What clients value most about working with a consultancy

Report

Written by Lontra from 10 conversations, 3 shared documents and 4 Deep Study conversations.

The answer

Clients value one senior person who stays and says what they would rather not hear, and they put up with a changing team and surprise costs.

The day rate is argued about by procurement and finance, not by the people who work with the firm. What clients ask for is early warning on team changes and extra cost, and someone asking what comes next.

What people said

Clients value a senior person who stays and tells them what they would rather not hear 6 of 10 people Strong signal

Six of ten named one individual on the firm's side, not the firm or its method, as the reason they chose it or stay. What they describe is being told early that a plan was wrong. Two said they would reconsider if that person left; nobody has tested it.

“she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work.”Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
“they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable.”

Head of HR, one engagement

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of HR, one engagement · Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised

Lontra
What did the firm do for you?

Head of HR
A study of how our HR function is organised. Twelve weeks. What I value is that they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable. They told our CEO two of our own initiatives weren't delivering anything.

Lontra
How did that land?

Head of HR
Badly, for a week. Then well. Everybody already knew.

Lontra
What did you put up with?

Head of HR
Their language. Operating model, target state. I translate it for my own team.

Lontra
Did you use their report as it came?

Head of HR
No. I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.

Lontra
Is it worth the money?

Head of HR
It's dear. I'd pay it again for that report. I'd not pay it for the slides.

Lontra
What would make you use them again?

Head of HR
If they came back and said, here's what we've seen in similar companies since. Not a pitch. Just that. Nobody's been back since the report.
“he doesn't agree with me when I'm wrong.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Food manufacturer, one production site

Lontra
What's it like working with the firm's senior consultant?

Project lead
It's the best bit. He's been here two years. He knows my site, my people, who to ask. When he's on holiday things go quiet.

Lontra
What do you value in him?

Project lead
That he's nearly one of us. And that he doesn't agree with me when I'm wrong.

Lontra
Can you give an example?

Project lead
We wanted to automate a line. He told us the problem was the changeovers, not the line. We'd have spent six figures on the wrong thing.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

Project lead
The rotation underneath him. Juniors arrive, learn the site, leave after six months. I've had five.

Lontra
What does that cost you?

Project lead
About a month of my time each. And the bit that annoys me is finding out about extra cost from the invoice.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Project lead
Yes. It's dear, and it paid for itself on the changeover job alone.

Lontra
If he left, would you stay?

Project lead
I don't know. I'd probably look around.
“They're straight.”

Managing director, 3 years as a client

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Managing director, 3 years as a client · Engineering firm, 120 staff, the firm's smallest client

Lontra
What made you choose the firm?

Managing director
Recommended.

Lontra
By whom?

Managing director
Another MD. A friend.

Lontra
What do you value?

Managing director
They're straight. And they know what they're talking about.

Lontra
Is there anything you put up with?

Managing director
The bill.

Lontra
What about the bill?

Managing director
It's big. We're small.

Lontra
Is there anything you'd change?

Managing director
Tell me up front what it'll cost. Then stick to it.

Extra cost arrives after the work has started, and that is what clients put up with 6 of 10 people Strong signal

The day rate is accepted. What clients object to is learning about a change request, or an extra month, from the invoice. In the one change log shared, the longest approval took 41 days because the work had begun first.

“Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way.”Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
“I find out when the invoice arrives.”

Finance director, 4 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance director, 4 years in role · Logistics company, approves the firm's invoices and change requests

Lontra
What do you see of the firm's work from the finance side?

Finance director
Invoices. And change requests. The day rate is what we agreed, I don't argue about that. It's the changes.

Lontra
Tell me about a change.

Finance director
The scope grows. They raise a change request, my project lead approves it, and I find out when the invoice arrives. Nine in the programme so far. I've attached the last five.

Lontra
In your list, change 6, additional data migration, is 38,000 and shows 41 days to approval. Why so long?

Finance director
Because the work had already started. We approved it after the event and the invoice came with it. It's the only one I really argued about.

Lontra
What did you do?

Finance director
Paid it. And told them I wanted to see it before it started next time. They agreed.

Lontra
Did that hold?

Finance director
Change 7 was four days. So yes.

Lontra
How does their rate compare with other firms you've used?

Finance director
About a third above the other lot. The project leads say it's worth it. I'd like to know what the third buys.

Lontra
What would you ask them for?

Finance director
A forecast at the start of each month. What's coming that might need a change. I don't want surprises, that's all.
“finding out about extra cost from the invoice.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Food manufacturer, one production site

Lontra
What's it like working with the firm's senior consultant?

Project lead
It's the best bit. He's been here two years. He knows my site, my people, who to ask. When he's on holiday things go quiet.

Lontra
What do you value in him?

Project lead
That he's nearly one of us. And that he doesn't agree with me when I'm wrong.

Lontra
Can you give an example?

Project lead
We wanted to automate a line. He told us the problem was the changeovers, not the line. We'd have spent six figures on the wrong thing.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

Project lead
The rotation underneath him. Juniors arrive, learn the site, leave after six months. I've had five.

Lontra
What does that cost you?

Project lead
About a month of my time each. And the bit that annoys me is finding out about extra cost from the invoice.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Project lead
Yes. It's dear, and it paid for itself on the changeover job alone.

Lontra
If he left, would you stay?

Project lead
I don't know. I'd probably look around.
“Tell me up front what it'll cost. Then stick to it.”

Managing director, 3 years as a client

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Managing director, 3 years as a client · Engineering firm, 120 staff, the firm's smallest client

Lontra
What made you choose the firm?

Managing director
Recommended.

Lontra
By whom?

Managing director
Another MD. A friend.

Lontra
What do you value?

Managing director
They're straight. And they know what they're talking about.

Lontra
Is there anything you put up with?

Managing director
The bill.

Lontra
What about the bill?

Managing director
It's big. We're small.

Lontra
Is there anything you'd change?

Managing director
Tell me up front what it'll cost. Then stick to it.

The team changes underneath the senior person, and clients hear the day before 5 of 10 people Strong signal

Clients describe a stream of junior consultants who each need to be taught how the organisation works. One estimated a month of their time per newcomer; measured in Deep Study it was about three days each. A newly arrived sponsor could not say who the firm's people were.

“I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.”Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
“Nobody told us it would change.”

Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team · Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants

Lontra
Day to day, what does the firm's team do that you value?

Programme manager
The engagement manager basically runs my Mondays. She turns up with a one-page status, three lines on what's late and why. I send it up unedited. That's rare.

Lontra
Unedited?

Programme manager
Yes. Most consultants' paperwork I'd rewrite. Hers I forward.

Lontra
What did you expect when you chose them?

Programme manager
The people in the pitch. There was a partner and a senior manager. The senior manager was with us two weeks, then she moved to another job and we got the engagement manager. Nobody told us it would change. It was fine in the end, but I felt it.

Lontra
You shared the statement of work. In the team section, partner time says "as needed". What did that mean in practice?

Programme manager
I read that again when you asked and thought, ha. As needed meant the first meeting and the last one.

Lontra
How often did you see the partner in a year?

Programme manager
Three times. One was a handshake in the lift.

Lontra
Does that bother you?

Programme manager
Less than you'd think. If the engagement manager's good I don't miss the partner. I'd miss her.

Lontra
Anything that caught you out?

Programme manager
Two change requests arrived after the work had started. It was reasonable work, I'd just have liked to be asked first.

Lontra
How do you feel about the price?

Programme manager
It's dear. But I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.
“The day before, usually.”

IT delivery lead, 18 months with the firm's team

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: IT delivery lead, 18 months with the firm's team · Public transport operator, works alongside the firm's engineers

Lontra
How do the firm's engineers work with your team?

IT delivery lead
Good. They sit with us.

Lontra
What's different from other suppliers?

IT delivery lead
They turn up. And they say if something's behind.

Lontra
When did that last happen?

IT delivery lead
Two weeks ago. A release slipped. Their lead rang me before the weekly. I don't get that normally.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

IT delivery lead
The rotation. Four different developers in a year. Each one needs a month before they're useful.

Lontra
Did anyone tell you in advance when they changed?

IT delivery lead
The day before, usually.
“There's a woman. I think she's the lead. And some others.”

Programme sponsor, 3 months in post

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme sponsor, 3 months in post · College group, inherited the firm from a predecessor

Lontra
You inherited this firm from your predecessor. What do you know about what they do for you?

Programme sponsor
Not a lot yet.

Lontra
What have you seen so far?

Programme sponsor
They're in the building a lot.

Lontra
Who from the firm do you deal with?

Programme sponsor
There's a woman. I think she's the lead. And some others.

Lontra
Do you know who the others are?

Programme sponsor
Not really.

Lontra
What would help you decide whether to keep them?

Programme sponsor
A summary. One page.

Lontra
Has anyone offered one?

Programme sponsor
No.

Nobody has asked the client what comes next 4 of 10 people Emerging

Four clients said no one from the firm has raised what they would want after the current work. One of them rated the work as excellent, never used the firm again, and could not say why.

“Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this.”Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Show all 3 quotes and their conversations

“Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
“Nobody called, and I didn't think of them when the next thing came up.”

Head of strategy, hired the firm once

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of strategy, hired the firm once · Regional insurer, one 11-week strategy review

Lontra
What did you hire the firm for?

Head of strategy
A strategy review of our commercial lines. Eleven weeks. They were excellent. We loved it.

Lontra
What came out of it?

Head of strategy
A report and a board session. The board accepted three of the five recommendations.

Lontra
Have you used them since?

Head of strategy
No.

Lontra
You said you loved the work. What kept you from going back?

Head of strategy
That's a fair question. Honestly I don't know. There wasn't a reason. Nobody called, and I didn't think of them when the next thing came up. I used the people we already had.

Lontra
Did anyone from the firm contact you after the board session?

Head of strategy
A thank-you email, and an invitation to a seminar.

Lontra
What would you have liked?

Head of strategy
Someone to ask what happened to the recommendations. The two that weren't accepted are still sitting on a slide somewhere.
“Nobody's been back since the report.”

Head of HR, one engagement

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of HR, one engagement · Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised

Lontra
What did the firm do for you?

Head of HR
A study of how our HR function is organised. Twelve weeks. What I value is that they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable. They told our CEO two of our own initiatives weren't delivering anything.

Lontra
How did that land?

Head of HR
Badly, for a week. Then well. Everybody already knew.

Lontra
What did you put up with?

Head of HR
Their language. Operating model, target state. I translate it for my own team.

Lontra
Did you use their report as it came?

Head of HR
No. I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.

Lontra
Is it worth the money?

Head of HR
It's dear. I'd pay it again for that report. I'd not pay it for the slides.

Lontra
What would make you use them again?

Head of HR
If they came back and said, here's what we've seen in similar companies since. Not a pitch. Just that. Nobody's been back since the report.

Clients want something they can forward without rewriting 4 of 10 people Emerging

Where the firm's output goes into the client's own organisation, it is rewritten first. The one client who forwards it unedited named the one-page weekly status as the reason.

“I send it up unedited. That's rare.”Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

Show all 4 quotes and their conversations

“I send it up unedited. That's rare.”

Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team · Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants

Lontra
Day to day, what does the firm's team do that you value?

Programme manager
The engagement manager basically runs my Mondays. She turns up with a one-page status, three lines on what's late and why. I send it up unedited. That's rare.

Lontra
Unedited?

Programme manager
Yes. Most consultants' paperwork I'd rewrite. Hers I forward.

Lontra
What did you expect when you chose them?

Programme manager
The people in the pitch. There was a partner and a senior manager. The senior manager was with us two weeks, then she moved to another job and we got the engagement manager. Nobody told us it would change. It was fine in the end, but I felt it.

Lontra
You shared the statement of work. In the team section, partner time says "as needed". What did that mean in practice?

Programme manager
I read that again when you asked and thought, ha. As needed meant the first meeting and the last one.

Lontra
How often did you see the partner in a year?

Programme manager
Three times. One was a handshake in the lift.

Lontra
Does that bother you?

Programme manager
Less than you'd think. If the engagement manager's good I don't miss the partner. I'd miss her.

Lontra
Anything that caught you out?

Programme manager
Two change requests arrived after the work had started. It was reasonable work, I'd just have liked to be asked first.

Lontra
How do you feel about the price?

Programme manager
It's dear. But I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.
“I'd want something I can forward without editing.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
“I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.”

Head of HR, one engagement

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of HR, one engagement · Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised

Lontra
What did the firm do for you?

Head of HR
A study of how our HR function is organised. Twelve weeks. What I value is that they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable. They told our CEO two of our own initiatives weren't delivering anything.

Lontra
How did that land?

Head of HR
Badly, for a week. Then well. Everybody already knew.

Lontra
What did you put up with?

Head of HR
Their language. Operating model, target state. I translate it for my own team.

Lontra
Did you use their report as it came?

Head of HR
No. I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.

Lontra
Is it worth the money?

Head of HR
It's dear. I'd pay it again for that report. I'd not pay it for the slides.

Lontra
What would make you use them again?

Head of HR
If they came back and said, here's what we've seen in similar companies since. Not a pitch. Just that. Nobody's been back since the report.
“A summary. One page.”

Programme sponsor, 3 months in post

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme sponsor, 3 months in post · College group, inherited the firm from a predecessor

Lontra
You inherited this firm from your predecessor. What do you know about what they do for you?

Programme sponsor
Not a lot yet.

Lontra
What have you seen so far?

Programme sponsor
They're in the building a lot.

Lontra
Who from the firm do you deal with?

Programme sponsor
There's a woman. I think she's the lead. And some others.

Lontra
Do you know who the others are?

Programme sponsor
Not really.

Lontra
What would help you decide whether to keep them?

Programme sponsor
A summary. One page.

Lontra
Has anyone offered one?

Programme sponsor
No.

Where accounts differ

Whether the firm's premium is worth paying

Those who work with the firm every week say the premium has paid for itself. Those who approve the spend say it is hard to defend, because nobody has compared the firm with another on the same work.

Clients who work with the firm 3 people

“I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.”

Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team · Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants

Lontra
Day to day, what does the firm's team do that you value?

Programme manager
The engagement manager basically runs my Mondays. She turns up with a one-page status, three lines on what's late and why. I send it up unedited. That's rare.

Lontra
Unedited?

Programme manager
Yes. Most consultants' paperwork I'd rewrite. Hers I forward.

Lontra
What did you expect when you chose them?

Programme manager
The people in the pitch. There was a partner and a senior manager. The senior manager was with us two weeks, then she moved to another job and we got the engagement manager. Nobody told us it would change. It was fine in the end, but I felt it.

Lontra
You shared the statement of work. In the team section, partner time says "as needed". What did that mean in practice?

Programme manager
I read that again when you asked and thought, ha. As needed meant the first meeting and the last one.

Lontra
How often did you see the partner in a year?

Programme manager
Three times. One was a handshake in the lift.

Lontra
Does that bother you?

Programme manager
Less than you'd think. If the engagement manager's good I don't miss the partner. I'd miss her.

Lontra
Anything that caught you out?

Programme manager
Two change requests arrived after the work had started. It was reasonable work, I'd just have liked to be asked first.

Lontra
How do you feel about the price?

Programme manager
It's dear. But I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.
“I'd pay it again for that report.”

Head of HR, one engagement

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of HR, one engagement · Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised

Lontra
What did the firm do for you?

