ServiceNow vs Zendesk

2023. ServiceNow dives deeper into task mining with latest acquisition



ServiceNow revealed its acquisition of UltimateSuite, a task mining company based in the Czech Republic, marking a strategic move to enhance its ability to capture and comprehend the flow of work within businesses. Task mining, a component of the expanding global market for process mining, aids companies in comprehending the workflow within an organization, identifying bottlenecks to enhance efficiency. The intention is to integrate UltimateSuite's capabilities into ServiceNow's existing process mining features. Recognizing that insights are valuable only when acted upon, the objective is to not only pinpoint areas that require improvement but also to offer an integrated platform for automating inefficiencies, thereby optimizing the entire end-to-end business process.


2022. Zendesk is acquired for $10.2B



Zendesk made a significant decision in February when it rejected a $17 billion acquisition offer, confident in its higher valuation. However, the circumstances have changed, and today the company has been acquired by a consortium of private equity firms for $10.2 billion, considerably lower than the initial proposal. The evolving landscape of the SaaS market in recent months has placed Zendesk amidst a whirlwind of investor drama. In a recent development, the company opted to remain independent, causing a sharp decline in its stock price.


2021. Zendesk acquires AI automation startup Cleverly to advance customer service



Zendesk has recently revealed its acquisition of Cleverly, an early-stage artificial intelligence startup. Cleverly offers an advanced product platform equipped with various AI-powered features. This includes a triage function that automatically assigns relevant tags to incoming service requests, facilitating efficient workflow categorization. Moreover, Cleverly provides AI-powered human augmentation through its agent assist capability, which assists customer service agents in delivering accurate responses to inquiries. Cleverly's technology seamlessly integrates with Zendesk and Salesforce, enabling enhanced customer support experiences for businesses leveraging these platforms.


2021. ServiceNow leaps into applications performance monitoring with Lightstep acquisition



ServiceNow has recently completed the acquisition of Lightstep, a startup specializing in applications performance monitoring. By incorporating Lightstep's capabilities, ServiceNow aims to enhance its IT operations offerings. With Lightstep on board, ServiceNow will empower its customers with advanced application performance monitoring capabilities, enabling them to proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate into major problems that could disrupt websites or applications. In the competitive landscape of application performance monitoring, Lightstep joins the ranks of companies like Datadog, New Relic, and AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco in 2017). The strategic acquisition aligns with ServiceNow's commitment to providing comprehensive solutions for optimizing IT operations.


2021. ServiceNow acquired RPA startup Intellibot



IT service management vendor ServiceNow recently joined the growing trend of embracing robotic process automation (RPA) by acquiring Intellibot, a startup based in India that specializes in RPA solutions. This acquisition aligns with the current industry focus on automating workflows across organizations. RPA offers a means to automate legacy processes, particularly those involving repetitive and mundane tasks typically performed by humans. With this purchase, ServiceNow gains the capability to integrate RPA directly into its platform. Furthermore, the company remains flexible by allowing customers to leverage RPA bots from other vendors if desired.


2021. ServiceNow adds new no-code capabilities



ServiceNow recognizes that the concept of distributed work has propelled the notion of enabling every employee to engage in software building. In light of this, the company has introduced a new domain known as Creator Workflows, aimed at empowering workers to construct customized workflows tailored to their specific requirements. Within this domain, ServiceNow offers a primary development environment that facilitates a user-friendly experience, allowing individuals to intuitively drag and drop the necessary components for constructing workflows that align with their needs. Additionally, templates are available to further streamline the process, providing a framework for common tasks and enhancing ease of use.


2020. ServiceNow is acquiring Element AI, startup building AI services for enterprises



ServiceNow, the prominent cloud-based IT services company, has made a significant acquisition as part of its long-term strategy to establish a dominant presence in the realms of automation and artificial intelligence for enterprises. The company has acquired Element AI, a startup specializing in AI-driven IT services for businesses. This move exemplifies ServiceNow's ongoing efforts to build a modern platform that aligns with the evolving needs of the digital era. Although ServiceNow was established in 2004 and is not considered a traditional legacy business, it strives to position itself as the leading provider of "digital transformation" solutions. This term has gained prominence in the enterprise IT services landscape as organizations urgently adapt to conducting more online, leveraging cloud technologies, and operating remotely in response to global health challenges and future uncertainties.


2020. ServiceNow updates its workflow automation platform



Today, ServiceNow unveiled the latest version of its workflow automation platform, showcasing a range of new solutions tailored for specific industries. Telcos and financial services organizations, in particular, are among the verticals receiving increased attention. This strategic emphasis on verticals represents a continuation of ServiceNow's ongoing expansion beyond its initial focus on core IT management functionalities, which defined the company in its early stages. Furthermore, ServiceNow has introduced additional features to enhance companies' resilience during challenging circumstances, along with the integration of new machine learning-based tools.


2020. ServiceNow to acquire configuration management startup Sweagle



ServiceNow, renowned for its product portfolio that encompasses an IT Help Desk component, has recently completed the acquisition of Sweagle, a configuration management startup headquartered in Belgium. ServiceNow emphasizes that a single enterprise application can consist of up to 50,000 distinct configuration elements. Sweagle has developed a configuration data management platform that utilizes machine learning capabilities to assist customers in streamlining and automating this complexity. Configuration errors have the potential to cause disruptions, security vulnerabilities, and other critical issues for businesses.


2020. Zendesk’s latest tools designed to give fuller view of the customer



Two years ago, Zendesk, a well-known provider of help desk software, expanded into CRM with its acquisition of Base. Shortly after, the company introduced the Sunshine platform, enabling customers to develop applications on top of the Zendesk platform. Since then, Zendesk has been actively integrating the CRM tool into its platform, and today's announcement focuses on offering Zendesk users a more comprehensive understanding of their customers. With access to extensive data from customer interactions with the help desk, Zendesk can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors.