The 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report, based on a survey of over 1,000 global services leaders conducted by Dimensional Research, found that while an astonishing 83 % of firms are already using or plan to use Agentic AI with their commercial Professional Services Automation( PSA) software within the next 12 months, the value from this investment is not distributed equally – creating a widening gap between firms that are strategically prepared and those that are not.

“ The velocity of AI adoption in the services sector is remarkable,” said David Gehringer, Principal at Dimensional Research.“ However, the data also clearly indicates that a significant profitability gap is emerging between firms that have the foundational data and systems in place and those that are simply chasing the technology.”

Key findings from the 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report include:

• Economic change is viewed as the biggest external threat, along with the pace of AI innovation: The top external pressure identified by leaders is significant economic change( 54 %), followed by the pace of AI innovation( 52 %) and rising labour costs( 48 %)

• Amid tighter financial conditions, Professional Services Organisations

( PSOs) are increasingly viewed as strategic profit centres: Sixty-six percent of companies view their PSO as a profit centre( up three percentage points from 2024), and the segment of firms targeting elite 40 %+ margins is set to more than double in 2025

• A major‘ say-do’ gap in collaboration persists: Leaders widely acknowledge that aligning sales, delivery and customer success improves key outcomes like margins( 61 %) and customer retention( 59 %). But the report reveals a major execution gap, only 36 % of PS teams proactively collaborate across these functions

• The response to challenges is AIcentric: To mitigate top external challenges, the most profitable PSOs are turning to AI. Their top three tactics include hiring talent with AI skillsets( 53 %), developing proprietary AI solutions( 53 %) and utilising commercial software with AI capabilities( 49 %)

• The race to deploy Agentic AI is on: The report reveals a massive push toward autonomous capabilities, with

83 % of firms already using or planning to deploy Agentic AI with their PSA software within the next 12 months

• AI adoption faces key hurdles: The top two obstacles slowing widespread AI adoption are a lack of internal AI skills( 35 %) and navigating compliance issues( 35 %)

• Investment in strategic technologies to unify operations separates leaders from laggards: The report reveals highprofit PSOs invest differently in their technology. They are 30 % more likely to use PSA software for core functions like project management( 52 % vs. 40 %) than their less profitable peers, who often still rely on disconnected tools and spreadsheets.

“ The 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report reveals an extraordinary appetite among services organisations to deploy advanced AI quickly,” said Raju Malhotra, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Certinia.“ AI agents will soon reshape how services work is performed, decisions are formulated and value is delivered.” x

www. intelligentcxo. com

29