As we enter a new era of insights, one truth stands out: client expectations are rising faster than ever. Agencies are no longer just data providers – they’re strategic partners expected to deliver speed, depth and measurable impact under tighter budgets and greater scrutiny.  

Clients today want more than reliable data. Thanks to new technology, they expect faster turnarounds, richer interpretation and a clear return on investment (ROI). As Estefania Clavero Lopez, from our partner Instituto DYM in Spain, puts it plainly: “Clients still expect to turn data into smarter decisions, but they now want it faster and on tighter budgets. The challenge is clear: deliver quality, be quick, and make every euro count.” 

This pressure is reshaping the agency’s role. Heiner Junker of Produkt and Markt, Germany, has explained that clients expect us to inspire, guide, and support them as they deal with change and explore new technologies and perspectives.

With AI models and new tools around automation becoming more accessible, agencies need to focus on enhancing and broadening their consultative value; assisting clients in navigating complexity and allowing them to make confident decisions. This requires not only a level of flexibility but also a willingness to re-educate ourselves around new tech, taking our expertise to new and previously unimagined levels.  

Challenges that can put strain on relationships  

While technology generally helps agencies to deliver faster turnarounds and removes layers of toil or ‘grunt work’, clients often underestimate the level of investment required to stay current and ahead of the curve, instead just associating automation with reduced efforts.

Urpi Torrado, chief executive at Datum International in Peru, notes: “Adopting new technology requires investment in software, training and implementation. Yet clients often expect costs to drop, assuming technology should make everything cheaper.” In reality, ISG reports a total of $1.3M spent on AI initiatives for 2025 with only one in four initiatives achieving expected ROI on growth. 

With this in mind, sometimes challenges can start before the research even begins. Laura Rubalcaba, chief executive at Brain Research in Mexico explains: “The first challenge is to align objectives so findings can have a real business impact.”

It can be easy to jump on board the AI wave, wanting to stay ahead of your competitors, but as we approach 2026, evidence suggests that we need to be more subjective and realistic about expected efficiency gains when it comes to AI adoption, and manage client expectations accordingly.  

Turning pressure into partnership

How do agencies strengthen relationships under these conditions? Agencies must redefine this relationship – moving from simply a ‘supplier’ to a ‘progressive strategic partner’. This starts in the proposal stage, where we start to advise our clients; they value our intuition and industry knowledge obtained through decades of research experience.  

As Urpi Torrado states, it’s important to leverage this and position the agency as a thought leadership partner; enabling clients not only to see what’s happening but also to understand why it matters and what to do next. This involves shifting more of our efforts into the post-report phase and offering guidance around solutions through workshops.

Where possible it’s best to get involved with client needs more frequently. This could even be through co-development, offering advice around end-user experience concepts.  

It may be difficult to do this at first, requiring some minor adjustments before new dynamics can be created. Starting slow by making minor tweaks; for example, offering clients shorter but more frequent catch-ups. The aim is to ensure that you’re embedded into internal client project processes to support the idea that the agency is visible and reachable at all times, constantly there to assist clients as they navigate their data and to offer industry knowledge.

Maaike Zijderveld, senior research and sample manager at Motivaction, the Netherlands, sums it up best: “Ultimately, it’s all about “ensuring they (clients) have the guidance needed to make informed decisions.” 

Takeaways on how to strengthen relationships in 2026 

1. Stay curious and keep learning: Heiner Junker advises that we should “develop skills in tech and AI, but also in facilitation and collaboration; involve people in co-creating solutions and keep relationships strong”.
2. Be flexible and responsive: Sally Joubert, chief executive at Luma Research in Australia says: “Staying ahead means being ready to adapt at any moment.” 
3. Choose technology wisely: Urpi Torrado, cautions that “not everything shiny adds value; select tools that enhance your team’s capabilities and fit your market reality”. 
4. Communicate early and often: Laura Ruvalcaba, emphasises the need to “get a deeper understanding of what the client needs; stay close to them”. Maaike Zijderveld, senior research and sample manager at Motivaction in the Netherlands, adds to this, pointing out that “transparency is key, especially when clients want to analyse raw data themselves”.  
5. Never compromise on quality: Xavier Depouilly, general manager at Indochina Research in Vietnam, reminds us to “keep the quality and do not compromise on what is unfeasible”. 

Overall, agencies must be able and willing to adapt to this new technological era, without losing sight of the fundamentals: trust, quality and impact. Success lies in curiosity, flexibility and collaboration; leaning on our expertise as the foundation of our offerings but also marrying this with a fearless adaptability. Only in that way can we turn new pressures into partnerships that last and play a critical role in shaping the next chapter of the insights industry. 

Richard Colwell is president at WIN (Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research)