While the consulting world is distracted by the hype of AI, a much quieter and more profound shift is redrawing the industry map. The age-old model of selling billable hours is quickly running out of road, forcing a change in how firms operate. The companies poised to win the next decade are adopting a radically different playbook, thinking more like tech companies than traditional consultancies. In this article from Cloudwerx, discover why productizing services is the true differentiator that will define the future of consulting.

Gen Z consultants, think your digital fluency is the only superpower you need to succeed in the services world? In a world buzzing with AI and automation, the skills that truly define success are surprisingly...human. This piece from our friends at OpMentors breaks down why the old playbook is obsolete and what it really takes to become a trusted advisor, not just another analyst. Read to discover the strategies that will not only shape your career but the future of professional services.

The rise of AI is forging an exciting new career path for professional services talent, leading to the 'Orchestrator'—a strategic leader who conducts hybrid teams of people and AI agents. In this article, Certinia CPO Kris Kildahl offers an optimistic blueprint for people leaders to cultivate this next generation of talent. This forward-looking guide details how to redesign career paths, foster new skills, and develop leaders to build the talent ecosystem that will define the future of services.

Your dashboards show you the numbers, but how do you actually use AI to change them? This article from Certinia's Sridhar Parameshwaran moves beyond the hype to offer a practical plan for driving real results. Learn how to apply the full spectrum of AI—from predictive forecasting to agentic automation—to your daily operations. He provides a clear road map for using these tools to increase bid-to-win rates, optimize project margins, and reduce revenue leakage.

Are your field service teams trying to conduct a symphony with a string of single-note work orders? For complex, multi-stage jobs, that approach creates more chaos than harmony—and it’s quietly costing you. This article from Ladd Partners reveals a new playbook for transforming that chaos into orchestrated project excellence, creating a better experience for your team, your customers, and your bottom line.

In Salesforce Ben, Certinia's Raju Malhotra explains how AI agents built on Agentforce are solving daily "firefighting" challenges for professional services and customer success teams. He outlines that for agents to be effective, they require a single source of truth (the Salesforce record), services-specific context from a Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution, and a trusted deployment platform like AgentExchange. He highlights two real-world examples: a Staffing Agent that resolves resource allocation issues in minutes instead of hours, and a Customer Success Agent that automates account research, freeing up teams to focus on high-value customer engagement.

In Forbes, Certinia CEO DJ Paoni asks a crucial question: does your customer's journey feel like a seamless experience or a series of disjointed, frustrating handoffs? He argues that a hidden "Delivery Gap" between what your sales team promises and what your delivery team can execute is quietly eroding your profits and customer trust. Read why closing this gap is the new mandate for growth and how to build an operating model that delivers certainty, not surprises.

Take part in the 19th edition of the Professional Service industry’s most authoritative independent benchmark. Help Set the Standard for Professional Services Performance in 2026. SPI’s survey for the 2026 PS Maturity Benchmark™ is now open. Receive your copy of the 2026 Benchmark upon its release, plus…NEW GIVE-AWAYS in 2026: Company-wide SPI official Maturity Scores + 10-page Executive Insights Report.

The workforce is facing its biggest shift in a century, but the rise of AI is set to create millions more jobs than it displaces. This shift is creating entirely new career paths that blend uniquely human skills with AI literacy. In this article, Salesforce explores 10 of these fascinating new jobs, from the AI Ethicist to the AI Orchestrator. Discover a glimpse into the future of work and the skills that will be required to succeed in it.

In this Q&A with Certinia CEO DJ Paoni, Spaulding Ridge CEO Jay Laabs argues that the biggest challenge for services businesses in the AI era isn't the technology itself, but the strategy and culture that support it. He explains why a solid data foundation, built upon a unified platform, is the non-negotiable first step to making AI a "force multiplier" for talent rather than a source of chaos. Laabs shares his playbook on how this foundational approach improves efficiency, client handoffs, and talent development. The takeaway for leaders: the real work of AI transformation is having the discipline to fix your operations and culture first.

As technology reshapes the services landscape, tomorrow’s leaders will need more than traditional management skills to succeed. Diabsolut’s blog explores the blend of human strengths and AI-savvy capabilities required to guide teams, foster collaboration, and drive meaningful outcomes. From curiosity, emotional intelligence, and business acumen to AI literacy, prompt crafting, and ethical judgment, these skills highlight how leaders can adapt to new realities while keeping people at the center of service delivery.

Unlock the secrets to proactive resource management with a consistent weekly rhythm. This article from OpMentors breaks down the essential weekly practices, from analyzing utilization data to engaging with stakeholders, that will transform your capacity planning from a reactive chore into a strategic advantage. Learn how to optimize resource allocation, prevent bottlenecks, and drive project success with these expert tips.

AI is transforming professional services worldwide, with leaders focusing on profitability, operational efficiency, and smarter AI adoption in 2025. This article from VFP Consulting explains how embedding predictive, generative, and agentic AI into workflows, firms can reduce manual tasks, empower employees, and deliver measurable value to clients. Successful adoption requires leadership alignment, strong data governance, workforce upskilling, and a tailored AI strategy—whether local, regional, or global.

The 2025 Management Consultancies Association Member Survey reveals a UK consulting industry at a pivotal moment, balancing major technological shifts with new talent demands. As Certinia RVP EMEA Macy Nettleton writes, the data shows that while AI is overwhelmingly seen as the top growth area, consultants now prioritize flexible working conditions over compensation for the first time in six years. This highlights a new mandate for leaders: firms must not only invest in technology but also embrace people-centric strategies like operational flexibility and building more diverse, agile teams.

The UK government has a bold new vision to make its £300 billion Professional and Business Services sector the world's most innovative by 2035. While this new strategic plan is a welcome and ambitious starting point, Certinia VP of International Rob Harrison argues that we must ask tougher questions to ensure its success. Is the UK government overlooking the real operational hurdles to technology adoption and preparing the workforce for the AI-augmented jobs of tomorrow? Read on to discover the three critical questions that will determine whether this blueprint for the future becomes a reality.

This article from Exceleris Consulting warns that your impressive revenue growth might not be the golden ticket to a premium business valuation that you think it is. Investors are looking beyond the balance sheet and are now penalizing companies for the very "heroics" that once seemed like assets. Find out why the systems you've built are becoming more critical than your revenue figures and how "spreadsheet risk" could be silently devaluing your entire operation.

Did you know that 78% of services organizations want to get more out of their Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution? And a staggering number struggle with basic functionalities like accurate forecasting and resource alignment? Forrester Consulting, in a study commissioned by Certinia, surveyed 623 decision-makers to explore the critical gaps in PSA and their impact on customer centricity. The study reveals both the hidden challenges and opportunities within PSA, and how insufficient tools are directly impacting operational efficiency, client value, and revenue growth.

Facing a "perfect storm" of market shifts and AI evolution, the strategies that once fueled growth in professional services have changed significantly. Drawing on a recent global survey of over 1,000 services leaders, this article from Certinia distills five essential lessons for CXOs to navigate this new economy. The findings reveal that winning firms are unifying their technology, using AI to augment their talent, and making proactive customer success a team-wide responsibility. It provides a clear roadmap for turning today's market volatility into a competitive advantage.

Is the APAC services industry a monolith? New industry data reveals a starkly different story, uncovering a deep strategic divide between how firms in Singapore and ANZ are tackling growth, AI, and customer success. One market is betting on aggressive innovation while the other takes a more measured approach—and the difference shows up in their results. Read this article from Certinia to see the surprising data and discover which playbook is winning.

Misalignment across the organization is one of the most common—and costly—reasons transformation efforts fail. Without a unified approach, even the best strategies fall apart in execution. In this article, Diabsolut explores how breaking down internal silos can drive faster, more sustainable change. You’ll discover practical ways to build alignment into your culture, supported by shared frameworks and platforms that help keep everyone focused on long-term customer success.

Your services business is likely bleeding profits, but the cause is hidden in plain sight. While you focus on growth, a silent plague of disconnected systems is eating your company from the inside, turning your best employees into glorified data clerks and making accurate forecasting impossible. The most elite firms have already solved this, leveraging a single strategic shift to gain an almost unfair advantage. In this blog post from A5, discover the operational secret they're using to turn their services delivery into a profit-generating machine.

Time-to-value, margin management, and forecasting accuracy are the metrics that truly determine professional services success. But too often, firms overlook them in favor of revenue alone. This blog from Diabsolut shows how Professional Services Automation (PSA) makes these KPIs actionable, giving leaders the real-time visibility and insights needed to deliver value faster, protect profitability, and plan with confidence.

In this article, Valuize Founder and CEO Ross Fulton makes a case that AI agents represent a fundamental shift that will redefine the services industry. He argues that by integrating agents, businesses can scale their expertise without proportionally increasing headcount, deliver proactive and continuous value to clients, and elevate their human experts to focus on uniquely human skills like strategic guidance and relationship building. Fulton outlines a clear, strategic roadmap for leaders, urging them to redesign their business models around outcomes, create new agent-human operating models, and shift their pricing from effort-based to value-based.

The UK Government has officially placed the Professional and Business Services (PBS) sector at the heart of its modern industrial policy, recognizing its £300 billion contribution to the economy and its role as the world's second-largest PBS exporter. This new sector plan is a strategic roadmap for navigating the inflection point created by Artificial Intelligence, outlining significant government and industry commitments to accelerate technology adoption, develop a highly-skilled workforce, and expand global trade. For any leader looking to understand the future of the services economy, the report provides a crucial preview of the policies and partnerships intended to make the UK the world’s most dynamic and innovative PBS center by 2035.

82% of professional services firms believe AI will transform their services model, yet fewer than 20% have taken meaningful steps to begin that journey. For leaders, the challenge is no longer deciding whether to adopt AI, but how to move past the buzzwords and apply it in ways that deliver measurable business outcomes. This article from Diabsolut describes how service organizations are closing the AI gap—using Certinia-powered tools to improve forecasting, resource planning, and project execution—while building hybrid teams where human expertise and machine intelligence work side by side. Explore real-world examples, practical entry points, and lessons from early adopters, showing how firms can start small, demonstrate value quickly, and create momentum for broader transformation.

What happens when a technology revolutionizes cognitive work itself? For an industry like professional services where knowledge is the product, AI is a fundamental disruption on par with the industrial revolution. In this article, Cross Cloud Partners explores how AI is already reshaping the industry and forcing leaders to rethink what's possible, asking the critical question: in an age of intelligent machines, how do we amplify our most human capabilities?

Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) simplify billing for their partners by charging for completed units of work, such as patient visits or lab results, rather than by the hour. This unit-based model, however, creates operational challenges because standard business software is often designed for time-based tracking, leading to manual work and inaccurate forecasting. In this blog post, Exceleris Consulting discusses how a specialized Unit Planning tool can align project planning, revenue forecasting, and billing directly with the completion of these units. The result? CROs streamline their operations, predict cash flow more accurately, and improve reporting for their sponsors.

This SPI Research preview summarizes The Structural Divide report – exploring the hidden structural reasons behind persistent friction between Sales and Professional Services (PS), drawing on insights from 400+ firms and 25+ hours of PS and Sales leader interviews. It offers evidence-backed strategies, practical frameworks, and visual tools to help organizations bridge the divide, strengthen collaboration, and drive profitable growth.

Navigating the hype and risk of artificial intelligence can make choosing your first project feel like a high-stakes gamble, but it doesn't have to be. This practical guide from Exceleris Consulting cuts through the noise, offering business leaders a simple, low-risk framework for making a confident choice. You can apply established concepts like the "Jobs to Be Done" theory and the Impact vs. Effort matrix to identify and launch a "quick win" project that delivers measurable value, builds internal momentum, and sets the stage for long-term AI success without falling into common pitfalls.

Submit your boldest idea for reimagining service delivery—and help shape what’s next. We're calling on customers, partners, and service leaders to share one smart, creative, or unconventional idea that could reshape how we work, deliver, or grow. OpMentors experts believe the services industry is shifting—from time-based delivery to value-based delivery. Have you seen this shift affect how your company designs or delivers customer success plans? Share with us one idea to help the services industry move forward. Top 3 ideas win a 1:1 Strategy Session with OpMentors experts (a $2,000+ value) plus featured in our LinkedIn thought leadership series. The winning idea gets co-branded into an OpMentors Transformation Spotlight story.  All participants get early access to the post-contest Idea Gallery + Summary Deck

Submit your idea using this short form: The OpMentors Ideas Exchange by Wednesday, September 10!

In a new article for SalesforceBen.com, Certinia's Chief Product & Technology Officer, Raju Malhotra, explores the persistent "execution gap" hindering alignment between Sales, Professional Services, and Customer Success teams. He argues that the problem lies not with the teams themselves, but with the fragmented, siloed systems they use. Highlighting findings from the 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report, Malhotra makes the case that the most effective solution is a Salesforce-native application strategy. 

The playbook that built the services economy has become obsolete, leading to a crisis of profitability and efficiency. This kickoff perspective for International Services Week from Greg O'Sullivan, VP of Global Partner Alliances & Channels at Certinia, breaks down why a product-centric mindset and the rise of AI have created this critical inflection point. Learn the new discipline leaders must master and how the global services community will come together to write the new playbook.

Many services firms still manage their most critical asset—their people—with a reactive model of spreadsheets and guesswork, a practice still used by over half of the industry for resource allocation. In this article, Certinia CEO DJ Paoni makes the case for a demand-driven approach that connects workforce planning directly to the sales pipeline. Learn how this shift transforms resourcing from a tactical fire drill into a strategic advantage that helps win deals, retain top talent, and build the foundation for an AI-powered future.

We've set up Customer Success Managers for an impossible task, asking them to be chameleons who can do it all. The truth is, no one person can master the many roles of the modern CSM—but they don't have to. Certinia Senior Product Strategy Director Kate Alger explains why the future of customer success is a human-agent partnership where AI handles the administrative drag, freeing CSMs to build the strategic relationships that truly matter.

Drawing on insights from over 1,000 global services leaders, the 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report delivers fresh data on the industry's most pressing challenges. Explore real-world AI adoption trends, strategies for bridging the sales-to-delivery gap, and the keys to boosting profitability. Get the report for an essential roadmap to navigating change in an era of transformation.

The growth-at-all-costs mindset is over; today is about efficiency, retention, and cost savings. This Salesforce guide reveals how leaders are using agentic AI to innovate and serve customers, with the potential to deflect up to 50% of service cases. Discover why a strong data foundation is paramount for unlocking efficient, AI-powered growth.

According to a May 2025 survey of US executives, companies are rapidly increasing budgets for AI agents and are already seeing measurable value, particularly in productivity. However, the report argues that the biggest barrier to deeper transformation isn't the technology itself, but rather human-centric factors like organizational mindset, change readiness, and a lack of trust in high-stakes use cases. Most businesses are still using agents for isolated tasks instead of orchestrating them across workflows, which is where the greatest competitive advantage lies.

Based on a survey of over 1,000 executives, a select group of "Top Performers" (12% of companies) are realizing significantly more value from their cloud and AI investments. These leaders are more than twice as likely as other companies to have achieved measurable value in areas like profitability and productivity because they treat AI and cloud as fundamental to their business strategy. To catch up, the report advises other companies to prioritize AI-powered cloud architectures, modernize their data, evolve their IT function, and strategically reset relationships with cloud providers.