Client confidentiality note: This case study has been anonymized per our NDA. Industry, metrics, and outcomes are accurate; identifying details have been changed.
A boutique consulting firm with 8 support staff was burning consultant time on research and proposal creation. Market research took days, competitive analysis was inconsistent, and proposal decks required 20+ hours each. Senior consultants were doing junior work instead of client-facing strategy.
The Challenge
Ascend Strategy Consulting had an economics problem. Their 8-person support staff couldn't keep up with research demands, so senior consultants were doing the work themselves. That meant billing $500/hour time for $50/hour tasks.
Here's what the managing partner was dealing with:
- Market research taking 3-5 days per project, delaying kickoffs
- Proposal creation consuming 20+ hours of senior consultant time
- Competitive analysis inconsistent depending on who did the research
- Scheduling client meetings requiring 5+ emails back and forth
- Presentation deck formatting eating hours of valuable time
The firm was leaving money on the table. Every hour a senior consultant spent on research was an hour they weren't spending on client strategy. That's when they reached out to Leverwork.
The Solution
Over 19 days, we deployed an AI-powered research and operations platform. Here's what we implemented:
- Deployed AI research assistant for market analysis and competitive intel
- Built automated proposal generation with firm templates and past wins
- Created AI meeting scheduling with calendar and availability integration
- Implemented presentation automation with brand-compliant formatting
The AI has access to industry databases, news sources, and financial data. It synthesizes information into consultant-ready briefs, competitive matrices, and market overviews.
The Results
After 19 days of implementation and consultant training, Ascend Strategy Consulting went live. Here's what changed:
6 research and admin roles automated
Net of AI costs and remaining staff
Down from 3-5 days
Down from 20+ hours
The 2 remaining staff handle client communication, complex scheduling, and quality control on AI-generated materials. Consultants focus on what clients pay for: strategy.
What They're Saying
"We were spending $500/hour consultant time on $50/hour research tasks. Now our consultants walk into kickoffs with comprehensive market analysis done in hours, not days. Win rates are up 30%."
Roles Automated
This transformation automated 6 full-time roles. If you're considering similar automation, explore our detailed guides:
Key Takeaways
Insights from This Implementation
- Consulting firms can dramatically reduce research and proposal overhead
- AI research is faster and more comprehensive than manual approaches
- Freeing senior talent from junior work increases win rates and revenue
- Consistent research quality improves proposal quality across the firm
Could This Work for Your Firm?
If your consulting firm is struggling with research bottlenecks, proposal overhead, or senior talent doing junior work–we'd love to show you what's possible.
Our free consultation includes a preliminary assessment of your workflow and an estimated ROI based on your engagement types and billing rates.