Head of HR
A study of how our HR function is organised. Twelve weeks. What I value is that they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable. They told our CEO two of our own initiatives weren't delivering anything.

Lontra
How did that land?

Head of HR
Badly, for a week. Then well. Everybody already knew.

Lontra
What did you put up with?

Head of HR
Their language. Operating model, target state. I translate it for my own team.

Lontra
Did you use their report as it came?

Head of HR
No. I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.

Lontra
Is it worth the money?

Head of HR
It's dear. I'd pay it again for that report. I'd not pay it for the slides.

Lontra
What would make you use them again?

Head of HR
If they came back and said, here's what we've seen in similar companies since. Not a pitch. Just that. Nobody's been back since the report.
“It's dear, and it paid for itself on the changeover job alone.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Food manufacturer, one production site

Lontra
What's it like working with the firm's senior consultant?

Project lead
It's the best bit. He's been here two years. He knows my site, my people, who to ask. When he's on holiday things go quiet.

Lontra
What do you value in him?

Project lead
That he's nearly one of us. And that he doesn't agree with me when I'm wrong.

Lontra
Can you give an example?

Project lead
We wanted to automate a line. He told us the problem was the changeovers, not the line. We'd have spent six figures on the wrong thing.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

Project lead
The rotation underneath him. Juniors arrive, learn the site, leave after six months. I've had five.

Lontra
What does that cost you?

Project lead
About a month of my time each. And the bit that annoys me is finding out about extra cost from the invoice.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Project lead
Yes. It's dear, and it paid for itself on the changeover job alone.

Lontra
If he left, would you stay?

Project lead
I don't know. I'd probably look around.

Clients who approve the spend 2 people

“I'm the one who has to explain to finance why we pay a premium.”

Procurement manager, 6 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Energy distributor, runs the supplier panel the firm sits on

Lontra
What does the supplier panel review look at?

Procurement manager
We score every firm on the panel once a year. Expertise, delivery, commercial terms, reporting, relationship. Weighted.

Lontra
How does this firm score?

Procurement manager
Top on expertise and relationship. Bottom on commercial terms.

Lontra
What does that mean in practice?

Procurement manager
Rate card fixed for the year, no volume banding, and any change in scope priced at the full rate. The project leads love them. I'm the one who has to explain to finance why we pay a premium.

Lontra
What do you tell finance?

Procurement manager
That the project leads would revolt if we changed. Which is true, but it isn't a number.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Procurement manager
I can't prove it. We've never compared them with another firm on the same piece of work.

Lontra
Who do you hear from at the firm?

Procurement manager
The account manager, once a year, a week before the review. Never about what happens next.

Lontra
Could you share the scorecard?

Procurement manager
I'll send the extract.
“I'd like to know what the third buys.”

Finance director, 4 years in role

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance director, 4 years in role · Logistics company, approves the firm's invoices and change requests

Lontra
What do you see of the firm's work from the finance side?

Finance director
Invoices. And change requests. The day rate is what we agreed, I don't argue about that. It's the changes.

Lontra
Tell me about a change.

Finance director
The scope grows. They raise a change request, my project lead approves it, and I find out when the invoice arrives. Nine in the programme so far. I've attached the last five.

Lontra
In your list, change 6, additional data migration, is 38,000 and shows 41 days to approval. Why so long?

Finance director
Because the work had already started. We approved it after the event and the invoice came with it. It's the only one I really argued about.

Lontra
What did you do?

Finance director
Paid it. And told them I wanted to see it before it started next time. They agreed.

Lontra
Did that hold?

Finance director
Change 7 was four days. So yes.

Lontra
How does their rate compare with other firms you've used?

Finance director
About a third above the other lot. The project leads say it's worth it. I'd like to know what the third buys.

Lontra
What would you ask them for?

Finance director
A forecast at the start of each month. What's coming that might need a change. I don't want surprises, that's all.

Documents

Statement of work, phase 2 (extract) Shared by a participant

The team and rates section of the phase 2 contract. A full-time engagement manager, two consultants and an analyst are named; partner time is described as "as needed".

Shared by: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

Open the document

The line Lontra asked about is marked.

STATEMENT OF WORK, PHASE 2 (EXTRACT)

3. Team

The firm will provide a team for the duration of phase 2. Named team: Engagement manager (full time), two consultants, one analyst. Partner time as needed. Changes to the named team will be agreed with the client where practicable.

4. Fees

Day rates are fixed for twelve months from the start date. Work outside the scope in section 2 is raised as a change request and priced at the rates in Schedule A.

What Lontra asked about it

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team · Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants

Lontra

Day to day, what does the firm's team do that you value?

Programme manager

The engagement manager basically runs my Mondays. She turns up with a one-page status, three lines on what's late and why. I send it up unedited. That's rare.

Lontra

Unedited?

Programme manager

Yes. Most consultants' paperwork I'd rewrite. Hers I forward.

Lontra

What did you expect when you chose them?

Programme manager

The people in the pitch. There was a partner and a senior manager. The senior manager was with us two weeks, then she moved to another job and we got the engagement manager. Nobody told us it would change. It was fine in the end, but I felt it.

Lontra

You shared the statement of work. In the team section, partner time says "as needed". What did that mean in practice?

Programme manager

I read that again when you asked and thought, ha. As needed meant the first meeting and the last one.

