2026 predictions: Smarter technology, more human businesses

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to look to the future and consider how the trends of this year will affect business in 2026. I expect it will be a year of significant change for our customers, who are dealing with the impact of radical shifts in technology, a slowing economy, and tightening labor markets. Yet many companies are experiencing significant growth by taking control of cash flow and using technology to be more efficient. In an attempt to help businesses see ahead of the curve, here are three predictions for professional services businesses for the coming year. 

In 2026, companies will embrace AI to offer products that are more human. Smart businesses will let AI handle the data and busywork, so staff can lean harder into empathy, strategy, and advice. 

Human connection will once again rise to being the most powerful competitive edge. This is especially true for professional services companies, whose most valuable offerings have always been creative, strategic, advisory, and human-centric. 

We’ll see this play out in a few ways:

AI will help professionals rediscover the joy of their craft. AI shouldn’t be scary, it should be your always-on super assistant. Tech should take the mind-numbing work, so you can remember why you got into this business in the first place. It’s doing the work in the background while accountants, consultants, and advisors do what only people can: build trust, listen deeply, and help clients move forward with confidence. The best firms will have an assistant who never sleeps and partners who finally can.

As automation and AI blend together, technology will fade into the background, quietly improving customer service without stealing the spotlight. Clients won’t see AI at work; they’ll feel it in faster responses, better follow-up, and more personal experiences.

In the accounting industry, AI will put CAS on every accountant’s menu in 2026. As AI becomes the super assistant behind the scenes, more accountants will have the capacity to deliver the kind of advisory work clients always hoped for. Smart firms will task AI with processing documents, surfacing insights, and handling busy, repetitive work so accountants can spend their time having real conversations, giving proactive guidance, and deepening client trust. With AI, there’s no reason why any firm should leave CAS off its list of offerings.

Our reports this year found that the vast majority of businesses will raise fees in the coming year. According to our research in this year’s U.S. Accounting and Tax Pricing Benchmark Report, 80% of U.S. accounting firms plan to raise prices in 2026. Most of them plan increases of 5-10%. 

We’re seeing a similar pattern on the creative and marketing agency side. The 2025 Agency and Pricing Cash Flow Report found that 97% of agencies plan to raise prices. Agencies are also changing pricing, billing, and packaging models.

This signals a fundamental shift in how companies approach pricing. Too many firms and agencies currently price based on gut feeling and not based on data. Fear of losing clients is the reason 28% of accounting firms haven’t increased their prices.

Technology will take the fear out of pricing. Industry-first AI-powered pricing tools like Ignition’s Price Insights make it easy to see how your prices compare to others across services but also factor in company traits so you get a more apples-to-apples comparison. 

Things like size of company, region, and scope of work matter in pricing and aren’t often taken into account in benchmark surveys. In 2026, firms will use AI to bring more confidence in pricing professional services. When AI technology combines real-world data to analyze scope, complexity, and client behavior, professionals can focus on charging what their expertise is worth.

Beyond how to price, we’ll also see companies differentiate to justify price increases. In 2026, firms will stop competing on price and start competing on partnership. Clients are looking for trusted advisors, not transactional relationships. When you show up with insight, transparency, and care, you have no reason to undercharge for your expertise.

The smartest companies don’t just raise prices; they rethink them. With more confidence in what and how to price their services, more companies will begin pricing strategically to drive growth. 

As more companies trust automation for billing and proposals, we’re seeing them lean into the insights the platform can provide when it has all the data about customers. We’re seeing customers rely more on technology to help move the needle towards profitability.

High-growth firms use data to work smarter, not harder. We’ll see companies demanding more from their automation platforms, identifying which clients and services truly drive profitability. They’ll shift to using AI for repetitive tasks, but also for strategic decision-making like pricing. 

But even as businesses do more and drive more with technology, it's not the only piece of the puzzle. Technology will guide decisions, but humans will set direction and ensure growth stays aligned with purpose.

As 2026 approaches, one thing is clear: the firms that thrive won’t be the ones chasing every new tool, but the ones using technology to amplify what already makes them great. AI will unlock capacity, data will sharpen strategy, and automation will strengthen the financial backbone of professional services firms. But the real differentiator will remain human judgment—how leaders choose to price their value, guide their clients, and build relationships rooted in trust. The next year won’t just reward efficiency. It will reward clarity, courage, and a renewed commitment to the human side of the business.