Deep-Inside the last 24 months

Written by

Deep-Inside the last 24 months

How Deep-Insight is Tranforming CX Delivery

What has changed – and why it matters:

The past 24 months have been a turning point at Deep-Insight. Behind the scenes, we’ve completely rethought the way in which we deliver customer experience (CX) insights to our customers in the B2B space. As a result, we now have a (significantly) faster, more agile and more intelligent approach to enable you to understand your customers.

In 2024, we decided to re-establish the Product Management role within our organisation as a core strategic function. This was not just an internal shift, it was done as a direct response to a crystal clear message that we received from our clients:

Act faster to deliver even sharper insights.

 

Our customer’s feedback: the driving force behind our transformation

We’ve used your feedback as a driving force for all the changes we’ve made recently. Over the past 1-2 years we have worked closely with B2B leaders and conducted a series of in-depth interviews to really understand how they envision the customer experience landscape changing in the future. Our findings were consistent:

    • Businesses need real-time, actionable CX insights
    • Agility is no longer optional, but critical
    • Legacy tools are holding teams back

We took this feedback and advice seriously – and we acted on it.

 

What we’ve improved: CX platform innovations

As a result of everything we learned, we decided to first review the technical capabilities of the tools we were using. We wanted to relay the foundation on which we run our programmes and such we implemented the following:

  1. A faster, more intuitive survey experience, providing respondents with:
    • A clean, modern interface
    • Simplified navigation between questions
    • Faster overall response time

The result? The same reliable customer feedback data but delivered with less friction.

 

  1. The introduction of Deep-Dive Studio – our new CX analytics platform

This has to be the biggest leap forward that we’ve taken in years. This powerful analytical dashboard is specifically designed for understanding B2B customer experience insights. With this new platform, we have unlocked:

    • Real-time access to completion rates during the live survey period
    • Faster, flexible insight generation
    • Advanced analysis for in-depth understanding
    • AI-powered sentiment analysis

It helps us and our customers with actionable outputs for both account level changes as well as driving organisational strategy. In short, it transforms raw data into decision-ready intelligence.

 

  1. Greater flexibility and customisation for complex B2B environments

No two B2B organisations are the same, and your CX tools shouldn’t be either. In the past, we used rigid tools, but that period has come to an end. Our new technology allows us to:

    • Adapt to bespoke client requests
    • Go beyond our standard frameworks
    • Respond quickly to the evolving market conditions

All in all, this means that you get a CX programme tailored to your business, not a one-size-fits-all model.

Why this matters for CX leaders

If you are responsible for CX in a B2B environment, you are likely feeling an ever-increasing pressure to:

    • Demonstrate return on investment (ROI) from CX
    • Deliver insights faster
    • Ensure feedback is aligned with strategic decisions

We have designed our transformation with this in mind and can help you from moving from data collection into driving real impactful change.

 

What’s next?

This is just the beginning. Our product team is committed to continuous improvement – testing, learning and evolving alongside our clients. You can expect further innovation as we continue on this journey to push the boundaries of what is possible at Deep-Insight when it comes to B2B customer experience management.

 

Get involved in our journey

If you’d like to:

    • See our new CX tools in action
    • Explore how CRQ and Deep-Dive Studio can support your business
    • Share your own ideas or challenges
Get in touch

We’d love to hear from you – your inputs fuel our progress.

Get in touch for a demo or a conversation about your CX goals—and let’s shape the future of B2B customer experience together.

Fabienne Falvay

Product Manager

Why Most Acquisitions Fail

Written by

Why Most Acquisitions Fail


Why Most Acquisitions Fail (And What To Do About It)

I recently spoke with the Strategy Director of a global, billion-dollar services company about a potential acquisition they were considering. Our conversation soon shifted to the broader topic of acquisitions—why so many fail, and why the Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) process that many companies rely on is often not fit for purpose.

Every year, billions are spent on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with boards and executives persuaded that acquisitions are the fastest path to growth. Yet despite the enthusiasm, the evidence is sobering: research consistently shows that 60–90% of acquisitions fail to deliver on their original objectives. In most cases, a significant amount of shareholder value is destroyed.

So why does this happen so often, and what can business leaders do differently to avoid becoming another statistic?

The Synergy Trap

Mark Sirower knows a thing or two about M&A failures.

Sirower is a partner in Deloitte Consulting’s M&A practice and his book The Synergy Trap remains one of the most enduring analyses of why acquisitions destroy rather than create value. His central insight is straightforward: to win control of a target, acquirers must pay a premium, often 30–50% above market value. The only way to justify that premium is by delivering synergies — additional value that would not exist without the merger.