Lontra

How often did you see the partner in a year?

Programme manager

Three times. One was a handshake in the lift.

Lontra

Does that bother you?

Programme manager

Less than you'd think. If the engagement manager's good I don't miss the partner. I'd miss her.

Lontra

Anything that caught you out?

Programme manager

Two change requests arrived after the work had started. It was reasonable work, I'd just have liked to be asked first.

Lontra

How do you feel about the price?

Programme manager

It's dear. But I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.

Change requests, two-year programme (last five) Shared by a participant

The finance director's list of the five most recent change requests. Four were approved within nine days; one, an additional data migration at 38,000, took 41 days because the work had already started.

Shared by: Finance director, 4 years in role

Open the document

The line Lontra asked about is marked.

Ref	Raised by	Description	Fee effect (GBP)	Days to approval
CR-4	Client	Extra reporting for the board pack	6500	3
CR-5	Firm	Second workshop series for regional teams	12000	9
CR-6	Firm	Additional data migration	38000	41
CR-7	Firm	Interface testing with the new payroll system	9000	4
CR-8	Client	Training for the operations managers	5200	6

What Lontra asked about it

Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance director, 4 years in role · Logistics company, approves the firm's invoices and change requests

Lontra

What do you see of the firm's work from the finance side?

Finance director

Invoices. And change requests. The day rate is what we agreed, I don't argue about that. It's the changes.

Lontra

Tell me about a change.

Finance director

The scope grows. They raise a change request, my project lead approves it, and I find out when the invoice arrives. Nine in the programme so far. I've attached the last five.

Lontra

In your list, change 6, additional data migration, is 38,000 and shows 41 days to approval. Why so long?

Finance director

Because the work had already started. We approved it after the event and the invoice came with it. It's the only one I really argued about.

Lontra

What did you do?

Finance director

Paid it. And told them I wanted to see it before it started next time. They agreed.

Lontra

Did that hold?

Finance director

Change 7 was four days. So yes.

Lontra

How does their rate compare with other firms you've used?

Finance director

About a third above the other lot. The project leads say it's worth it. I'd like to know what the third buys.

Lontra

What would you ask them for?

Finance director

A forecast at the start of each month. What's coming that might need a change. I don't want surprises, that's all.

Supplier panel scorecard, annual review (extract) Shared by a participant

How the procurement team scores the firm against the other suppliers' criteria. It scores highest on relationship and expertise, and lowest on commercial terms, which carry a quarter of the weight.

Shared by: Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Shared during Deep Study

Open the document

The line Lontra asked about is marked.

Criterion	Weight	Score out of 5
Subject expertise	25%	4.6
Delivery to plan	20%	3.8
Commercial terms and flexibility	25%	2.9
Quality of reporting	15%	4.1
Relationship	15%	4.7
Weighted total	100%	3.9

What Lontra asked about it

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Energy distributor, runs the supplier panel the firm sits on

Lontra

In the scorecard you sent, commercial terms and flexibility scores 2.9 with a weight of 25%, and subject expertise 4.6. Who sees which of those?

Procurement manager

The project leads see expertise. They never see the commercial side.

Lontra

What did the firm do with the 2.9?

Procurement manager

They got the scorecard in February. The account manager said thanks. Nothing changed.

Lontra

Did they ask what a 3.5 would look like?

Procurement manager

No. I'd have told them. Volume banding, and a scope-change process that doesn't start at the full rate.

Lontra

Would that change whether you renew?

Procurement manager

It changes whether I recommend them. The project leads decide whether to use them. So they'd stay on the panel either way.

What we still don’t know

Why work the client rated as excellent was never followed by a second engagement.The head of strategy could not say at first and, in Deep Study, offered possible reasons: a procurement threshold and a contact who moved on. Neither is confirmed, and nobody from the firm asked.
What the same work would have cost with another firm.Procurement said it had never compared the firm with another on the same piece of work, and finance compared rates but not results. Those who value the work have no comparison either.

Deep Study

A week after the last first-round conversation, Deep Study went back to three people whose answers left a question open, and spoke to one colleague a participant suggested.

Procurement manager, 6 years in role Asked again

Shared a scorecard where commercial terms score lowest. What did the firm do with it?

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

Head of strategy, hired the firm once Asked again

Loved the work, never went back, and could not say why.

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant Asked again

Said each new junior cost about a month of his time. What does a month consist of?

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

Accounts payable analyst, 3 years in role Suggested by: Finance director, 4 years in role

Suggested by the finance director: the person who matches the firm's invoices to the approved changes.

Open the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: ·

What Deep Study added

The month of client time per new junior was about three days each, fifteen across the five, though it felt like a month and the firm had never been told.
Accounts payable confirms the pattern: three invoices in a year arrived before their approval, and each was held for up to two weeks.
The firm started sending a note before extra work began after change request 7; before that it did not.
A procurement threshold, not dissatisfaction, may explain the one client who loved the work and never returned: a repeat engagement would have needed a tender.

Who took part

People are described by their role and context, as in any Lontra study.

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme · 21 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm · Manufacturer, 1,800 staff, sponsors a two-year programme

Lontra
To start, what made you choose the firm for the programme, and what has kept you with them?

