Given the industry expertise of its consultants, the firm felt it should be capturing that knowledge and using it as input for internal decision making. Initially general economic questions were posed to participants. Once people became more familiar with the marketplace, the firm allowed everyone to ask their own questions and topics diversified to include the health of the business, performance metrics of its internal customer support functions, and competitor activity.
Participants
Consultant and internal resources
Global participation
Multiple industry groups
Primary Use
Industry trend analysis
Competitive intelligence / win probability of large deals
Economic trend analysis as input to strategic advice
Business performance indicators
Sample Questions
What will be the spread between the 2 & 10 year US Treasury Yield curve as of July 31?
What will be the Conference Board U.S. Employment Trend Index be on August 4th?
What issues will be one of the top 3 reasons people call customer support in the 4th quarter?
Which consulting firm will win the contract for X project with Y company?
Problems Solved
Clear signals on market and industry trends to share with clients or use as input to strategic planning
Understanding win probabilities for deals means smarter resource allocation
Ability to be proactive about human resource issues – early indicators about morale or gaps in skills
