Research services

Bespoke research

We offer customised research for clients in the telecoms and energy sectors. We specialise in tightly defined, small-scale projects that can quickly answer the questions at the top of your research agenda. Typically, these studies entail no more than ten working days’ effort – and no request is too small! This way of working is ideal for clients who have research needs that do not warrant a larger consulting project, or for smaller organisations and start-ups who require ad-hoc support.

We can address a wide range of requirements, including:

  • Data collection and analysis
  • Market trends tracking and evaluation
  • Competitor assessments
  • Country research
  • Regular reporting / newsletters
  • Expert interviewing.

Examples of past projects:

  • Analysing the competitive landscape for utility billing software, to support the client’s go-to-market strategy.
  • Content marketing support, including writing blog posts and other marketing collateral for a software start-up.
  • For an investment company, briefing the team on selected software vendors and their solutions.
  • Providing a package of data and content on the UK retail energy market as background for a potential merger and acquisition.

Our customised research is delivered by our founder Catherine Viola, who has over 20 years’ experience in the telecoms and utilities sectors. Catherine also regularly participates through third parties in studies for the European Union, industry regulators, trade organisations, mobile network operators, and other international clients.

Market intelligence

We periodically publish strategy reports for the utilities sector. Our past publications include:

  • New Directions in Energy Retail: Billing & CIS for Competitive Edge
  • Billing Strategies for Competitive Energy Retailers
  • Smart Prepaid Utilities in the United States: Forecasts & Analysis
  • US Prepaid Electricity Program Tracker
  • Next-Gen Energy Prepay Newsletter / Prepaid Energy Hub website
  • UK Domestic Retail Energy Market: Fast Facts
  • New Players in Domestic Energy Supply: Oil & Gas Majors

Catherine Viola

I wear several hats: industry analyst / consultant, editor, and writing coach. My industry specialisms include wireless communications, spectrum management, competitive retail energy markets, and energy billing. As a substantive editor, I enjoy helping writers communicate their ideas. You can also call on me for copyediting, proofreading, and business writing advice.

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