Chief operating officer
Honestly, one person. The engagement manager. She'd done something like it before, and she told me in the first meeting that our plan wouldn't work. Nobody else in the pitch said that.

Lontra
What did she say?

Chief operating officer
We'd planned eight weeks. She said twenty. It was eighteen in the end.

Lontra
Two years on, what do you value most?

Chief operating officer
That she's still here. The team around her has changed three times and she hasn't. If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.

Lontra
What do you put up with that you'd rather not?

Chief operating officer
The juniors. Bright, keen, but every six months there's a new one and I'm the one who explains how we work. I'm paying a lot of money to train their people.

Lontra
How much of your time does that take?

Chief operating officer
A month each, probably. I don't have a figure.

Lontra
What else gets in the way?

Chief operating officer
Twice we got a change request after the work was already under way. That's the kind of thing that makes my finance director ring me.

Lontra
When the work goes up to your board, how does it go?

Chief operating officer
The decks are fine, but I rewrite them. Every time. I'd want something I can forward without editing.

Lontra
Has anyone from the firm asked what you'd want after the programme ends?

Chief operating officer
Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this. It finishes in March and no one's had that conversation.
Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants · 24 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team · Housing association, day-to-day lead for a team of six consultants

Lontra
Day to day, what does the firm's team do that you value?

Programme manager
The engagement manager basically runs my Mondays. She turns up with a one-page status, three lines on what's late and why. I send it up unedited. That's rare.

Lontra
Unedited?

Programme manager
Yes. Most consultants' paperwork I'd rewrite. Hers I forward.

Lontra
What did you expect when you chose them?

Programme manager
The people in the pitch. There was a partner and a senior manager. The senior manager was with us two weeks, then she moved to another job and we got the engagement manager. Nobody told us it would change. It was fine in the end, but I felt it.

Lontra
You shared the statement of work. In the team section, partner time says "as needed". What did that mean in practice?

Programme manager
I read that again when you asked and thought, ha. As needed meant the first meeting and the last one.

Lontra
How often did you see the partner in a year?

Programme manager
Three times. One was a handshake in the lift.

Lontra
Does that bother you?

Programme manager
Less than you'd think. If the engagement manager's good I don't miss the partner. I'd miss her.

Lontra
Anything that caught you out?

Programme manager
Two change requests arrived after the work had started. It was reasonable work, I'd just have liked to be asked first.

Lontra
How do you feel about the price?

Programme manager
It's dear. But I've never had to redo anything they gave me, which I can't say for the cheaper lot.
Procurement manager, 6 years in role Energy distributor, runs the supplier panel the firm sits on · 16 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Energy distributor, runs the supplier panel the firm sits on

Lontra
What does the supplier panel review look at?

Procurement manager
We score every firm on the panel once a year. Expertise, delivery, commercial terms, reporting, relationship. Weighted.

Lontra
How does this firm score?

Procurement manager
Top on expertise and relationship. Bottom on commercial terms.

Lontra
What does that mean in practice?

Procurement manager
Rate card fixed for the year, no volume banding, and any change in scope priced at the full rate. The project leads love them. I'm the one who has to explain to finance why we pay a premium.

Lontra
What do you tell finance?

Procurement manager
That the project leads would revolt if we changed. Which is true, but it isn't a number.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Procurement manager
I can't prove it. We've never compared them with another firm on the same piece of work.

Lontra
Who do you hear from at the firm?

Procurement manager
The account manager, once a year, a week before the review. Never about what happens next.

Lontra
Could you share the scorecard?

Procurement manager
I'll send the extract.

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Energy distributor, runs the supplier panel the firm sits on

Lontra
In the scorecard you sent, commercial terms and flexibility scores 2.9 with a weight of 25%, and subject expertise 4.6. Who sees which of those?

Procurement manager
The project leads see expertise. They never see the commercial side.

Lontra
What did the firm do with the 2.9?

Procurement manager
They got the scorecard in February. The account manager said thanks. Nothing changed.

Lontra
Did they ask what a 3.5 would look like?

Procurement manager
No. I'd have told them. Volume banding, and a scope-change process that doesn't start at the full rate.

Lontra
Would that change whether you renew?

Procurement manager
It changes whether I recommend them. The project leads decide whether to use them. So they'd stay on the panel either way.
Finance director, 4 years in role Logistics company, approves the firm's invoices and change requests · 12 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Finance director, 4 years in role · Logistics company, approves the firm's invoices and change requests

Lontra
What do you see of the firm's work from the finance side?

Finance director
Invoices. And change requests. The day rate is what we agreed, I don't argue about that. It's the changes.

Lontra
Tell me about a change.

Finance director
The scope grows. They raise a change request, my project lead approves it, and I find out when the invoice arrives. Nine in the programme so far. I've attached the last five.

Lontra
In your list, change 6, additional data migration, is 38,000 and shows 41 days to approval. Why so long?

Finance director
Because the work had already started. We approved it after the event and the invoice came with it. It's the only one I really argued about.

Lontra
What did you do?

Finance director
Paid it. And told them I wanted to see it before it started next time. They agreed.

Lontra
Did that hold?

Finance director
Change 7 was four days. So yes.

Lontra
How does their rate compare with other firms you've used?

Finance director
About a third above the other lot. The project leads say it's worth it. I'd like to know what the third buys.

