Your ITSM platform should streamline operations, not drain your budget. Yet eight in 10 IT buyers overspend on their ITSM tools, according to Gartner’s 2025 Market Guide for ITSM.
The problem isn’t just cost; it’s complexity that creates technical debt, requires armies of administrators, and leaves teams struggling with basic functionality while paying for features they’ll never use.
Legacy ITSM platforms promise comprehensive service management but deliver administrative nightmares. Teams find themselves mired in backlogs, suffering from poor integration, and unable to build the automations they originally planned. The solution isn’t more features, it’s smarter technology that combines AI, automation, and integration on a no-code ITSM platform.
In this blog, you’ll find the five telltale signs your ITSM platform has become bloated, explore practical solutions through no-code technology, and read real-world success stories from organizations that made the switch.
5 Signs Your ITSM Platform Is Draining Resources
1. High Cost and Budget Creep
As with most software, the sticker price is just the beginning. Licensing fees multiply through add-ons, customizations, and third-party integrations. What starts as a manageable investment in a highly configurable ITSM tool often becomes a budget black hole.
Tyler Kings, end user infrastructure manager at Stockman Bank, experienced this firsthand: “The cost of deploying any new workflow or automation was so high [on ServiceNow], even for basic processes.” A simple workflow modification that should have taken hours instead required months and $50,000 in consulting fees.
The true cost of some large enterprise ITSM systems often extends beyond licensing to include dedicated administrators, ongoing maintenance, and external consultants. These hidden expenses can double or triple your total cost of ownership.
2. Heavy Administrative Overhead
Legacy platforms demand specialized knowledge and dedicated resources, which means your team spends more time managing the tool than using it to solve business problems.
The University of Michigan discovered its ServiceNow implementation was “overly complex for our needs and difficult to maintain,” according to Rhian Copeland, Assistant Director of ITS Service Support. Administrative complexity wasn’t just inconvenient—it was actively impeding progress and consuming valuable IT resources.
When platforms require “armies of admins,” you pay twice: once for the software and again for the expertise to make it work.
3. Long Time to Value
Complex deployments that drag on for months or years delay ROI, reduce user adoption, and erode the business value you’re trying to create. When teams can’t quickly implement changes or deploy new workflows, opportunities are lost and problems persist.
Casino Arizona‘s experience illustrates this challenge. Before switching platforms, routine approvals took excessive time. After implementing a no-code Enterprise Service Management (ESM) solution, they achieved a 70% reduction in approval times through easily configured automated workflows.
4. Complex Customization and Technical Debt
Tailoring workflows shouldn’t require custom code, but many enterprise-level platforms force this approach. Each customization creates technical debt that makes future updates more expensive and risky.
Kleinfelder faced this exact situation with ServiceNow. They “were unable to allocate the necessary resources to customize the system to their needs.” The platform’s power came with complexity that made basic modifications prohibitively expensive.
Technical debt accumulates over time with these types of service management platforms, making it less flexible and more dependent on external developers for routine changes.
5. Underutilized Features and Wasted Spend
Gartner’s research confirms what many IT leaders suspect: most organizations buy bloated capabilities they can’t fully implement. You’re paying for enterprise-grade features while struggling to make basic functionality work effectively.
This creates a frustrating paradox where teams have access to sophisticated tools but lack the resources or expertise to leverage them. The result is wasted spend on unused capabilities and ongoing frustration with core processes.
The No-Code ITSM Solution
Empowerment Through No-Code Technology
No-code ITSM platforms, like TeamDynamix, eliminate dependence on developers and costly third-party partners. Instead of waiting months for workflow modifications, teams can build and modify processes themselves.
Emily Krohn, Director of Information Technology at Faith Regional Health Services, explains the transformation: “Having a low-code/no-code ITSM platform has been extremely helpful. Everyone can get into the system and update forms, manage workflows, and enhance our processes.”
This democratization of workflow creation accelerates innovation while reducing costs. Front-line staff who understand business processes can directly implement improvements without technical intermediaries.
AI-Powered Automation and Integration
Modern ITSM platforms leverage AI virtual agents that connect directly to backend systems. These agents don’t just answer questions; they authenticate users, integrate with enterprise systems, and trigger automated actions.
Bowdoin College deployed AI Virtual Support Agents with remarkable results. They project a 60% reduction in help desk ticket volume while providing 24/7 service availability. Jason Pelletier, Sr. Director of Client Services & Technology, notes: “With TeamDynamix, we have one platform where the virtual agent integrates with our enterprise systems—and from there we can build automation. This is something we could never have done before.”
The key differentiator is integration capability. Look for service management platforms offering integration hubs with hundreds of pre-built connectors to enterprise systems. This eliminates the custom development typically required for system connections.
Streamlined Enterprise Service Management
Effective ITSM platforms consolidate fragmented channels—email, phone, multiple tools—into unified systems. This eliminates duplication while making processes visible and manageable.
Faith Regional consolidated its scattered workflows into a single platform, eliminating redundancy and empowering its team to automate processes without developer dependency. The result: streamlined operations, stronger governance, and empowered users delivered with minimal overhead.
The best platforms extend beyond IT departments. Casino Arizona found its system “easy to configure for various groups and can be easily adopted by departments outside of IT.” Future implementation phases include expanding to housekeeping and security departments.
Real-World Success Stories
Rapid Development and Cost Savings
Stockman Bank’s transformation illustrates the power of no-code ITSM. After migrating from ServiceNow to TeamDynamix, they built a critical workflow in one afternoon—a task previously quoted to take months and cost $50,000 in consulting fees.
This represents more than cost savings. It’s about organizational agility and the ability to respond quickly to business needs without bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Dramatic Efficiency Improvements
The University of Michigan projected initial annual savings of $307,000 by reducing ITSM administrative costs, with additional projected savings of $236,000. These aren’t theoretical benefits—they’re measurable improvements in operational efficiency.
The savings come from multiple sources: reduced administrative overhead, elimination of third-party consultants, and faster implementation of business-critical workflows.
Enhanced User Experience
Lorne Pearl, IT Service and Support Manager at Kleinfelder, captures the user experience improvement: “The ability to configure complex workflows is a great improvement. We’re able to provide a much better user experience.”
When platforms feel intuitive and responsive, user adoption increases and support requests decrease. This creates a positive cycle where better tools lead to better outcomes for both IT teams and end users.
Making the Switch: Practical Next Steps
The contrast between old and new approaches is clear. Legacy enterprise platforms create bloated licensing, long implementations, technical debt, and drained budgets. Modern no-code ITSM platforms, like TeamDynamix, offer transparent pricing, lower total cost of ownership, and rapid deployment capabilities.
When evaluating alternatives, prioritize these capabilities:
No-code workflow creation that empowers business users to implement changes directly. AI-powered automation that handles routine tasks while integrating with backend systems. Comprehensive integration options through pre-built connectors and flexible APIs. Transparent pricing models that scale with your organization without hidden costs.
The organizations featured in this guide didn’t just switch platforms—they transformed their approach to IT Service Management. They moved from reactive maintenance to proactive optimization, from vendor dependence to self-sufficiency, and from cost centers to value creators.
Your ITSM platform should accelerate your business, not anchor it to outdated approaches. The technology exists to deliver enterprise-grade service management without the complexity, cost, and administrative overhead of legacy solutions.
The question isn’t whether to make a change, but how quickly you can implement a solution that delivers immediate value while positioning your organization for future growth.
Want to learn more? Check out this eBook – Ditch the Bloat.