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Salesforce Service Cloud vs ServiceNow Customer Service Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Salesforce Service Cloud
Ranking in CRM Customer Engagement Centers
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (5th), Knowledge Management Software (2nd), IT Alerting and Incident Management (6th)
ServiceNow Customer Service...
Ranking in CRM Customer Engagement Centers
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Customer Experience Management (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the CRM Customer Engagement Centers category, the mindshare of Salesforce Service Cloud is 19.6%, up from 16.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Customer Service Management is 10.4%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM Customer Engagement Centers
 

Featured Reviews

ChanchalSaxena - PeerSpot reviewer
High scalability with good plugins and excellent customer visibility
The solution should improve: 1. Reports & dashboard - The product should be capable of delivering complex reports as per company requirements without the need for a Tableau license. 2. Einstein has limited capabilities, and it suggests the analysis by predefined algorithms - but in a practical scenario, businesses need to ask real-time questions, and AI products should be capable of delivering the exact answers. Generic answers may not be effective.
Rupesh Jethwa - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable tool to help manage infrastructures, deployments, and different products from different vendors
The product lacks customization capabilities. In the future, the product should include more options for customization to be able to meet the demands of the customers. Though our company prefers to implement the solution directly out of the box, we need better customization capabilities if there are some complex requirements from the customers.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Salesforce accelerates time to market and streamlines workflows through automation. Integrating with other software systems, such as HR or ERP platforms, allows for seamless data exchange and enhances efficiency."
"The three major pillars of Salesforce Service Cloud are the SSL, Chatter, and the Dispatcher Console, which routes calls to the technicians."
"In terms of visibility to my boss and the team, it does help a lot."
"With Salesforce Service Cloud, customers can have end-to-end visibility from inquiry to delivery."
"The interface is quite user-friendly."
"The plug-ins that work with other standard systems have made the product industry-ready."
"We use Salesforce Service Cloud for lead management and opportunity management."
"I don't have the specific details, but I'm aware that Salesforce is used for campaigns, decision-making processes, and order submissions. I'm currently in the learning phase and not familiar with all the details."
"Our organization has received excellent tech support for ServiceNow Customer Service Management."
"One of the solution's most valuable features is its integration with the ITSM suite. When you acquire it, you also get access to incident and problem management from ITSM. This allows you to register a ticket in the product to work with the end user while using ITSM to handle the internal resolution process."
"The product provides flexibility in managing and categorizing the incidents."
"We can integrate different technologies in ServiceNow Customer Service Management. An organization would like to offer a digital transformative experience to its employees and customers, which the tool can offer. It can be integrated with any external system. There are also automation possibilities."
"What I like best about ServiceNow Customer Service Management is that it's a good tool. I like how fast it is and that it's cloud-based. I also like that it's very easy to use. ServiceNow Customer Service Management has minimum options, for example, column options and tab options when compared to other solutions, which makes it easier to use over others."
"The integration capabilities of ServiceNow are wonderful."
"The setup phase of the solution was straightforward...Regarding the product's user interface, there is an in-built portal developed by ServiceNow, which is good."
"The tool's most valuable feature is the service portal."
 

Cons

"It is kind of a struggle to get a report that shows something you want it to show."
"One minor drawback is that its implementation requires some preparation. It's not something you can implement instantly; it takes time. The only issue I've encountered is that you need to ensure the implementation is done properly, which can be time-consuming. So, it requires some time and attention."
"The solution could continue improving its artificial intelligence capabilities."
"I would like to add some bot features."
"Reporting could be improved."
"The integrations with other solutions can be improved."
"Salesforce Service Cloud's report functionality could be improved."
"Since customization can increase the cost from an implementation standpoint, we focus on showcasing Service Cloud's built-in features and possibilities."
"The price could be better. ServiceNow should price products more reasonably."
"ServiceNow Customer Service Management works fine for me, for now, so there isn't any room for improvement I see in it. In the next release of the tool, I'd like users to be able to download all reports because as a user, I can only download a limited number of reports from ServiceNow Customer Service Management, but my management team can do so. I'm unsure if it's a feature that's included in the tool or not."
"The solution seems to be moving towards low-code/no-code technology. It is a negative aspect of my experience with the product. It also needs to introduce a clearer pricing structure."
"I do not have any notes for improvements."
"The product lacks customization capabilities. In the future, the product should include more options for customization to be able to meet the demands of the customers."
"The pricing must be more flexible."
"One area for improvement would be integrating IVR systems. Many customers need the ticketing solution and a native IVR system within the same platform. ServiceNow Customer Service Management doesn't offer an IVR solution that works natively or comes in the same package. Customers often have to integrate their IVR with third-party solutions like Twilio. However, the agreement between ServiceNow and Twilio ended some months ago, making it more challenging to integrate IVR functionalities."
"The product does not cater to businesses of every scale and budget."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Salesforce Service Cloud is a highly expensive solution"
"The licensing is flexible. Companies pay for what they use. However, a company with very small needs might find it difficult to justify the cost. Overall, it's in the medium price range."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Salesforce Service Cloud, which is expensive."
"The tool is pretty expensive."
"The price of the solution depends on how many users need access to it"
"Salesforce is not a cheap product. It can be expensive."
"Salesforce Service Cloud is a bit expensive."
"Only enterprise businesses can afford the solution, and small companies cannot afford it."
"ServiceNow Customer Service Management is expensive. It's one of the most costly CSM options in the marketplace."
"I rate the tool's pricing a six out of ten."
"The product has a premium price"
"I rate the product's pricing a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. The solution is neither cheap nor expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Educational Organization
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Salesforce Service Cloud?
I use Salesforce as a CRM to pull data, update business opportunities, and support the sales team. I query the data through Snowflake or HANA using Tableau for analysis and market expectations.
What do you like most about ServiceNow Customer Service Management?
We can integrate different technologies in ServiceNow Customer Service Management. An organization would like to offer a digital transformative experience to its employees and customers, which the ...
 

Also Known As

Service Cloud
ServiceNow CSM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Stanley Black & Decker, Coca-Cola, Activision, Wells Fargo, Spotify, Aldo, Philips, The Red Cross, Blue Shield of California, Sprouts Farmers Market, Direct Energy Solar, Inspirato, Kiva
Siemens Healthineers, SAP SuccessFactors, Asurion
Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce Service Cloud vs. ServiceNow Customer Service Management and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.