Lontra
What would you ask them for?

Finance director
A forecast at the start of each month. What's coming that might need a change. I don't want surprises, that's all.
Head of strategy, hired the firm once Regional insurer, one 11-week strategy review · 14 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of strategy, hired the firm once · Regional insurer, one 11-week strategy review

Lontra
What did you hire the firm for?

Head of strategy
A strategy review of our commercial lines. Eleven weeks. They were excellent. We loved it.

Lontra
What came out of it?

Head of strategy
A report and a board session. The board accepted three of the five recommendations.

Lontra
Have you used them since?

Head of strategy
No.

Lontra
You said you loved the work. What kept you from going back?

Head of strategy
That's a fair question. Honestly I don't know. There wasn't a reason. Nobody called, and I didn't think of them when the next thing came up. I used the people we already had.

Lontra
Did anyone from the firm contact you after the board session?

Head of strategy
A thank-you email, and an invitation to a seminar.

Lontra
What would you have liked?

Head of strategy
Someone to ask what happened to the recommendations. The two that weren't accepted are still sitting on a slide somewhere.

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Head of strategy, hired the firm once · Regional insurer, one 11-week strategy review

Lontra
You couldn't say why you hadn't gone back. Has anything come to mind since?

Head of strategy
I looked. The next piece was a pricing study. It went to a firm we already had on contract. Not because they were better. They'd already been through procurement, and the strategy firm would have needed a tender, being over our threshold.

Lontra
Did the firm know the pricing study was coming?

Head of strategy
No. I didn't tell them. I'm not sure I'd have known who to tell.

Lontra
Who was your contact after the board session?

Head of strategy
The engagement manager. She moved to another client the week after.

Lontra
So who did you have after that?

Head of strategy
A thank-you email from the account manager. I couldn't have told you his name.
IT delivery lead, 18 months with the firm's team Public transport operator, works alongside the firm's engineers · 8 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: IT delivery lead, 18 months with the firm's team · Public transport operator, works alongside the firm's engineers

Lontra
How do the firm's engineers work with your team?

IT delivery lead
Good. They sit with us.

Lontra
What's different from other suppliers?

IT delivery lead
They turn up. And they say if something's behind.

Lontra
When did that last happen?

IT delivery lead
Two weeks ago. A release slipped. Their lead rang me before the weekly. I don't get that normally.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

IT delivery lead
The rotation. Four different developers in a year. Each one needs a month before they're useful.

Lontra
Did anyone tell you in advance when they changed?

IT delivery lead
The day before, usually.
Head of HR, one engagement Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised · 18 min

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the conversation with: Head of HR, one engagement · Services group, 12-week study of how HR is organised

Lontra
What did the firm do for you?

Head of HR
A study of how our HR function is organised. Twelve weeks. What I value is that they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable. They told our CEO two of our own initiatives weren't delivering anything.

Lontra
How did that land?

Head of HR
Badly, for a week. Then well. Everybody already knew.

Lontra
What did you put up with?

Head of HR
Their language. Operating model, target state. I translate it for my own team.

Lontra
Did you use their report as it came?

Head of HR
No. I wrote a two-pager in my own words and that's what went round.

Lontra
Is it worth the money?

Head of HR
It's dear. I'd pay it again for that report. I'd not pay it for the slides.

Lontra
What would make you use them again?

Head of HR
If they came back and said, here's what we've seen in similar companies since. Not a pitch. Just that. Nobody's been back since the report.
Programme sponsor, 3 months in post College group, inherited the firm from a predecessor · 6 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Programme sponsor, 3 months in post · College group, inherited the firm from a predecessor

Lontra
You inherited this firm from your predecessor. What do you know about what they do for you?

Programme sponsor
Not a lot yet.

Lontra
What have you seen so far?

Programme sponsor
They're in the building a lot.

Lontra
Who from the firm do you deal with?

Programme sponsor
There's a woman. I think she's the lead. And some others.

Lontra
Do you know who the others are?

Programme sponsor
Not really.

Lontra
What would help you decide whether to keep them?

Programme sponsor
A summary. One page.

Lontra
Has anyone offered one?

Programme sponsor
No.
Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant Food manufacturer, one production site · 19 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Food manufacturer, one production site

Lontra
What's it like working with the firm's senior consultant?

Project lead
It's the best bit. He's been here two years. He knows my site, my people, who to ask. When he's on holiday things go quiet.

Lontra
What do you value in him?

Project lead
That he's nearly one of us. And that he doesn't agree with me when I'm wrong.

Lontra
Can you give an example?

Project lead
We wanted to automate a line. He told us the problem was the changeovers, not the line. We'd have spent six figures on the wrong thing.

Lontra
What do you put up with?

Project lead
The rotation underneath him. Juniors arrive, learn the site, leave after six months. I've had five.

Lontra
What does that cost you?

Project lead
About a month of my time each. And the bit that annoys me is finding out about extra cost from the invoice.

Lontra
Is the premium worth it?

Project lead
Yes. It's dear, and it paid for itself on the changeover job alone.

Lontra
If he left, would you stay?

Project lead
I don't know. I'd probably look around.

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Food manufacturer, one production site

Lontra
You said each new junior costs about a month of your time and you've had five. What does a month consist of?