But those synergies are rarely realised. Executives tend to overestimate cross-selling opportunities, underestimate integration costs, and ignore the hidden risks of cultural misalignment. Competitors do not sit still, often targeting unsettled customers during the transition. Meanwhile, management focus is diluted as leaders wrestle with integration instead of driving the core business.

As Sirower puts it: synergies are easy to promise, but hard to deliver. And because acquirers must pay a premium up front, even modest under-performance can quickly turn a deal into a value-destroying exercise. Sirower also confirms that “fully 65 percent of major strategic acquisitions have been failures.” 

So do your homework before you but a company. The technical term for that homework is due diligence and it covers a multitude of activities – financial, legal, operational and commercial.


The Under-Appreciated Role of Customer Due Diligence

One area of commercial due diligence deserves far more attention than it usually receives: Customer Due Diligence (CDD).

In business-to-business (B2B) markets, the real value of an acquisition lies in its future revenue streams — often concentrated among a surprisingly small client base. Many billion-dollar companies derive more than half their revenues from fewer than 500 customers, and sometimes fewer than 100.

Yet acquirers rarely probe this customer base with sufficient depth. In some cases, a few senior executives might meet a handful of clients, ask if they are satisfied, and whether they expect to buy more in the future. While useful, these anecdotes are not enough. They are often biased, rarely benchmarked, and lack independence.

Robust CDD requires more. It means engaging systematically with the clients that generate the most revenues. It means hearing not just from the main contact but also from decision-makers, influencers, and end users. And it means using structured methodologies to uncover not only current satisfaction but also future buying intentions, perceptions of value, and risks of defection.

My study reveals that fully 65 percent of major strategic acquisitions have been failures

Mark Sirower


Questions Every Board Should Be Asking

When reviewing the due diligence on a target company, boards and executives should challenge whether the process has delivered real insight into the customer base that is being acquired. Three questions are critical:

  1. Are we speaking to the right customers? Do the voices represented account for at least 50% of total revenues? Are multiple perspectives captured within each client relationship – key decision makers, influencers, and operational contacts?
  2. Are we hearing the true Voice of the Customer? Were customers selected independently, or hand-picked to present a flattering view? Are responses benchmarked against peers to provide context? 
  3. Are we asking the right questions? Does the analysis go beyond satisfaction to address loyalty, growth potential, and perceptions of value for money? Basically, do we know if these customers are going to stay or leave?

Only with these insights can business leaders form a credible view of revenue sustainability and growth potential — the foundations of any acquisition’s value.


Avoiding the Pitfalls

The lesson from decades of research and practice is clear: acquisitions rarely fail because of weak financial models. They fail because assumptions about customers, markets, and integration prove unrealistic.

Boards and executives must therefore insist on rigorous, independent, and customer-centric due diligence. Without it, the risk of falling into the “synergy trap” remains high. With it, leaders at least give themselves a fighting chance to deliver on the promises that justify the premium paid.

Acquisitions will always carry risk. But with disciplined valuation and a much sharper focus on customers — the true engine of future revenues — companies can tilt the odds away from failure and toward lasting value creation. So do your homework – and in particular your customer due diligence – carefully before you execute that next transaction.

Contact us for a chat if you would like to hear more about how to measure the value of that customer base that you’re planning to buy.

BT Ireland wins the 2024 “Using CRQ for Growth” Award

Written by

BT Ireland wins the 2024 “Using CRQ for Growth” Award

We have been privileged at Deep-Insight to work with BT Ireland since 2008 when they first started on their journey towards becoming one of Ireland’s most customer-centric companies. 

It has been a long and successful Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) journey for them. Initially, the BT Ireland leadership team worked hard on identifying and addressing its clients’ major service issues. Then they progressed to the more enjoyable part of the journey – collaborating with clients on new innovative technology-based programmes.

In recent years, the BT Ireland leadership team  took a more commercial focus to CRQ. They used detailed customer insight, along with externally validated propensity to buy, to identify clients where they could develop further solutions to their business problems.

BT Ireland discovered that the excellent relationships they had built over years was critical to driving revenue growth with clients that continued to be delighted by their offerings. Not an easy task in an industry where, every year, customers expect better telecommunications solutions for less cost.

Well done, Shay Walsh, Aaron Carroll, Therese Gunning, Gillian McMahon, Paul Byrne, Peter Evans, Alan Shanley, Conor Patterson, Cathal O’Toole, Priscilla Regan and the wider BT Ireland team!

