By Dave Rosenlund, Global Director of Software & Solutions at Trundl.
Across IT, business, and customer-facing teams, the demands on service operations are only getting sharper. Teams are expected to deliver more value, more visibility, and more reliability—with fewer people, tighter budgets, and rising expectations from every direction.
Here are five trends we see defining service management. And how smart leaders are meeting the moment.
AI-Driven Agents Are Growing Up
AI isn’t just a chatbot anymore. It’s starting to become a capable teammate—drafting responses, triaging requests, summarizing issues, even taking action. The real story isn’t about automating tasks—it’s about redesigning workflows with a hybrid model: AI + human, working in sync.
Still, most teams aren’t ready for the big leap. Their data’s messy. Their knowledge base is spotty. Governance? Not exactly bulletproof. But for those who lay the groundwork now, AI won’t just be a tool—it’ll be a differentiator.
“I think what makes AI different from other technologies is that it’s going to bring humans and machines closer together. It’s not about machines replacing humans, but machines augmenting humans.”
— Robin Bordoli (Partner, Authentic Ventures)
Service Silos Are Collapsing (Finally)
For years, IT, HR, Facilities, and Customer Service ran their own platforms, their own processes, their own chaos. But users don’t care which department owns a request—they just want help, fast.
That’s why organizations are breaking down barriers with shared platforms and unified service experiences. Think cross-functional workflows, standard taxonomies, and one-stop service portals that don’t care whether the request is for a laptop, a legal doc, or a leaky faucet.
But there’s no shortcut here. Legacy tech, ownership battles, and misaligned SLAs still trip up many teams.
“The most important thing we are doing here is collapsing service management silos. When we think about a program, we think about how the program improves our customer or employee experience.”
— Eash Sundaram, EVP Innovation & CIO of JetBlue
Customer Service Experience (CSX) Isn’t Just a Buzzword Anymore
It’s no longer enough to resolve tickets quickly. People want to feel heard. Supported. Informed. Whether they’re employees or customers, users expect the service experience to be as smooth as their favorite apps.
More organizations are investing in journey design, real-time feedback loops, and conversational interfaces embedded right in the flow of work.
“The customer service experience is the next competitive battleground.”
— Jerry Gregoire, former CIO of Dell
Your Asset Data Is Strategic Now
Everyone loves to talk about AI, automation, and experience—but none of it works without clean, connected data. Fragmented CMDBs, scattered integrations, and inconsistent taxonomies are the hidden killers of service innovation.
Leading teams are treating data like infrastructure. They’re investing in event-driven architectures, federated CMDBs, and open APIs. It’s not sexy work, but it’s essential. Without it, your fancy automation rules and AI pilots won’t scale.
“A good CMDB isn’t static; it needs to rediscover, revalidate, and recapture asset data consistently.”
— Allen Dixon, Regional Head of Service & Operations Management, DB Schenker
Cost Pressures Are Forcing Smarter Automation
Service teams are being told to cut costs, increase resilience, and move faster—all at once. That’s forcing a rethink: what should be automated, what should be shifted left, and what actually drives outcomes?
The most successful orgs are building automation portfolios like product backlogs—prioritized by ROI and effort. They’re focusing on resilience engineering, proactive care, and smarter self-service.
“Without ITSM automation and API integration with HR systems, we’d need a team double or triple the size.”
— Steve Rhodes, Backbase
What Great Leaders Are Doing Differently
They’re not chasing trends. They’re building foundations.
- Data comes first. Clean it. Map it. Govern it.
- AI starts small. Pilot it where the ROI is measurable.
- Design for experience. Not just resolution speed.
- Treat service as strategy. Not just support.
The future of service management won’t be defined by tools alone. It’ll be shaped by teams who understand flow, trust, and value—and who build for scale while focusing on CSX.
Dave Rosenlund is the Global Director of Software & Solutions at Trundl. He’s also an Atlassian Community Champion and the instigator behind the popular virtual Atlassian Community Events chapter, ITSM/ESM Masters (which he is in the process of renaming, CSX Masters).
