What is benchmark research?

The definition

Benchmark research is research in which every participant can compare their own answers with those of similar organisations. Where classic market research produces one overall report for the client, benchmark research delivers a personal report for every respondent: this is where your organisation stands, and this is how that compares to your market.

That difference sounds small, but it changes everything. The data no longer sits in a report only the client reads. Every participant gets something valuable in return, and that is exactly why benchmark research works so well.

How it works in practice

A participant completes a questionnaire, usually in about ten minutes. The answers are compared with those of the other participants: the group average, the frontrunners and those falling behind. Immediately after completion, a personal benchmark report is generated in the brand style of the organisation running the study.

That report then forms the basis for a conversation: a specialist discusses the results with the participant and gives advice. One study connects data, insight and relationship.

Why respondents take part

The biggest challenge of any study is response. People are tired of surveys, especially decision-makers. Benchmark research solves this by reversing the roles: the participant is not filling something in for the researcher, but for themselves. Whoever takes part sees immediately where their organisation stands compared to peer companies.

That explains why willingness to participate is structurally higher in benchmark research, and why participants also appreciate a follow-up conversation more often: there is something concrete on the table to talk about.

What it delivers

Good benchmark figures are worth their weight in gold, for participants and for the organisation running the study. A few examples from studies conducted with BenchLab: 92% of healthcare institutions expect to be hacked at some point, but only half test their own recovery procedure. 94% of organisations count on a cyberattack. And almost 60% of multinationals consider their own access control system not future-proof.

Figures like these open doors: they are the trigger for conversations with participants, for publications and for visibility as a knowledge leader in the market.

The difference with market research

Market research maps the market: trends, target groups, competitors. The result is a collective picture for the client. Benchmark research makes that same data individually usable: every participant can mirror themselves against a relevant group. The two are not mutually exclusive; benchmark research is often the form that also turns research into a relationship instrument.

Who it is for

Benchmark research suits organisations that do research regularly and want to get more out of it: research agencies and consultancies that want to provide clients with personal reports, IT and technology companies that want to open conversations with their target group, and industry associations that want to show members where they stand.