Finance, Banking and Insurance (FBI) Services Sector

1. Basel ll Operational Risk Research
For one of the World's leading suppliers of IT solutions and services, this combined research and in-depth company profiling project examined where the UK banking community were in the process of complying with the provisions of the Basel II Accord. Very high-level interviews, conducted with the Head of Operational Risk and Chief Financial Officers, enabled a thorough understanding regarding their level of readiness to meet the regulations imposed by the International Banking Accord. Additionally, opportunities for client's consulting and integration services were identified. This work enabled our client to gain considerable ground in this important market.

2. Investment Portfolio Compliance
On behalf of a leading supplier of specialist financial services software applications, Business Advantage carried out a market study amongst companies trading in securities and bonds. The study investigated the background of, and attitude towards, the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) and the UK Investment Performance Standard (UKIPS). This involved interviewing very senior directors in large financial institutions. The research enabled our client to recognise general market opportunities where they could gain competitive advantage and also identify specific organisations that could immediately benefit from their expertise.

3. Loan and Leasing Market Study
This combined market and competitor analysis study of the leasing and loan sector covered Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The project was conducted for a leading supplier of leasing and loan software solutions aimed at the international banking and automotive sectors. Starting with an overall competitive and market landscape picture, moving on to looking at the market characteristics, trends, barriers to entry etc., Business Advantage also carried out in-depth analysis of our client's major competitors. Armed with the right intelligence, our client was able to put in place strategic plans that yielded strong growth.

4. Credit Cards Transactional Software Research
Targeting Banks and Building Societies, our client is a leading software company specialising in the financial credit card transactions market. Business Advantage sized the card transactions software market and provided a market trends analysis. This research, covering the major European markets, also analysed those major competitors who posed the biggest threat to our client. Our client's market position was enhanced as they built strategies based around the key 'take-aways' from the research we provided.

5. Customer Satisfaction Research
This area is one of Business Advantage's specialisations and we conduct customer satisfaction research for many clients all over the world. This particular case covers research we have done for one of the world's leading suppliers of stock exchange systems over the past five years. This client targets investment bankers and traders throughout the world and we examined a diverse matrix of supply factors and analysed each customer's level of satisfaction, identifying areas where improvement was perceived necessary. As with all of the customer satisfaction research we undertake, this work enables our client to gain significant headway year on year.

As a further example of adding value to the research process, our consultancy services group have for this particular client also developed and presented a series of hands-on customer service improvement workshops. Here the results of the research are translated into very practical training to raise the standard of customer care throughout the enterprise. These have resulted in significant advances in the overall customer support ethos of the company and have contributed to real competitive advantage.