A teammate pings you in Slack about a broken VPN, another submits a laptop request in a side channel, and both requests land in a shared spreadsheet. Hours later you search for lost messages, reprioritize rows, and reconcile duplicate entries. 

Spreadsheets constrain organizations with manual data entry errors, version-control issues, and absence of automation—challenges that escalate into missed SLAs and colleague dissatisfaction. Data-integrity risks and workflow gaps exacerbate these challenges.

Platforms like Siit replace spreadsheet inefficiencies with chat-native, AI-driven workflows that resolve requests within minutes rather than days.

Comparison of Winners at a Glance

This speed filter works like this: 

1. Match your primary context—chat, enterprise, or developer-centric—with the "Best For" column.
2. Confirm the single capability you can't compromise on, whether that's AI-driven automation or instant Kanban visibility.
3. Scan pricing to gauge fit before diving into deeper evaluations.

Best Chat-First Automation for Slack & Teams: Siit

Siit transforms unstructured requests into automated workflows directly within Slack and Microsoft Teams. Every request arrives in the channel your employees already use, then progresses through a fully automated pipeline without requiring them to learn new interfaces or switch contexts.

AI agents embedded in chat manage triage, enrichment, and resolution steps, eliminating the manual routing that impedes traditional tools. The platform integrates across your entire stack—Jira, Zendesk, MDM, IAM—so workflows complete end-to-end without manual intervention. 

All data operates behind SOC 2 Type 2 controls, meeting audit requirements while accelerating response times. The system deploys in days through native user syncing and no-code configuration.

"With Siit we reduced first-response time from 24 hours to <5," notes Clément Bresson of Spendesk. Rey Davila at AngelList adds that "using Siit feels like you're interacting with a person, not just a system."

The system eliminates the bottlenecks that spreadsheets create: 

• Duplicate entries
• Missed SLAs
• Inadequate reporting

You capture every request upon submission, observe AI classify and assign it in seconds, and deliver resolutions before context switches impact productivity. This makes it ideal for fast-growing tech companies and operations-intensive SMBs.

Pros

• No new interface to learn; conversations stay in Slack/Teams
• AI-driven automation replaces manual triage
• Native sync with Jira & Zendesk
• Enterprise-grade security

Cons

• Chat-first approach may feel unfamiliar in email-centric cultures

Why Siit Won

Siit eliminates the manual friction that constrains teams in spreadsheet environments. Where Excel requires constant data entry, sorting, and status verification, Siit's AI triage captures every request in Slack or Teams, assigns the appropriate resolver immediately, and delivers real-time progress updates—eliminating duplicate entries and version-control challenges that characterize spreadsheet-based workflows.

The operational impact demonstrates measurable value:

• Spendesk reduced first-response time from over 24 hours to under 5 hours after implementation
• Self-service forms guide employees through dynamic fields, ensuring tickets arrive complete
• Automated workflows route approvals and escalate on SLA breach
• Built-in notifications prevent progress stagnation
• Analytics dashboards present cycle times and backlog patterns comprehensively

These capabilities address the core requirements for modern service request management:

• User-friendly portals
• Automated routing
• Real-time tracking
• Comprehensive reporting

By unifying these features inside the chat platform your employees already use, the solution transforms request management from a spreadsheet exercise into an always-on service engine that delivers assistance in seconds rather than days.

Best Enterprise ITSM Platform: ServiceNow

ServiceNow is the industry leader in enterprise IT service management, offering an end-to-end platform that extends far beyond ticketing into enterprise workflows. Designed for large organizations with complex IT environments, ServiceNow enforces SLAs, automates escalations, and integrates seamlessly with IT, HR, security, and business operations.

The platform delivers ITIL-aligned modules for incident, change, problem, and asset management out of the box. Its low-code Flow Designer allows teams to configure powerful automations without heavy development overhead. Dashboards provide real-time visibility into request queues, SLA breaches, and resolution trends, while advanced analytics support compliance and continuous improvement.

Pros

• Full ITIL-aligned ITSM suite, trusted by global enterprises
• Highly extensible: integrates IT workflows with HR, security, and customer support on a single platform
• Low-code automation and orchestration tools (Flow Designer, ServiceNow IntegrationHub)
• Scales to support tens of thousands of users across distributed environments
• Strong compliance, governance, and audit capabilities

Cons

• High cost of ownership compared to lighter ITSM tools
• Implementation is resource-intensive and requires skilled admins or certified partners
• Overkill for SMBs or fast-moving teams with lightweight requirements

Best-Suited For

ServiceNow is best for large enterprises and regulated industries that require rigorous IT governance, advanced compliance features, and deep integration across business units. It’s particularly valuable for organizations with global service operations, strict SLAs, and complex workflows where spreadsheets and lightweight tools fall short.

Best Customer-Support-Turned-IT Desk: Zendesk

If you run support on Zendesk, you recognize its strengths: 

• Centralized queues
• Internal notes for agent collaboration
• Automations that keep customers informed

This existing familiarity becomes your advantage when extending to internal IT operations.

For internal IT, Zendesk delivers the operational fundamentals: centralized ticket management, customizable intake forms, workflow automations, and built-in analytics. Official Slack and Teams apps handle employee issues without channel switching, while robust APIs connect hardware inventory tools, identity providers, and knowledge bases. 

The platform appears on multiple industry analyses of leading ITSM solutions, including comprehensive assessments of top service management tools.

Pros

• Builds on existing support infrastructure investment
• Mature automation engine with extensive app marketplace
• Familiar agent interface reduces training overhead

Cons

• Designed primarily for external support; ITIL features require customization
• Admins frequently seek alternatives for advanced asset or change management

Best-Suited For: 

Zendesk works best when your organization has already invested in it for customer support and you want to extend that investment to an internal help desk without operational disruption.

