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[Abstract]The explosion of information available on the Internet and customer databases has dulled clients' appetite for merely collecting data; rather, they are now demanding analytical advice to help them fully exploit any data gathered. Yet many clients are disillusioned with the services on offer. Brian Shields, worldwide research director at the International Herald Tribune, said market research agencies will not explain the data and provide an analysis. More importantly, they will not identify areas that could be followed up or that could provide more business for them. Thankfully, some of the bigger players recognize this problem and have adopted a more consultative approach. To help account managers develop relationships with their clients, GfK NOP has set up a collaborative insight network, so they can share information and case studies with each other. BSkyB arranges regular agency days, where rival providers get to meet each other and share the broadcaster's strategies and future plans.

As organisations seek closer relationships with consumers, so they are seeking a deeper relationship with their market research suppliers. The explosion of information available on the internet and customer databases has dulled clients' appetite for merely collecting data; rather, they are now demanding analytical advice to help them fully exploit any data gathered. Yet many clients are disillusioned with the services on offer.

'Typically, when a market research agency delivers the results of a study, that is the end of the project,' says Brian Shields, worldwide research director at the International Herald Tribune. 'They won't explain the data and provide an analysis. More importantly, they won't identify areas that could be followed up or that could provide morebusiness for them.'

Understandably, this is frustrating for clients, and Shields is particularly scathing about agencies that call to sell off-theshelf products or request sponsorship for ongoing tracking studies. 'So few seem to have any creative capacity,' he says. 'I don't know whether that is because the big agencies are primarily focused on production, or because they don't have the talent to go beyond simply presenting the data.'

There is a palpable concern that many agencies lack seniorlevel counsel, partly a result of consolidation within the industry. As big players acquire smaller research agencies - WPP's ever-expanding research arm Kantar is a case in point - often the most experienced owners and managers have stayed with the new parent company for only a limited period.

Owners are often required to stay for a set period as part of the buy-out, but after that, many move on to set up again as a small agency,' says Steve Wills, managing director of Customer Insight Solutions. 'This explains why, so often, clients today say that when it comes to high-level advice, their best agencies are the smaller ones.'

His organisation has set up a customer insight forum involving firms such as Tesco, Coca-Cola, ICI and BT to promote best practice across the industry. He has just completed a project examining the relationships members have with third-party suppliers, including their market research agencies, and admits that it is full of contradictions. On the one hand, clients bemoan the lack of high-level value delivered by their agencies,' he says. 'But on the other hand, the research industry has continued to grow, suggesting that clients can't be that unhappy.'

For many blue-chip companies, this happiness could be because they wield the influence of their sizable budgets. 'To an extent, this allows us to command fairly senior agency people on our business on a day-to-day basis,' admits BT's head of customer research and data, Simon Elwood. However, at the pitching stage, he says he is not above asking firms to present their ideas again. Senior executives often make theinitial pitch, but the second time round it is the juniors who will be doing the actual work. 'We also deliberately buy most of our ad hoc research from smaller agencies to ensure a partner or managing director is involved,' he adds.

The structure of big agencies, many of which tend to be organised by sector or specialism, poses another perceived barrier for clients. 'The way big agencies have been set up means that if a client has a multifaceted project, involving different methodologies, it is difficult for them to know who to approach,' says Market Research Society chairman Simon Lidington.

Thankfully, some of the bigger players recognise this problem and have adopted a more consultative approach to ensure that the sum of what they do is greater than the parts. For major clients, this includes appointing a dedicated account manager to work exclusively on their business.

A number of agencies are working hard to improve the service they of fer. To help account managers develop relationships with their clients, GfK NOP has set up a collaborative insight network, so they can share information and case studies with each other. The agency also ensures employees have broad knowledge by sending them on courses in mind-mapping, neurolinguistic programming and how to bring research to life.

TNS regularly sends its employees on secondment to work in-house for clients and joins forces with competitor agencies on some projects.'We ask clients to invite us to briefings for their sales forces, so we get the sales message,' explains Chris l.ongbottom, director of TNS Worldpanel UK. 'The more clients take us into their confidence, the more informed we are and the better job we can do.'

Aware of suppliers' needs to see the bigger picture in order to deliver quality research, BSkyB arranges regular agency days, where rival providers get to meet each other and share the broadcaster's strategies and future plans.

Having considered its use of 45 different firms a year ago, BSkyB now has a preferred supplier list of 20 market research companies. 'We haven't gone down the traditional roster route as it is too inflexible for our needs,'says BSkyB marketing strategy director Danny Russell. By the end of this financial year, the company will have used 25 agencies, only 10 of which are on the 'preferred' list. The others either were not around 12 to 18 months ago, or specialist agencies have been required. As an example, Russell points to a CSR project supporting BSkyB's decision to go carbon-neutral. The best candidate was a small US research firm with experience of working in the political arena.

'The media market moves so quickly that we don't want to be stuck with a particular supplier,' says Russell. 'But it is a twoway process, so our 10 preferred agencies account for 70% of our spend this year and as they build a deeper relationship with us, not only do they get more projects and more money, but also far more interesting assignments.'

Some clients are favouring the roster approach, rather than picking up the phone to all and sundry. David Iddiols, managing director of HPI, believes this is driven in part by procurement departments, which are taking some power away from research departments, imposing tighter financial control and making the process more price-driven.

This approach offers clarity in terms of rates for qualitative and quantitative research and an agreed team up front,' he says. 'Not only do clients get to know a specific agency, but also specific individuals.'

Agreed teams also provide clear lines of demarcation, which means that an agency is not limited to certain clients. So having one team working on one bank, say, does not preclude another team from the agency working for a different bank.

When GE Money pruned its roster back from 20, it looked at 'experience, methodology, costs and people - it was a bit like The X-Factor' says Iddiols. Now there is a short roster of five, including HPI. GE Money invites suppliers on agency away days, where the company explains business plans and upcoming projects as a group.

Other companies that have developed a roster are asking: "How can our agencies learn more quickly and get a more acute vision about what our business is all about?"' adds Iddiols. 'We share knowledge through intranet sites. If we run a presentation on the business, then a summary of key points is posted up for other agencies to look at.'

As with all partnerships, the barriers to developing a meaningful relationship run both ways. Agencies frequently complain that clients can be unclear about what they want and overly protective of internal information sources, while constantly push ing time and budget constraints.

Likewise, as the typical in-house insight team moves from simply managing market research to proactively conducting, interpreting and ultimately communicating findings, so agencies are frustrated by those internal practitioners who are not up to the job.

In the same way as any relationship, the client-agency coupling requires hard work to make sure that everyone remains happy. Those research companies illustrating that they are open to new ideas in order to keep their relationship with their client alive, should stop their other half running into a rival's open arms.

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