Social Services Insight Survey 2026
We asked staff at social service organizations, from frontline caseworkers to executive directors, what they need most from their client records and reporting. This report shares their answers and what they mean for a team planning a change.
expect an improvement to save staff time
want reports they can trust without fixing them in spreadsheets
say changing forms as requirements change matters most
of frontline staff want a client’s history at a glance
Which improvements staff prioritize
From a list of 13, respondents chose the three improvements that would make the biggest difference, then the one that would matter most. Four came out on top.
put trustworthy reports, without fixing data in spreadsheets, in their top three
- 47% of leaders and managers
- 46% of data and reporting staff
- 29% of frontline and intake staff
want to adapt forms as programs or funder requirements change
want to see a client’s situation, history and next steps quickly
want to find the right client or record faster
picked adapting forms as requirements change as the single most valuable improvement, more than any other
“Our funder requirements change yearly, so being able to change fields would be extremely helpful.”
See all 13 improvements
All 13 improvements: top-three choices and single most valuable
Respondents chose three improvements, then the one that would create the most value
- Chosen in top three
- Chosen as the single most valuable
- Trustworthy reports without fixing data in spreadsheets
- Adapt forms and fields as programs or funder requirements change
- Quickly understand a client’s situation, history and next steps
- Find the right client, record or information faster
- Complete everyday client work in fewer steps
- A faster, more reliable system
- Intake, programs, groups and attendance in one connected workflow
- Keep data accurate; manage duplicates and inactive records
- Complete common actions for many clients at once
- Automate follow-ups, assignments and reminders
- Managers can monitor caseloads, staff activity and outcomes
- Learn tasks without help from a more experienced user
- Work from a phone, tablet or remote location
Show as a table
| Outcome (full wording) | Top three | Most valuable |
|---|---|---|
| We can produce trustworthy reports without combining or correcting data in spreadsheets | 43% | 14% |
| Our organization can adapt forms and fields as programs or funder requirements change | 33% | 22% |
| Staff can quickly understand a client’s current situation, history, and next steps | 31% | 6% |
| Staff can find the right client, record, or information more quickly | 31% | 6% |
| Frontline staff can complete everyday client and service work with fewer steps | 29% | 14% |
| The system is faster and more reliable during everyday work | 24% | 12% |
| We can manage intake, registration, programs, groups, sessions, or attendance in one connected workflow | 22% | 10% |
| We can keep client and program data accurate and manage duplicates or inactive records safely | 18% | 0% |
| We can complete common actions for multiple clients or participants at once | 16% | 6% |
| We can automate repeatable follow-ups, assignments, reminders, or next steps | 12% | 8% |
| Managers can monitor caseloads, staff activity, programs, and outcomes more effectively | 12% | 4% |
| Users can learn how to complete tasks without needing help from a more experienced user | 12% | 0% |
| Staff can work effectively from a phone, tablet, or remote location, including with limited connectivity | 10% | 0% |
Source: Social Services Insight Survey 2026, Societ.
As an administrator, I was tempted to go with reliable reports, but since our work is all about serving clients, being able to access client data as quickly, easily, and reliably as possible is really the most important thing for us.
What staff expect a change to deliver
Asked what a meaningful improvement in their top-priority area would change; respondents could choose several
- More staff could use the system effectively60%
- Staff would spend more time serving clients53%
- Better reporting to funders, leadership or the board49%
- Replace another tool, spreadsheet or manual process49%
- Fewer errors, compliance concerns or data risk42%
- More consistent, higher-quality service delivery37%
- Stronger grant applications and planning26%
How priorities differ across your team
Each group put something different first, so ask frontline staff, managers and data staff separately before your team agrees on what to change.
Top-three outcomes by role
Share of each group choosing the outcome in their top three
Select a group to highlight its answers and sort the outcomes by them.
- Trustworthy reports without fixing data in spreadsheets
- Quickly understand a client’s situation, history and next steps
- Find the right client, record or information faster
- Complete everyday client work in fewer steps
- Adapt forms and fields as programs or funder requirements change
- Intake, programs, groups and attendance in one connected workflow
- A faster, more reliable system
- Complete common actions for many clients at once
Show as a table
| Outcome | Frontline and intake staff | Leaders and managers | Data and reporting staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustworthy reports without fixing data in spreadsheets | 29% | 47% | 46% |
| Quickly understand a client’s situation, history and next steps | 53% | 20% | 23% |
| Find the right client, record or information faster | 35% | 20% | 54% |
| Complete everyday client work in fewer steps | 41% | 33% | 23% |
| Adapt forms and fields as programs or funder requirements change | 18% | 33% | 38% |
| Intake, programs, groups and attendance in one connected workflow | 24% | 40% | 8% |
| A faster, more reliable system | 18% | 13% | 38% |
| Complete common actions for many clients at once | 29% | 20% | 0% |
Read differences between role groups as directional. Source: Social Services Insight Survey 2026, Societ.
