Illustrative engagement. A representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work in professional services. It does not describe a specific client; outcomes are described qualitatively.
Industry overview
What is shaping professional services
Consulting, legal, accounting and advisory firms win on reputation and relationships. Client feedback, thought leadership and steady lead flow keep them growing.
- Thought leadership builds credibility
- Client feedback improves retention
- Lead generation is becoming more digital
Client background
A tax and advisory firm, working in India. This is an illustrative engagement: a representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work, not a named client project.
- Organisation
- A tax and advisory firm
- Sector
- Professional services
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Business panel, Quantitative research
Client challenge
The firm wanted to understand its brand awareness among mid-sized businesses.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: brand perception research for an advisory firm.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of business owners.
- Produce results that can be compared across groups and locations.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 5 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 400 business owners.
- business owners400
Audiences we typically reach in professional services
Clients and former clientsProspectsBusiness leadersPartners and referrersProfessionals and staff
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A structured quantitative design, so results could be compared across groups, locations and time.
- 1Brief
- 2Business survey
- 3Insight
We surveyed business owners about awareness, perceptions and selection criteria.
Business panelQuantitative research
Sampling strategy
- business owners
- 400
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
Data collection
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
Key findings
- Awareness was low outside its home city.
Visibility drives consideration.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: visibility drives consideration.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: awareness was low outside its home city.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The firm invested in regional events.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what insight would interest our market?