AI cuts IT incident resolution time by 18%, saving $680K annually

SolarWinds’ new State of ITSM Report 2025 reveals that IT organizations using generative AI in their service desk workflows reduced average incident resolution times by 17.8%, saving 4.87 hours per ticket. The findings, based on data from over 2,000 IT Service Management systems and 60,000 data points collected between August 2024 and July 2025, demonstrate measurable productivity gains as enterprises seek to optimize their IT operations amid growing digital demands.

The big picture: AI adoption in IT service management is creating a significant efficiency gap between early adopters and traditional teams, with AI-enabled organizations averaging 22.5 hours per incident compared to 32.5 hours for non-AI users.

Key performance metrics: The top 10 AI adopters in the study achieved even more dramatic improvements by treating AI as a core ITSM strategy component.

• These leading organizations experienced a 54.3% improvement in resolution time, dropping from nearly 51 hours per incident to just over 23 hours.
• They differentiated themselves by embedding AI directly into ticketing, triage, and knowledge workflows rather than treating it as a pilot project.
• Across all AI-enabled organizations, SolarWinds estimated more than 323,000 cumulative hours were saved during the study period.

Financial impact: The productivity gains translate into substantial cost savings for mid-sized IT teams handling typical incident volumes.

• For organizations processing 5,000 incidents annually, the efficiency improvements represent an estimated $680,000 in reclaimed productivity.
• This calculation is based on an average help desk wage of $28 per hour, highlighting the tangible ROI of AI implementation in IT operations.

What they’re saying: SolarWinds executives emphasize that AI adoption represents more than just efficiency gains for IT departments.

• “By leveraging GenAI, ITSM teams can reclaim time and resources once spent on routine tasks, enabling them to focus on strategic initiatives that drive real business value,” said Lauren Okruch, Senior Manager for ITSM at SolarWinds.
• “Looking ahead, embracing technologies like genAI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s a strategic imperative for organizations aiming to innovate, stay ahead of change, and transform IT from a support function into a proactive driver of growth.”

Why implementation strategy matters: The report emphasizes that successful AI adoption requires more than just deploying new technology.

• The biggest efficiency improvements came from teams that coupled AI adoption with process refinement and change management.
• As the report notes: “While GenAI is not a standalone solution, these numbers suggest it plays a meaningful role in supporting faster resolution, especially when paired with existing ITSM best practices.”
• “GenAI is one piece of the larger strategy, but it works best when combined with well-defined processes and a commitment to continuous improvement.”