New findings from SolarWinds’ State of ITSM Report 2025 indicate that the integration of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) is yielding significant improvements in IT Service Management (ITSM). The report reveals that organizations that have adopted genAI into their service desk workflows reported a 17.8% reduction in average incident resolution times, saving approximately 4.87 hours per ticket.
This data stems from anonymized logs of over 2,000 ITSM systems and more than 60,000 data points collected between August 2024 and July 2025. As Lauren Okruch, Senior Manager for ITSM at SolarWinds, noted, leveraging genAI allows IT teams to free up valuable time spent on routine tasks, enabling a shift towards strategic initiatives that contribute to business growth.
In examining the profiles of the top 10 AI adopters, the report highlights that these organizations experienced a dramatic 54.3% improvement in resolution times, with the average incident time falling from about 51 hours to slightly over 23 hours. The distinction lies in their approach to AI; these top performers integrated AI as a core element of their ITSM strategy—embedding it directly into ticketing, triage, and knowledge management processes.
SolarWinds estimates that over 323,000 hours were saved across all AI-enabled organizations during the study. For a typical mid-sized IT team managing around 5,000 incidents annually, this efficiency could equate to a financial productivity boost of roughly $680,000, assuming an average help desk wage of $28 per hour.
Notably, the report points out an increasing performance gap between AI adopters and non-users. AI-enabled teams typically resolve incidents in 22.5 hours, while those not using AI average 32.5 hours. Importantly, the best results in efficiency improvements have come from teams that combined AI with optimized processes and proactive management changes.
Moreover, the report underscores that while genAI contributes to faster resolution capabilities, its success hinges on more than just the technology itself. It works most effectively when part of a broader strategy that includes well-defined processes and an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.
