From Software Provider to Solution Partner: Unlocking customer insights through contextual inquiry

The client, a global provider of tax and accounting software, had limited structured understanding of its end customers - accounting firms who relied on its compliance and content platforms daily. Internal teams lacked clarity on who their customers were, what mattered to them, and how they actually performed their work. With increasing competition from cloud-native players and growing pressure to differentiate in the software space, the client needed an evidence base to guide product strategy, customer engagement, and brand positioning. There was a real risk of continuing to invest in features and roadmap items disconnected from what customers genuinely needed.

We designed a contextual inquiry research program tailored to surface hidden insights that traditional surveys could not capture. The engagement ran across four phases: research planning and hypothesis development, contextual inquiry interviews lasting 90 minutes each, structured analysis using recurring terms and topic analysis, and the development of research assets. We interviewed 22 people across 10 firms, segmented by size (1-5 users, 5-19 users, and 20-49 users) to ensure representation across 84.6% of the customer base. Each session covered firm structure, role context, workflow, and general probing questions.

The research uncovered that most firms were focused on helping their end clients save (tax optimisation) and grow (wealth and business advisory), with the majority relying on multi-generational repeat customers. We identified 111 distinct pain points clustered into four themes: Communication & Collaboration Inefficiencies, Software & Technical Limitations, Operational & Workflow Challenges, and Administrative & Non-Core Activity Overheads. Crucially, while the client's brand was strongly recognised for knowledge and content, it struggled to differentiate in the software space, with 90% of interviewed customers using a competitor product alongside it. Customers also expressed strong appetite for deeper engagement, with no incentives required to participate.

We delivered a strategic shift in how the client engaged with its customer base. Recommendations were structured into immediate actions (addressing software efficiency, usability and workaround challenges; unlocking the value of compliance data for advisory services; building momentum in customer engagement through closing the loop with participants) and long-term plays (reviewing brand position, embedding customers into the product development lifecycle through Ideate-Create-Operate, and exploring an expanded role in education). A centralised pain point register, three customer journey maps (Manage End-Client Relationships, Manage Firm, Manage Workflow), and a Confluence knowledge base were stood up as living research assets.

The engagement produced 1,180 transcript pages and 6,453 lines of verbatim analysis at zero incentive cost to the client, against an estimated $8,000 of customer time investment based on partner charge-out rates, evidencing strong customer willingness to engage. The 111 pain points were weighted by customer segment, giving product and engineering teams a prioritised, evidence-backed backlog rather than opinion-driven roadmap inputs. The research surfaced previously unknown insights around brand positioning, the role of education beyond accounting learning, and untapped opportunities to unlock value from compliance data already held in the platform - directly informing product strategy and customer success metrics across the organisation.