New EU/UK study finds organizations that centralize knowledge and enable self-service outperform peers on growth, sales velocity, and AI ROI

The biggest AI gains in the UK and Europe aren't coming from faster adoption. They're coming from organizations that have centralized knowledge and make expertise easier to access across the business. The result is stronger revenue growth, faster sales cycles, and higher AI returns, according to the State of Strategic Response Management Report: EU/UK Edition, released today by Responsive and the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP).

The report reveals a widening divide between organizations with mature Strategic Response Management (SRM) processes and those still relying on fragmented processes and siloed knowledge. While Europe trails North America in AI adoption for SRM workflows, organizations that have embraced mature SRM practices are realizing faster, more reliable returns on AI investments.

"The winners aren't using more AI. They're using it better," said Ganesh Shankar, CEO and co-founder of Responsive. "The difference is that they've already done the work to centralize knowledge and make it accessible across the business. AI is helping them turn those advantages into measurable business results."

Among the report’s key findings:

Despite lagging behind North America in AI adoption for SRM workflows (60% versus 70%), European organizations are seeing stronger returns from their AI deployments. Sixty-four percent reported positive ROI from most or all SRM AI deployments, ahead of North America’s 57%.
Europe’s leading SRM teams are dramatically more advanced in knowledge centralization and self-service enablement. Leaders are 58 points more likely than novices to maintain a centralized hub for response content (92% vs. 34%).
Self-service is a defining characteristic of high-performing organizations. Among SRM Leaders in Europe, 88% enable employees to contribute to complex RFPs with minimal proposal team oversight, 80% allow teams to complete standard questionnaires independently, and 82% enable self-service answers to ad hoc buyer questions.
One hundred percent of European SRM Leaders in Continental Europe reported improved sales rep efficiency, while 96% reported increased sales velocity — compared to 87% and 81% respectively, in the UK.

The report found notable regional differences between the UK and continental Europe. UK organizations are generally further along in SRM maturity and AI adoption (64% fully deployed or trialing, vs. 57%), but European leaders are often seeing greater competitive advantage due to lower overall market maturity. Leaders and novices are defined by the SRM Maturity Index, a framework that evaluates how effectively organizations capture, govern, and operationalize institutional knowledge.

The report also underscores a growing risk for organizations that fail to evolve. As highlighted in Responsive’s 2025 B2B buyer decisions report, Inside the Buyer’s Mind, buyers expect faster, more personalized, and more accurate responses throughout the purchasing process. Organizations that operationalize knowledge and AI effectively are best positioned to meet these demands, accelerating time to revenue while improving the overall buying experience.

The 2026 State of Strategic Response Management Report: EU/UK Edition is based on insights from more than 300 business leaders and practitioners across the UK and continental Europe. The report highlights a highly pressurized market in which empowered buyers, rising expectations, and compressed sales cycles are forcing organizations to rethink how they manage strategic responses to RFPs, security questionnaires, and due diligence requests. These findings are part of a broader global study of more than 1,100 decision-makers and practitioners, with half in revenue or executive leadership roles across industries.

Download your copy of The 2026 State of Strategic Response Management Report: EU/UK Edition.

About Responsive

Responsive is the global leader in Strategic Response Management (SRM), transforming how organizations share and exchange critical information. The AI-driven Responsive Platform is purpose-built to manage strategic responses at scale, empowering companies worldwide to accelerate growth, mitigate risk, and improve employee experiences. More than 2,000 companies have standardized on Responsive to manage RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, ESGs, security questionnaires, ad hoc requests, and more. Responsive is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with offices in Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; and Coimbatore, India. For more information, visit https://www.responsive.io.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602416815/en/

Media Contact
Ashley Paula-Legge
Big Valley Marketing for Responsive
alegge@bigvalley.co

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