HfS lands second spot in the Analyst Value Index

So here we are, staring up at the big shadow of the Borg after four years of ranting and raving about the future of the services industry, collecting data like lunatics and flinging our research over the paywall to anyone who wants to read it. We’ve managed to race past 42 unsuspecting purveyors of analytical information (click here to view the full Index results), leaving us with just the one hurdle to jump. But we’ll take second. Second is good, it’s where you can pose as the alternative to numero uno. It’s like winning the silver medal for table tennis at the Olympics – and not being Chinese. It’s like Netflix taking on HBO…

In all seriousness, when analyst observer maestro, Duncan Chapple, and his team at Kea Company went out and surveyed an unprecedented 352 consumers of IT and services research, we thought we’d be happy with an honorable mention, or maybe a “they’re quite good at covering outsourcing” pat on the back. Or even an “innovation” award, which is what you give the little guys who try hard and have great ideas, but ultimately get their asses kicked by the monolith incumbents. So, you can imagine our surprise when we – somehow – didn’t get trampled by the old guard, when the real consumers of research came through and declared out stuff is actually pretty bloody useful, accessible and more valuable than much of the other stuff floating around out there…

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Why is this data meaningful?

The respondent depth is more significant than any other analyst firm survey. There were a minimum of 40 respondents commenting on each firm (352 in total took the survey).

Small research firms can out-muscle much larger competitors on trust and quality. Key categories for formulating the overall scoring were current value, degree of independence, future confidence and share of voice. We like the fact that boutiques can compete with firms many times their size. Research quality isn’t about how much money a firm makes, or how many bodies are on the ground – it’s about getting insights to market quickly and accessibly that are credible and have the confidence of the reader.

Analysts focused on services do well. Congratulations to some of our services research peers, which also made the top 10. This reflects well on the amout of focus and diligence we’re all placing on the space, and the level of interest out sector has in reading our work.

And, finally, we’d like to give a shout out to Kea Company’s Duncan Chapple and Ian Scott for their hard work in developing the Analyst Value Index: