How enterprise software planning is taking shape for 2026
See what's influencing enterprise software decisions, from governance and cost pressure to AI adoption and operating model constraints, as organizations plan for the year ahead.
Planning for 2026 is forcing enterprise software decisions to be made earlier, and with fewer opportunities to adjust later. Once platforms are selected and architectures set, changing direction is no longer something teams can easily revisit after rollout. As a result, planning discussions are happening with more caution and less tolerance for course correction.
How that plays out varies by category. Budget controls are compressing timelines. Governance and compliance requirements continue to expand. Meanwhile, AI initiatives are introducing unresolved questions around ownership, integration and accountability that cut across teams and systems.
The articles below examine how these conditions are surfacing across customer experience, core business systems and workplace technology. Read together, they provide context for leaders navigating tradeoffs, coordinating stakeholders and deciding where closer attention is warranted as planning moves forward.
Customer experience
Customer experience planning for 2026 is being shaped by how quickly AI capabilities are moving from experimentation into core operations. Contact center modernization, analytics and workflow automation are no longer isolated initiatives. They increasingly affect architecture decisions, integration strategy and how CX teams align with the rest of the business. As organizations look ahead, CX leaders and executives are grappling with ownership, AI literacy and how these capabilities fit into broader enterprise software plans -- including the kinds of decisions leaders are beginning to factor into customer experience trends to watch in 2026.
Contact center leaders can no longer be the sole decision-makers regarding CX technology investments.
Customer experience trends to watch in 2026
7 customer experience trends to know in 2026 Research-backed CX trends that highlight how AI, analytics and automation are affecting contact center performance, revenue models and KPIs.
The top 6 content management trends in 2026v Content management developments with implications for how customer-facing information is structured, governed and delivered across digital channels.
