Global captive seeks operational approaches used by industry peers

SITUATION

A client needed reliable and relevant information about operational approaches used by peer companies. The client could not capture this market sounding on their own as it would involve reaching out to direct competitors. The Alta Group was engaged to conduct a confidential, double-blind study.

SOLUTION

In the double-blind study, Alta identified peer companies by type, origination channel and equipment type. Then we designed metrics to determine effectiveness of variable costs in selective functions and examined the mix of employee vs. contractor workforce. With the data, we tabulated business metrics including costs as a percent of the following: assets under management, revenue, and new business volume. The report to the client included dashboard analysis of how the client compared – favorably and unfavorably – to their peer companies. The conclusions identified where the client’s SG&A allocations were effective and ineffective. Based on the study, Alta determined key issues to address and offered recommendations to mitigate lagging approaches.