Project lead
Walking them round the site, who to ask for what, an hour a day for the first two weeks, then answering their questions for another month. Thinking about it, half a day a week for six weeks. So not a month. It feels like one.

Lontra
Half a day a week for six weeks, is that about three days each?

Project lead
Three days each. Fifteen across the five. It felt like more.

Lontra
Did the firm know it was costing you that?

Project lead
I never told them. I assumed that's how it works.
Managing director, 3 years as a client Engineering firm, 120 staff, the firm's smallest client · 7 min

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Excerpt from the conversation with: Managing director, 3 years as a client · Engineering firm, 120 staff, the firm's smallest client

Lontra
What made you choose the firm?

Managing director
Recommended.

Lontra
By whom?

Managing director
Another MD. A friend.

Lontra
What do you value?

Managing director
They're straight. And they know what they're talking about.

Lontra
Is there anything you put up with?

Managing director
The bill.

Lontra
What about the bill?

Managing director
It's big. We're small.

Lontra
Is there anything you'd change?

Managing director
Tell me up front what it'll cost. Then stick to it.
Accounts payable analyst, 3 years in role Logistics company, matches the firm's invoices to approved changes · 9 min · joined in Deep Study

Read the conversation

Excerpt from the Deep Study conversation with: Accounts payable analyst, 3 years in role · Logistics company, matches the firm's invoices to approved changes

Lontra
Your colleague said you match the firm's invoices to the approved change requests. What do you see?

Accounts payable analyst
Mostly they match. The ones that don't are where the work started before the approval. Three in the last year: the 41-day one and two smaller.

Lontra
What do you do when an invoice arrives before the approval?

Accounts payable analyst
I hold it and ask. It can sit two weeks. The firm's accounts team chase me on day thirty.

Lontra
What would stop that happening?

Accounts payable analyst
A note before the work starts. Even an email.

Lontra
Does the firm send one?

Accounts payable analyst
Since change 7, yes. Before that, no.

About this study

The question

“I want to understand what our clients value most about working with us, what they put up with, and what would make them renew.”

A management and technology consultancy with about 400 people. Ten people from ten client organisations took part: five senior sponsors, three project or delivery leads, a procurement manager and a finance director. Each conversation lasted 6 to 24 minutes. Deep Study went back to three of them and spoke to one colleague a participant suggested.

What Lontra asked about

Why clients chose the firm and what keeps them
What they put up with and what it costs them
How the firm's work is taken inside the client's organisation
What would make them use the firm again

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Answers from 10 conversations and 3 documents

These are questions the organiser asked about this study. Each answer shows the quotes it rests on.

What do clients value most?

A named senior person who stays, and who is willing to say what the client would rather not hear. Six of ten described it, in terms of one individual on the firm's side and not the firm's method or brand.

Two said they would look around if that person left. Nobody has tested it, so this study cannot say how much of the loyalty belongs to the person and how much to the firm.

Ten clients from ten organisations; one may speak for the firm's whole relationship with that organisation or for one project.

Show 3 sources

“If she went I'd have to think hard about whether to stay.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

“I'd probably look around.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant

“they said what they found, even when it was uncomfortable.”

Head of HR, one engagement

What do clients put up with, and what does it cost them?

Two things: a team that changes underneath the senior person, and extra cost that arrives after the work has started. One client measured the first and found about three days of their time for each new junior, against the month it felt like. The second shows in the change log: four requests approved within nine days and one, for 38,000, approved after 41 days because the work had begun.

Show 3 sources

“About a month of my time each.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant

“Three days each. Fifteen across the five. It felt like more.”

Project lead, 2 years with the firm's senior consultant · Deep Study

“Because the work had already started.”

Finance director, 4 years in role

What would make them renew?

Nobody has been asked. Four clients said no one from the firm has raised what they would want next. The client who rated the work most highly never used the firm again.

The one who offered a reason pointed to procurement: a second engagement over a threshold needed a tender, and the contact who ran the first one had moved to another client.

This is one client's explanation; the firm has not checked it.

Show 3 sources

“Nobody has asked me what I'd want after this.”

Chief operating officer, 2 engagements with the firm

“Honestly I don't know.”

Head of strategy, hired the firm once

“She moved to another client the week after.”

Head of strategy, hired the firm once · Deep Study

Do procurement and the project leads agree about the firm?

No, and they are scoring different things. The procurement scorecard rates the firm 4.6 on expertise and 2.9 on commercial terms, which carry a quarter of the weight. The project leads see expertise only. Nothing changed after the firm received the scorecard in February, and nobody asked what a better score would need.

Show 3 sources

“Top on expertise and relationship. Bottom on commercial terms.”

Procurement manager, 6 years in role

“The project leads see expertise. They never see the commercial side.”

Procurement manager, 6 years in role · Deep Study

“It's dear.”

Programme manager, 3 years with the firm's team

In your own study, you type questions here and Lontra answers from your conversations. Start your own study

Lontra says when the evidence is not enough. It never invents a quote.

Clients value one senior person who stays and says what they would rather not hear, and they put up with a changing team and surprise costs.

What people said

Where accounts differ

Whether the firm's premium is worth paying

Clients who work with the firm 3 people

Clients who approve the spend 2 people

Documents

What we still don’t know

Deep Study

Who took part

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