B2B customer research usually fails on the output, not the sample size. Clients are often left with interview transcripts to analyze themselves, or a satisfaction score that misses the real reasons customers stay or leave.
Our voice of the customer research structures interviews around the questions your engagement must answer: why customers chose the company, what keeps them, what would make them switch, and which competitors are gaining share. We report clear findings, not transcripts.
Available as a standalone study, or as the customer research within a due diligence engagement.
What we do
The questions we answer
Customer research answers questions that management’s view cannot:
- Why did customers choose the company, and what would make them switch?
- What would it cost a large customer to leave?
- Which competitors are considered at renewal, and which ones win?
- Are customers considering AI-native alternatives, or building their own?
We answer these questions through structured interviews with customers, prospects, former customers and channel partners, designed and overseen by the engagement Partner.
How we help
Our customer research services
Each study is scoped to the question you need answered. Sample size, timeline and deliverables are agreed upfront, and coverage grows only if you need results by segment, region or customer type.
Diligence VoC
Tests the seller’s claims about customer retention, and the switching costs the price assumes.
Executive report · Live readout · Curated quote pack
Customer Retention Diagnostic
Identifies why customers renew and why they churn, linked to your revenue data.
Executive report · Churn risk taxonomy · Segment analysis · Live readout
Switching & Share Shift Study
Identifies which competitors are winning customers, why, and whether the company’s position is holding.
Share shift analysis · Competitive angle map · Executive report
Value Proposition Assessment
Tests the company’s claimed strengths against what customers say sets the product apart.
Differentiation assessment · Evidenced value proposition
Willingness-to-Pay Study
Measures what customers will pay, for what, and how price sensitivity differs by segment.
Willingness-to-pay analysis · Value driver quantification · Segment price sensitivity
Multi-Country Insight Program
Structured interviews across countries and customer types, with findings by country, segment and market maturity.
Per-country findings · Cross-market synthesis · Priority recommendations
Customer Health Pulse
Two research waves a year tracking retention, competitor activity and segment health during ownership.
Per-wave report · Progress tracker · Live readout
Portfolio VoC
Consistent customer research across several companies or business units, so results can be compared.
Per-asset reports · Portfolio synthesis readout
Begin with an initial diagnostic
For qualified clients, we offer a short, targeted assessment that stress-tests the assumptions most likely to change your decision. A larger engagement follows only if the findings justify it.
Why Wykeham
Evidence investors can rely on
Partner-led from start to finish
The Partner who scopes the engagement oversees the interviews and signs off the final findings.
Industry and subject-matter expertise
Each team includes senior strategy consultants and a Domain Specialist from your industry.
Evidence and assumptions you can check
Every key conclusion is linked to its source, and every key assumption is stress-tested, so your investment committee and board can make the decision and defend it.
Fixed scope and fee
Scope, timeline, fee and deliverables are agreed upfront. We charge for the deliverable, not for consultant time.
A clear recommendation
The final report states what the evidence shows, with the reasoning and the supporting customer quotes included.
Common questions about customer research
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What is voice of the customer research?
Voice of the customer research finds out why customers buy, why they stay, what would make them switch and where there is room to grow. It turns customers’ needs, priorities and frustrations into findings on retention risk, competitive position and growth opportunities that a company can act on. In B2B markets, where there are fewer and larger customers, structured interviews with customers, former customers and prospects provide depth that surveys alone may miss. Where products are sold through distributors or resellers, channel partners are interviewed too.
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Can customer research be part of due diligence?
Yes. Customer interviews are a standard part of commercial due diligence. They are used to test claims in the investment case, such as customer retention, switching costs, pricing power and growth potential. Where sellers restrict customer access, interviews with competitors’ customers and other market participants can provide independent evidence about market demand, competitive alternatives and switching behavior.
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What is a voice of the customer program?
A voice of the customer program gathers customer feedback on a regular schedule rather than as a one-off study, so a company can track changes in retention risk, satisfaction and competitive position over time. It combines periodic interviews or surveys with a clear process for acting on the findings. Investors can also use one to monitor portfolio companies during the hold period.
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How long does a customer research study take?
It depends mainly on the number of interviews, how easy the customers are to reach and how many markets are covered. Wykeham’s standard customer research studies are scoped for 2 to 4 weeks, including a 2–3-week Diligence VoC within a due diligence engagement. Multi-country and portfolio studies are scoped individually, with findings by country or by company. A Customer Health Pulse runs twice a year, in 2–3-week waves. Sample size, timeline and deliverables are agreed upfront.
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