The Challenge
Evalueserve provides a dedicated offshore research desk for a leading third-party global logistics firm’s competitive and market intelligence (CMI) team
We help the company gain an edge in the market by taking its CMI activities to the next level of sophistication. To understand the client’s current processes and identify possible areas of collaboration, we conducted a three-day onsite diagnostic workshop, based on our proprietary AGILE D3TM (Diagnostics, Design and Delivery) engagement model. Thereafter, we set up a dedicated full-time equivalent (FTE) research desk, comprising a team of analysts that provide customized research support for the CMI team. Our aim was to design a scalable, sustainable, and dynamic model to drive collaboration with multiple stakeholders
Our Solution
Bringing the problem into focus
We began by targeting the obstacles in the client’s path. The CMI team wanted to outsource its non-core activities to free up time for core activities and solutioning. The AGILE D3TM workshop had also indicated that the current processes involved significant recurring, time-consuming work, which led to unproductivity. We devised a strategic roadmap to tackle the challenges in the system.
Putting priorities in order
We knew our roadmap would need to:
• Review existing CI and MI functions
• Assess core and non-core activities
• Free up the management’s bandwidth so that they could invest in value-added activities
• Carry out process mapping and transitions
We understood that stakeholders at client sites have varied knowledge needs and their requirements vary by geography. We would thus need to deliver our insights through various research methods (web search, primary research, data modelling, financial analysis, technical know-how, etc.) Our basic methodology involved working closely with each stakeholder using the FTE business model to deliver customized research with relevant insights. To do this, we set up a dedicated FTE research desk.
Our approach
We followed a two-step approach:
On-site Training – The FTE team visited the client site for two weeks to understand their processes and work. This not only led to a faster learning curve but also helped the FTEs build a great rapport with the stakeholders.
Steady Work streams – After an initial training phase of two to three months, the FTEs took charge of the following work streams:
Understanding market positioning and market developments through
• Daily MI news gathering: Extracting and sharing the most interesting news articles globally
• Weekly and quarterly MI reporting: Summarizing interesting events and trends in the MI space for weekly and quarterly circulation
• Market sizing: Estimating international outbound express market sizes annually, by value and volume, for various regions across the globe
Business Impact
Tracking competitor movement through
• Daily CI news gathering: Extracting and sharing the most interesting news articles globally
• Weekly and quarterly CI reporting: Summarizing interesting events and trends in the CI space for weekly and quarterly circulation
• Operational footprint tracking: Preparing a list of service centres for select competitors globally and tracking news related to new facilities, expansion plans, etc.
• Financial analysis: Analysing and benchmarking the financial performance of select competitors against the client’s own performance
• Newsletter preparation: Tracking news related to major competitors through various data sources; sharing it with all client stakeholders for increased knowledge dissemination.
Benchmarking products and technologies
• Benchmarking the key services, features, and technologies or tools of select competitors against the client’s, on the basis of geography
A team transformed
As Evalueserve has taken up recurring, timeconsuming work, the client’s stakeholders are able to focus on tasks that offer greater value-addition. Our process of data collection and insight generation helps them access insightful and competitive reports; proactively track opportunities for a competitive edge; witness seamless global coordination between the CI and MI teams; and benefit from domain expertise.
And we could do it for you too
Our logistics team serves several corporate and professional services firms across the Americas, AsiaPacific, and EMEA. We can offer comprehensive support to your competitive and market intelligence needs based on our extensive experience. We are powered by mind+machine – a unique combination of human expertise and best-in-class technologies that uses smart algorithms to simplify key tasks. This approach enables us to design and manage processes that can generate and harness insights on a large scale, significantly cutting costs and timescales and helping businesses overtake competition.
