Across the accounting profession, a clear pattern is emerging: some firms are breaking away from the pack. And it’s not because they’re the biggest, oldest, or most well-resourced. It’s because they’ve made a strategic shift most firms still haven’t.

They’re treating client collaboration and workflow efficiency as core growth drivers, not administrative tasks.

That shift is reshaping performance across the profession. It’s showing up in faster engagements, fewer client delays, and more scalable operations — trends highlighted throughout Suralink’s broader Firm Growth Brief.

Here’s a look at the key insights and what the fastest-growing firms are doing right now, and what it means for your 2026 strategy. 

The Data Behind the Trend

Pulling from multi-year industry rankings and internal platform analysis, one insight sits at the center:

Firms that modernize client collaboration and standardize workflows consistently grow faster than firms that don’t.

It’s not theoretical,  it shows up every year in the performance data.

And the gap between firms who have modernized and firms who haven’t is getting wider.

We saved the detailed numbers for the full brief, but even the high-level view shows a pattern that’s tough to miss:

• Firms using connected collaboration platforms outperform non-adopters year after year
• Efficiency gains compound the longer firms use standardized workflow.
• The biggest acceleration in growth has happened in just the last two years

Growth is no longer tied to size or specialization. It’s tied to operational excellence, especially the ability to collaborate cleanly with clients.

What the Fastest-Growing Firms Do Differently

After reviewing multi-year performance patterns, three themes showed up repeatedly across the fastest-growing firms.

Let’s break them down.

1. They Treat the Client Experience as a Growth Strategy

For years, many firms saw client collaboration as something reactive: email requests, last-minute follow-ups, unclear instructions, and chasing down what’s missing.

But the most successful firms flipped the script. They realized the biggest barrier to engagement efficiency is the Client Readiness Gap:

Clients not knowing:

• What’s expected
• When it’s due
• In what format
• Or why certain requests matter

Our recent Client Readiness research shows how deep this problem goes:

• A large majority of clients cite unclear or time-consuming requests as their top frustration
• Most say a disorganized process could cause them to consider switching firms
• Nearly half say they’d pay more for a smoother, more predictable experience

Fast-growing firms are closing this gap by:

• Standardizing request lists
• Creating clarity and predictability
• Reducing back-and-forth
• Making the process feel professional and transparent

2. They Stop Building Technology Internally

Across the data, one trend was impossible to ignore: Firms relying heavily on internally built tools consistently grow slower. Because internal tools can’t keep pace with what modern SaaS delivers out of the box:

• Innovation cycles fall far behind the rate of SaaS improvement
• Tools often depend on a single internal champion — and stall when that person leaves
• They become bottlenecks for both standardization and M&A integration
• They drain resources that should be spent on client value
• They create adoption challenges across offices

In contrast, the firms growing fastest take the opposite approach: They choose flexible, modern SaaS tools built specifically for accounting workflows.

These firms see:

• Faster product evolution
• Simpler training and onboarding
• Lower maintenance burden
• Better adoption across offices
• More consistent client experiences
• Rapid time-to-value

A great example comes from multi-office firms scaling through acquisition. Leaders consistently report that newly acquired teams especially those used to unsophisticated internal systems, express the same sentiment:

“We didn’t realize a system like this existed. We wish we had it years ago.”

3. They Integrate Where It Actually Matters

High-growth firms know something many others miss. Integration should be strategic, not universal.

There’s a myth in the industry that everything must live in one system.
But when firms chase the “one platform that does everything,” they end up with:

• Bloated software
• Low adoption
• Slow workflows
• Poor user experience
• Minimal efficiency gains

The fastest-growing firms take a different approach. They only integrate workflows that drive material efficiency when connected.

That’s why integrated Request-to-Test workflows have become a major catalyst for efficiency gains because they bring together two activities that directly depend on each other.

These firms don’t waste time forcing connections that don’t create value.
(Example: Paying an invoice and fulfilling PBC requests in the same app doesn’t save time.)

They also understand that AI only works when it’s embedded natively.

Research from MIT supports this: AI delivers the biggest value when the user stays in the context of their work — not when they bounce between disconnected copilots.

That’s why firms using natively integrated AI (like Suralink’s AI Ask Anything) unlock:

• Faster request validation
• Smarter data extraction
• Higher-quality review cycles
• Less manual effort
• Better client-level outcomes

When the tools work together, the team works faster. And when the team works faster, the firm grows faster.

The Future of Firm Growth in 2026

As the market becomes more competitive, a firm’s growth trajectory will be shaped less by:

• How hard they work
• How many hours they put in

And more by:

• How efficiently they collaborate
• How modern their workflows are
• How easy they make the process for clients
• How quickly they can integrate and scale new teams
• How they leverage embedded AI inside existing workflows

The next era of growth will belong to the firms that operate with clarity, connection, and modern technology. Not the firms relying on outdated processes or internal systems.

Download the Full Firm Growth Brief

This blog covers the major themes, but the full brief goes deeper.

Inside the report, you’ll find:

• Expanded multi-year growth analysis
• Platform-backed efficiency trends
• Client Readiness Gap insights
• Technology strategy comparisons
• M&A integration learnings
• Actionable recommendations for firm leaders

It’s designed for partners, COOs, and operational leaders preparing for 2026.

Download the full Firm Growth Brief