Everyday work
The system is part of most people’s whole day: 64% use it constantly and 78% at least once a day, so a change to it reaches almost everyone’s routine.
Keeping records accurate is part of the job for 64% of respondents, including 53% of frontline and intake staff.
See all nine tasks
Everyday tasks in the system
Share of respondents who do each task in their case management system; respondents could choose several
Source: Social Services Insight Survey 2026, Societ.
- 9:00Intake for a new client71%
- 10:30Case notes from a home visit76%
- 1:00Review a client’s history before a meeting72%
- 3:00Fix duplicate and outdated records64%
- 4:30Monthly report for a funder52%
We need good reliable data to get grants, and we need grants to keep our services free and accessible.
Planning a system change
These five steps come from the findings above. They apply whether you are choosing a new system, rebuilding the one you have or responding to new funder requirements, and each is easier to settle before the change starts.
Questions to ask your team first
Ask each group what it needs, separately
Frontline staff, managers and data staff each put a different improvement first.
Collect each group’s priorities before choosing what to change.
Agree on what success will mean
81% expect an improvement to save staff time.
Note how long the slow tasks take now, so you can tell afterward whether the change gave that time back.
Take stock of your data and side tools
64% maintain or correct records as part of their job.
List the spreadsheets the change should retire, and clean up records before any data moves.
Plan for requirements to keep changing
Adapting forms was the most common pick for the single most valuable improvement (22%).
Ask how a form, field or report gets changed after launch, and who on your team can do it.
Train every role that will use it
60% expect an improvement would let more staff use the system effectively.
Plan training for occasional users and new hires as well as daily users, and decide who answers questions after launch.
Questions to ask your team first
The first step starts with a conversation. These questions turn the survey’s top priorities into one for a staff or leadership meeting. Ask each group separately, then compare answers.
Reporting
43% put trustworthy reports, without fixing data in spreadsheets, in their top three.
- Which reports does your team still finish by combining or correcting data in spreadsheets?
- How many hours does that take each month, and who does it?
Changing requirements
22% named adapting forms and fields as programs or funder requirements change as the single most valuable improvement.
- When a funder or program last changed what you collect or report, what did your team have to update?
- How long did it take before your records matched the new requirement?
Client history
53% of frontline and intake staff put quickly understanding a client’s situation, history and next steps in their top three.
- When a returning client comes in, how quickly can a staff member see their history and next steps?
- Where do staff look when the record is incomplete?
Connected programs
40% of leaders and managers put running intake, programs and attendance in one connected workflow in their top three.
- Where does information stop flowing between intake, programs and attendance?
- Which details does someone enter more than once?
81% expect an improvement in their top-priority area to save staff time. If your team got that time back, where would it go?
About the survey
Societ ran this survey online from September 15 to 30, 2026. Respondents were recruited from Societ’s customer community and received a gift card for taking part. All work at social service organizations, most of them in the United States and Canada, and all use a case management system in their work.
The largest groups were database administrators (22%), executive directors or senior leaders (21%), intake and program coordinators (17%) and frontline caseworkers and counselors (16%). A third work in community and social services.
Not every respondent answered every question, so each percentage is based on the people who answered that question. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, and where respondents could choose several answers they add up to more than 100%. Where an answer option named the respondent’s software, we replaced the product name with “the system.” Treat differences between role groups as directional. Quotes are attributed by role and type of organization only. Photographs on this page are illustrative and do not show survey respondents.
Respondents by role and type of organization
Share of respondents by role group (each square is 1%) and by type of organization
- Frontline and intake staff33%Caseworkers, counselors, intake and program coordinators
- Leaders and managers29%Executive directors, senior leaders, case and program managers
- Data and reporting staff26%Database administrators, reporting and evaluation staff
- Other roles12%Fundraisers, operations and other roles
Type of organization
Source: Social Services Insight Survey 2026, Societ.
Request a Sumac demo
Sumac is the case management system Societ builds for social service organizations in the United States and Canada. Tell us about your programs, and we’ll arrange a demo that covers what this survey ranked highest: reporting, changing forms and a client’s full history.
Every new Sumac case management customer starts with an implementation: our team sets up the database, imports your historical data and configures Sumac for your programs.
Societ makes software for nonprofits, including Sumac. We run this survey each year to learn what teams need from their client data.
