Expert interview
research, done for you
Expert interview research is the use of structured conversations with practitioners, customers and former operators to answer a business question that published sources cannot. Theory Intelligence delivers it as a managed service: recruitment against the question, identity and role verification, interviews run by a sector researcher, synthesis and a signed recommendation with a provenance appendix, for a fixed published fee.
- Signal Brief: 6 to 8 verified expert interviews and a signed two-page brief, 10 business days, USD 7,500 to 12,000
- Decision Study: 15 to 30 interviews, full report, working session, 4 to 6 weeks, USD 25,000 to 75,000
- Recruitment against the question, not from a pool; participants are usually not on any expert network
- Verification method recorded for each participant
- The person who interviews is the person who writes and signs
Expert calls versus expert research
An expert network sells the call. Everything else, deciding who to speak to, checking that they are who they claim, asking good questions, reconciling contradictions and writing a position, is left to the client. For a team with time and skill, that is fine. For a decision maker who needs an answer next week, it is a second job.
Theory sells the answer. We take the question, design the participant set, find and verify the people, run the interviews, and write a signed recommendation. You read two pages and the provenance appendix, and you know what to do and why.
How recruitment differs
Network experts have opted in to be paid for calls. Many are excellent. Many have given the same interview to twenty funds. Theory recruits against the specific question, which usually means finding people who are not on any network: the procurement lead who ran the evaluation, the engineer who specified the component, the former regulator who wrote the guidance. Reaching them takes longer per participant and produces evidence that no one else has.
Verification and provenance
Before any interview we verify identity and current or former role against employer records, professional profiles and, where needed, a short technical conversation. The method used for each participant is recorded in the provenance appendix, along with how they were reached and what consent they gave. This is The Theory Standard, and it applies to every engagement.
Use it for
Market entry, competitive response, vendor selection, pricing, regulatory outlook, technology assessment, and any question where the people who know have not written it down. Compare the model in detail: Theory vs expert networks.
All work is delivered under The Theory Standard. See services and prices.
Questions about expert interview research
Can I join the interviews?
Yes, as a listener, on a Decision Study. On a Signal Brief we share recordings and transcripts with consent. Participants are usually more candid without the client present, and we advise accordingly.
Do you use expert networks at all?
Only where a network is the only route to a specific person, and then we still verify the person ourselves and record it in the appendix.
What if you cannot find the right people?
We say so at scoping and do not take the engagement. If it emerges during the work, we tell you immediately and adjust the fee.
Need this answered?
Write to info@theoryintel.com with the decision. A researcher replies within one business day with a fixed price and a start date.
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