Zendesk and ServiceNow are two major platforms in the customer support and IT service management (ITSM) sectors. While both platforms help businesses manage service requests, they serve different primary use cases.

1. Zendesk: This is a customer service platform designed to improve customer relationships. It provides multiple channels for customers to reach out (like email, chat, phone, and social media), allowing businesses to interact with customers where they feel most comfortable. It offers features such as ticketing system, knowledge base, community forums, and more. These help businesses keep track of customer interactions, offer self-service options, and streamline customer support processes.

2. ServiceNow: While it also includes customer service functions, ServiceNow’s primary strength is in ITSM. It helps businesses manage and streamline IT services, automate work, and connect different business units. It offers solutions for IT service management, IT operations management, IT business management, and more. Its ITSM functions include incident management, problem management, change and release management, etc., all of which aid in maintaining IT infrastructure.

While there’s some overlap, the two platforms generally serve different roles. Zendesk is typically used in a customer support context, helping businesses manage and improve customer relationships. ServiceNow, on the other hand, is often used in an IT context, helping businesses manage IT services and workflows.

However, many businesses choose to use both Zendesk and ServiceNow in tandem. For example, customer service queries that require IT intervention could be managed with Zendesk, and then transferred to ServiceNow to manage the IT side of the process. There are integrations available that help the two platforms work together for a more seamless process.