Best Lightweight Kanban Tracker for Small Teams: Trello

If you require a fast, visual way to prevent IT requests from being overlooked, Trello delivers. Multiple tool assessments identify it as "best for small teams," and after helping several startups transition from ad-hoc spreadsheets the reason is clear: 

• You drag a card
• Everyone observes the change
• The work continues flowing

Where spreadsheets require manual updates, Trello's board view displays the live status of every request. Each card progresses from Backlog to Done in one click, eliminating the version-control challenges that characterize traditional tracking methods.

Trello's visual Kanban boards map directly to your intake-triage-resolution workflow, while custom labels, due dates, and checklists enable efficient prioritization. Butler automations notify owners, move cards, or post Slack alerts when criteria are met. 

In-card comments and file attachments maintain all context with the request, eliminating the scattered documentation that characterizes spreadsheet-based tracking.

Pros

• Instant setup—create a board in minutes
• Generous free tier; no license cost for requesters
• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface; near-zero learning curve
• Real-time collaboration keeps everyone aligned

Cons

• Limited reporting and SLA tracking
• Few IT-specific templates or asset fields
• Basic automations only (no AI triage or escalations)
• Scaling past a few hundred cards becomes unwieldy

Best-Suited For: 

Trello excels when you operate as a lean team—approximately five to ten people—who prioritize clarity over complexity. If your objective is visualizing every laptop request, VPN issue, or software installation in one simple lane, Trello will maintain organization without introducing administrative overhead.

Best All-in-One Work & IT Management Platform: ClickUp

ClickUp functions as a comprehensive task manager that consolidates projects and IT support in one workspace. Custom fields capture device serial numbers, onboarding checklists, and technical specifications, while low-code automations advance tickets based on status changes. Dashboards aggregate live metrics into unified views, eliminating manual formula tracking and ownership ambiguity.

Transitioning from spreadsheets to ClickUp eliminates manual data entry and version-control issues. Rather than managing separate tools for Kanban, calendars, and documentation, teams toggle between list, board, or timeline views within the same workspace. 

Automated workflows assign requests, send Slack reminders, and escalate overdue tasks without manual intervention. Built-in Docs and knowledge base functionality surface how-to articles alongside tickets, reducing repeat inquiries.

Pros

• Unified workspace combining projects, requests, and documentation
• Extensive customization through views, fields, and no-code automations
• Real-time reporting dashboards for operational insight

Cons

• Feature breadth requires significant onboarding time
• Initial configuration demands higher investment than basic Kanban tools

Best-Suited For: 

ClickUp suits teams requiring single sign-on access for product roadmaps, access approvals, and incident post-mortems. Growing companies benefit from its ability to scale processes without fragmenting data across multiple applications.

Best Open-Source Developer-Focused Tracker: GitHub Discussions

GitHub Discussions feels natural for developers who already work in GitHub throughout the day—requests remain in the same ecosystem as repositories and pull requests. Each request begins as a Discussion tied to a specific repo, connecting code commits, issues, and historical context in a single thread. You label, categorize, and close requests using the same workflow primitives your engineers use for code reviews. 

Team members subscribe to threads for real-time notifications, and @mentions engage the appropriate specialist immediately. The platform is included with every GitHub plan—no budget approval cycle, simply enable the Discussions tab and begin logging tickets.

Pros

• Included with existing GitHub accounts
• Familiar UI reduces the learning curve for engineers
• Directly linked to code, issues, and pull requests for seamless context
• Transparent by default, promoting open knowledge sharing

Cons

• Non-technical staff must hold GitHub accounts to participate
• Lacks purpose-built ITSM features like SLA timers or automated routing

Best-Suited For: 

GitHub Discussions excels when most support questions originate from people who can already push code: 

• Developer-heavy startups
• Open-source projects
• Platform teams that prefer everything inside the same GitHub repository

Key Features Checklist & How to Choose

Spreadsheets expose your team to data entry errors, duplicate tickets, and version-control issues, compromising response times and reliability of the data you depend on for prioritization. The objective is to implement a request-tracking platform that replaces manual updates with automated, audit-ready workflows—driving measurable reductions in mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR).

Use this checklist to structure your evaluation:

• Centralized request intake
• Slack / Teams or email integration
• Automation / AI triage
• Up-voting & prioritization
• SLA & reporting dashboards
• Plug-and-play integrations
• Security & compliance (e.g., SOC 2)

Map your top three pain points against the checklist, then ask vendors questions that reveal hidden effort:

• How quickly can we implement this solution?
• Will employees actually use it inside Slack or Teams?
• Does it automate our specific workflow bottlenecks?
• Can it scale with headcount and compliance demands?

A tool that responds to each question with demonstrable metrics—rather than promises—will liberate you from spreadsheet firefighting and establish a foundation for continuous service improvement.

Move Beyond Spreadsheets with Slack-Native Automation

Spreadsheets burden teams with manual data entry, version conflicts, and zero automation—creating bottlenecks that delay critical support. Purpose-built solutions like Siit completely transform this paradigm, with AI agents that capture, categorize, and resolve requests directly within chat—often without human intervention.

While traditional tools merely track tickets, Siit's AI workflow engine executes complete resolution sequences across your technology stack. From onboarding employees to resolving VPN issues, the platform reduces resolution times from days to minutes by eliminating handoffs between systems. 

Experience the difference AI-native support makes in your operational efficiency. Start a free trial or request a demo of Siit to see how your team can transform spreadsheet chaos into streamlined service delivery.