Jinfo: Spotlight on Consultancies: How Do They Use FreePint?

Spotlight on Consultancies: How Do They Use FreePint?
Jinfo Blog

11th January 2013

Abstract

Consultancies are important customers for FreePint, because their own business value relies so heavily on information. A brief analysis of how consultancies use FreePint Articles and Reports provides insight into what's on the minds of these information professionals: sources, skill development, cultural change and key issues like mobile.

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The consulting industry is powered by a combination of people and information. The right people access and apply the right information in myriad business circumstances.

What IS the right information? And how is it best applied? Those are the kinds of questions that consultancies use their FreePint Subscriptions to answer.

Our Director of Research, Robin Neidorf, ran an analysis of half a dozen FreePint Subscription customers in the consulting field, to better understand which of our articles and reports they find useful. Consultancies with a FreePint Subscription tend to fall into one of two categories:

Large Firms: Organisation or Enterprise Level Licenses

These are the largest firms, with dozens of information professionals in offices around the world. At the Organisation level, up to 10 users login directly to FreePint, and at the Enterprise level, unlimited users can login directly.

In addition to login access, they have the ability to place our materials on their intranets, for broadest access and usage.

With greater headcount for information professionals comes greater specialisation around the type of work each staff member does. Usage for individuals in these firms tends to be role-specific. Some users focus deeply on products, content, changes in source lists and M&A activities amongst publishers.

Others clearly have the mandate to address the ways in which information moves through their organisations; they access and share with colleagues articles and reports that relate to collaboration, social sharing within the enterprise, and the human side of information culture.

Finally, it's clear from usage patterns that key individuals within each consultancy have the task of figuring out the opportunities and risks associated with mobile delivery of content. This group of users regularly review articles and research relating to "bring your own device," products designed for mobile usage, technology and security aspects of mobile delivery of content and similar topics.

Smaller Firms: Professional or Team Level Licenses

This group of customers is made up of firms with relatively small information or research staff, or that have information professionals embedded within divisions of the firm. They take a subscription for a single user (Professional) or Team level (up to 4 users), and rely on those with direct access to share more broadly anything relevant with others in the firm.

For this group, usage is heaviest around product reviews and coverage of vendors in the information industry. Many individuals within these firms access those reviews, or chapters within the reviews, multiple times, to deepen their understanding of the professional tools that help them get to the right information, faster.

They also rely on articles and reports relating to knowledge management, intranet improvements, and creating collaborative and social organisations.

Finding Value Where They Find Value

Explore FreePint Subscription Articles and Reports through the lens of consultancies, with this list of content organised by its use in the firm.

If you are a current customer and would like training for your team on finding the FreePint content of greatest value to you, please contact us, or email your account manager -- we love to hear your questions while we provide a custom tour of the site and resources.

If you'd like more information on how you can get this content for your own firm, start the conversation by completing our form, "How Can FreePint Help?"

Understanding Sources, Content and Suppliers:

Articles: