Background
The client engagement began in April 2015 with a dedicated team of seven full-time employees (FTEs) supporting the client's internal research team and consultants in areas such as business and financial research. Over the years, the team has expanded significantly to 37 FTEs, now offering comprehensive research and design support to the client's global team. The team offers a wide range of services such as business research, sector analysis, turnaround and restructuring, competitive analysis, rapid response, corporate finance, and PowerPoint presentation design to the client.
Engagement Overview
Throughout this decade-long engagement, Evalueserve has worked closely with client stakeholders to identify gaps and develop new workstreams that align with their evolving business strategy. This collaborative approach has ensured that our support remains relevant and impactful. Recently, the client has expressed interest in understanding how emerging technologies will influence the research value chain and enhance the efficiency and value of our existing research deliverables.
Technology Integration
Evalueserve conducted workshops with the client and collaborated with internal research teams to identify specific workstreams or sections that could be automated using tech accelerators. The primary goal was to evaluate the potential efficiency gains from these tools and to pass on the resulting time savings and benefits to the client. Currently, the client is at the ‘Middle Range’ of the AI maturity stage, and Evalueserve aims to become their preferred partner in advancing their AI journey, providing expertise in both research and technology.
Strategy
The team took a two-pronged approach:
- Efficient Workforce: Identifying use cases that could be automated using tech accelerators to enhance efficiency.
- AI Center of Excellence (CoE): Establishing a dedicated desk in collaboration with the client’s tech team to address Agentic AI use cases and explore additional AI tools and research opportunities.
Crafting Tomorrow's Intelligence: The Blueprint for AI Innovation
The Evalueserve team provided several recommendations to address identified gaps and overcome business challenges:
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Showcase AI Potential
Demonstrate the transformative power of advanced deep research AI tools in delivering actionable insights and driving operational efficiencies across various domains.
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Specialized Training
Equip the team with specialized training in prompt engineering to fully leverage AI tools, ensuring precise and effective utilization for enhanced outcomes.
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AI Deployment
Implement AI tools across ongoing projects in diverse workstreams, systematically mapping efficiency gains and time savings to optimize workflows and maximize productivity.
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Efficiency Gains
Channel the realized efficiency gains and time savings into generating deeper project insights or expanding capacity to manage a higher volume of projects, directly benefiting client engagement.
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Robust Guardrails
Develop robust guardrails and best practices to ensure the responsible, efficient, and consistent use of AI tools across operations.
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AI Desk
Establish an AI desk as a unified hub for all AI-related needs, offering seamless support and solutions to enhance organizational capabilities.
Implementation
Evalueserve initiated support for the client's automation initiatives in 2021 with the deployment of Insightsfirst. The collaboration gained significant momentum in the latter half of 2024, particularly in selected workstreams where AI tools demonstrated substantial transformative potential.
Standard Use Cases: We explored a variety of AI-powered tools, including advanced deep research platforms, to unlock their potential. This led to the successful execution of several impactful use cases, achieving efficiency gains of 25% to 45% for specific request types. These improvements have been seamlessly integrated into the client's operations, delivering tangible value and measurable impact:
- Company Profiles: By leveraging advanced AI tools, we streamlined the company profiling process, saving approximately one hour per profile. This efficiency translates to a cumulative monthly saving of 35–40 hours.
- Executive Bios: Utilizing deep research AI tools and carefully crafted prompts, the team transformed the creation of off-the-shelf bios, reducing the time required from 45 minutes to just 5–10 minutes per bio.
- Newsletters: Employing AI-driven summarization techniques, the team efficiently condensed database-independent articles and thought leadership content into thematic newsletters, achieving a notable 25% reduction in effort.
Agentic AI use case: We are currently engaged in a pioneering proof of concept (PoC) focused on harnessing the transformative potential of Agentic AI. The PoC involves creating a bespoke, sector-specific data asset by seamlessly integrating internal and external data sources. It includes meticulous lifecycle management of the asset to ensure its continuous evolution and refinement, and leverages advanced analytical capabilities to address precise, function-specific requirements.
"We appreciate the effort that has gone into “Future of Research” discussions. Great job by the wider team!”"
Pioneering Tomorrow: Our AI Evolution
By 2025, the focus shifted towards enhancing workforce efficiency and establishing a dedicated AI desk. This initiative was aimed at positioning Evalueserve as the preferred partner for the client's AI journey, further solidifying our commitment to driving innovation and excellence.
Action Plan for Future Success
Short Term (0-2 months)
- Utilize GenAI on existing platforms like Insightsfirst for market intelligence and Researchstream for past deliverables.
- Conduct a PoC to leverage AI agents for data set creation tasks.
- Provide dedicated support for key accounts to ensure seamless integration and utilization of AI tools.
- Organize workshops with the client research team to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Conduct a Diagnose-Design-Deliver (D3) workshop with the client research team to build a comprehensive understanding of transformation opportunities.
Mid Term (2-12 months)
- Establish a committee comprising client engagement and Evalueserve members to ensure alignment, long-term planning, and collaboration.
- Identify and prioritize use cases and PoCs based on feasibility and impact.
- Develop small-scale PoCs for top-priority use cases to demonstrate feasibility and value.
- Explore opportunities to partner on high-priority use cases, including:
- Data annotation and stewardship
- Custom AI development and maintenance
Long Term
Continuously evaluate the impact of emerging technology trends on the future of research and update strategic plans accordingly.
Discuss and explore new collaboration models arising from transformative technologies and evolving market dynamics.
Business Impact
This engagement has undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving from a small support group into a strategic partner through a series of strategic initiatives. By diversifying roles, expanding geographically, and introducing new service offerings, we have significantly enhanced our capabilities. The integration of advanced AI research tools in the latter half of 2024 has further accelerated our progress, resulting in:
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Enhanced Utilization
The adoption of AI tools has led to a 4% improvement in average utilization, optimizing resource allocation.
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Increased Throughput
Request throughput surged by 44%, with ad hoc research comprising approximately 45% of the total request volume, reflecting the increased complexity and depth of our work.
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Superior Quality
The team leveraged time savings to enrich deliverables with deeper insights, elevating the quality of our outputs.
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Faster Turnaround
Improved turnaround times for specific request types enabled quicker delivery, enhancing client satisfaction.
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Foundational Support
AI tools provided analysts with a solid initial understanding of project requirements, streamlining project initiation and execution.
These advancements have not only driven operational efficiencies but also positioned us as a trusted partner in the client's AI journey, delivering exceptional value and fostering long-term collaboration.
Talk to One of Our Experts
Get in touch today to find out about how Evalueserve can help you improve your processes, making you better, faster and more efficient.
Overview & Impact
The decade-long partnership with Evalueserve has grown from a small support group to a strategic powerhouse. By leveraging AI-driven insights and streamlining research processes, we have enhanced quality, efficiency, and client impact.