Rose Murphy

The BT Ireland leadership team were helped by an army of service managers, account directors and engineers. They were also guided by a CX team led by Barry O’Shea, Mary McDonagh and Deirdre Tyrrell whose great CX efforts have been recognised globally in recent years.

Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland (left) commented on the Deep-Insight award:

“We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised in the category of ‘Using CRQ for Growth’.

Working with the team in Deep-Insight we challenged ourselves collectively to convert our top quartile CRQ scores to income growth. This brought a focus on widening our contacts base within our client base and creating a watch list of customers who needed more focus from our customer-facing teams.

The additional insight and broader awareness informed how better to serve our customers and ultimately how we achieve the dividend of growth from CRQ.”

*          *         *         *          *

About BT Ireland

Your trusted provider to a connected world.

We’re one of the world’s leading communications services companies. The solutions we sell are integral to modern life. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. There are no limits to what people can do when they connect. And as technology changes our world, connections are becoming even more important to everyday life.

Today, that’s truer than ever. The connections we make are helping solve the world’s biggest challenges such as the global pandemic, climate change and cyber security. Through the power of technology, we’re supporting customers to live, work and play together better.

For more information, go to www.btireland.com.

About Deep-Insight

Deep-Insight is a leading European B2B Customer Experience (CX) company founded in 2000 by a small team of ‘magicians’ with one goal: researching a way to read customers’ minds. Today, Deep-Insight supports customers all over the world with the skills, tools and methodologies to establish and operate world-class Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) programmes.

For more information, go to deep-insight.com or email us at sales@deep-insight.com.

 

 

Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods wins “Best CRQ Communications” Award for 2024

Written by

Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods wins “Best CRQ Communications” Award for 2024

Vreugdenhil conducted its first Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) assessment in 2022, impressing us with their smooth adoption of the CRQ process, as if it had been a long-standing practice.

What stood out most was their commitment from the outset. They dived into the process with enthusiasm and maintained a strong momentum throughout all the phases of the CRQ process.

In 2022, strong client relationships were identified as a key strength. Determined to build on this foundation, Vreugdenhil developed an internal training programme for all colleagues who have contact with customers, to enhance their client communication skills. They employed a variety of creative formats like interactive training sessions customised for different departments.

These ‘customer contact training’ sessions emphasized proactive client engagement and addressed the nuances of dealing with different customer types.

We recognise these practices as ‘best-in-class’ in the communications area. It’s no surprise that communication emerged as a standout strength in the 2024 CRQ assessment.

Not only was Vreugdenhil diligent in following up with internal communications and training, during the most recent 2024 CRQ assessment they again displayed their strengths in this area. They have an ability to connect with their clients through their personalised communication plans. Their active marketing of the CRQ survey also helps them gain valuable insights from their customer base.

I also need to mention Fabienne Falvay who led the 2024 CRQ project with Vreugdenhil. Here is Fabienne’s view:

“It’s always a joy to work with the Vreugdenhil team, they are all actively involved and love brainstorming new and creative ways to give the survey more attention.

Not only was Vreugdenhil diligent in following up with internal communications and training, during the most recent 2024 CRQ assessment they again displayed their strengths in this area. They have an ability to connect with their clients through their personalised communication plans. Their active marketing of the CRQ survey also helps them gain valuable insights from their customer base.

The video on past results was fantastic and this year we’ve seen even more creativity from them in the form of banners raising awareness for the upcoming programme. I cannot wait to see what is next for them, I am sure it will be great!”

Working with the team in Vreugdenhil, namely Leonie, Erik and Jeroen was a pleasure! They embraced the CRQ process and made it a strong strategic initiative in Vreugdenhil and it showed in their amazing results. I truly think their internal communication activities like sharing the video with past results and raising awareness with the banners for this year’s assessment are best practices! Can’t wait to work with them again!

Alexandra Calugarici

Leonie Soetendaal is a Commercial Project Manager who has been working at Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods for nearly 10 years.

Together with Commercial Director Gerben van Schaik, and colleagues Jeroen de Kunder and Erik Bulthuis, Leonie has been the driving force behind Vreugdenhil’s CX journey since 2022.

Leonie commented on this year’s award:

“At Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods, we believe in the power of connection and lasting relationships. This award is a wonderful recognition of our commitment to open and meaningful communication with our customers. Together with our partners, we make a difference!”

