need to lead more fulfilled working lives, and this in turn leads to more productivity, and lower levels of employee churn.

Asset & Configuration Management

Asset Management tracks all the hardware and software your organization uses, providing vital clarity and oversight of how everything fits together. Configuration Management builds on this by mapping relationships and dependencies in a central CMDB (Configuration Management Database).

This is a great ITSM feature because knowing what you have, where it is, and how it's used helps reduce costs, streamline troubleshooting, and plan proactively. TOPdesk offers integrated Asset Management capabilities in one neat, tidy CMDB solution, giving you a full overview of your IT landscape and enabling smarter decision-making. If you’d like to see how this works, we’d highly recommend watching the video at the top of this page.

Problem & Change Management

The Problem Management feature of ITSM identifies the root causes of incidents to prevent them from recurring. Change Management oversees the planning and implementation of changes to your IT environment, minimizing risk. These features go beyond firefighting, enabling long-term stability and continuous improvement.

TOPdesk supports ITIL-aligned workflows that help you manage problems and changes with less disruption and more confidence. If you’re ready to give it a go, try our free 30-day trial.

Integrations & open API

Modern ITSM tools must integrate with your existing tech stack—from monitoring tools and HR systems to communication platforms. Integrations eliminate data silos, reduce manual work, and allow your ITSM software to become the central hub for service delivery.

TOPdesk’s integration Marketplace makes it easy to connect the dots across your digital ecosystem, thanks to 90+ integrations. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can even build your own with the TOPdesk API.

User experience & reporting

User experience is a powerful ITSM feature because a clean interface, intuitive navigation, and strong accessibility make it easier for users and agents to get what they need, quickly. Equally important is your team’s ability to generate insights that help them to improve performance, and get a clear picture of their current work situation. Great ITSM analytics tools give users access to view real-time dashboards and reporting to track KPIs, SLAs, and customer satisfaction—all in one place. Of course, this matters because better UX boosts adoption, while better reporting supports data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.

TOPdesk combines a modern interface with powerful reporting tools, helping you stay on top of performance and spot trends before they become problems. If you can’t find what you need from the TOPdesk Dashboard, customise your own.

Conclusion

In this blog, we’ve tried to show you some of the essential ITSM features to look for when you’re choosing the right ITSM software. There are, of course, plenty more to consider when you’re making your decision about what’s right for your company’s needs. From intuitive self-service to smart automation and robust asset tracking, the right mix of features can help your team deliver faster, smarter support across the board. If you’re ready to transform your service delivery with features that put users and efficiency first, explore TOPdesk’s ITSM software today.