*       *       *       *        *

About Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods

Vreugdenhil is a Dutch family business that has been active in the dairy market since 1954. Every day, we work hard to make all the goodness of milk available to everyone in the world. We specialise in milk powder, with four production locations in the Netherlands. Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods processes more than one billion kilograms of milk per year into thousands of tons of milk powder, which we export to 130 countries worldwide.

Find out more about Vreugdenhil at www.vreugdenhildairyfoods.com.

About Deep-Insight

Deep-Insight is a leading European B2B Customer Experience (CX) company founded in 2000 by a small team of ‘magicians’ with one goal: researching a way to read customers’ minds. Today, Deep-Insight supports customers all over the world with the skills, tools and methodologies to establish and operate world-class Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) programmes.

For more information, go to deep-insight.com or email us at sales@deep-insight.com.

 

 

open eir wins the “Embracing CRQ” Award for 2024

Written by

open eir wins the “Embracing CRQ” Award for 2024

Everybody in Ireland knows open eir.  You’ve seen their distinctive green and white “Connecting Ireland with superfast fibre broadband” vans on the streets, installing fibre lines into business premises and into homes across the country.

You’ve probably also seen vans from Circet (pronounced “sur-say”) who are open eir’s key partner on the ground. We have to mention them in this award as they are an integral part of the open eir teams who operate at the coalface and meet customers on a daily basis.

2024 was our second year working with open eir. What impressed me the most about their approach to implementing a Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) programme was the extent to which they embraced the whole CRQ approach – taking the feedback at face value, closing the loop with the customers, putting in detailed (in fact, very detailed!) responses to all of the feedback, and kicking off a transformation programme that they are committed to for the long haul. They know it’s not a 12-month initiative. It’s a journey.

Some of the specific actions that open eir took in 2024 included:

  • Improvements to the appointments process, and planned upgrades to their Unified Gateway (UG) system;
  • Implementation of new quality processes in partnership with Circet;
  • New CX roles created; 
  • Reviewing processes and systems to understand where automation could be implemented to free up time to devote to client-facing activities.

Our Deep-Insight CX Consultant managing the open eir relationship is Kate Casey. She knows the team intimately and had this to say: 

“Following last year’s results, the entire open eir team – from the leadership team down to Customer Service Managers (CSMs) and networks engineers – jumped in and took decisive action. No messing around with these guys! They have managed to figure out how to embed customer centricity into every aspect of their daily operations. Their commitment to embracing change and prioritising customer-focused principles has been exceptional.

What was fantastic was seeing such impressive improvements in their CRQ scores this year. That’s proof of just how deeply these values have become embedded into open eir. This award is a recognition of their hard work and commitment to making a meaningful difference for their customers.”

I fully agree with Kate. On a personal note, it has been both a pleasure and an honour working with the open eir team over the past couple of years. I’m absolutely delighted to see them win the “Embracing CRQ” award this year. It was thoroughly deserved.

John O’Connor

Una Stafford, Managing Director Networks, and Maeve O’Malley, Managing Director, Wholesale, have been leading the charge on open eir’s CX transformation journey over the past two years. 

Both Una and Maeve are industry veterans who understand the challenges of a cultural transformation in large complex telecommunications environments. However, their real skill has been to convince hundreds of people in both open eir and Circet to embrace Customer Relationship Quality (CRQ) as a way of life.

In accepting the award, Maeve O’Malley has this to say:

“Working with Deep-Insight has given us the quantitative data we need to understand the areas we need to work on, to improve our operators’ experience with open eir. The findings from last year created the foundation for our 2024 plan and this year’s assessment is now helping us understand what’s working and where we still have gaps.

“The data has also helped galvanise our teams with a shared understanding of the transformation required.  The insight from the team has added huge value, not only in helping us understand the challenge ahead but also supporting us in developing and prioritising our plans.”

*       *       *       *        *

About open eir

At open eir, we’re building Ireland’s fastest-growing full fibre network. Our network reaches far and wide, transforming the way individuals, businesses, and communities experience the digital world. With over 1.3 million homes and businesses across 26 counties now able to access faster speeds through any one of our 29 trusted retail service providers, we are the architects of a brighter, more connected future for Ireland.

Find out more about open eir at www.openeir.ie.

About Deep-Insight

Deep-Insight is a leading European B2B Customer Experience (CX) company founded in 2000 by a small team of ‘magicians’ with one goal: researching a way to read customers’ minds. Today, Deep-Insight supports customers all over the world with the skills, tools and methodologies to establish and operate world-class Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) programmes.

For more information, go to deep-insight.com or email us at sales@deep-insight.com.