Phil Pegram

My work

Make the evidence
change a decision.

I work across customer understanding, analytics and the way organisations use both. The starting point is the decision, its consequences and who can act.

01 / Customer understanding

Connect what people say
with what they do.

Research explains motivations and context. Behavioural data records what happened. I bring these perspectives together to define problems and assess choices for products, services and customer experience.

Questions I work on
Where do reported needs and observed behaviour disagree? What would change the customer's experience? Which uncertainty needs research before a decision?
Relevant experience
Leading insights, analytics and market research at TalkTalk; mixed-methods research and analytics leadership at dentsu.
02 / Decision quality

Design research around
the choice ahead.

My approach is to identify the decision owner, the available options and the evidence that could change the choice. That makes it easier to distinguish a research need from a request for reassurance.

Questions I work on
What are we deciding? What would make us choose differently? How will we know whether the decision helped?
Relevant experience
Commercial insight leadership and an earlier career in geographic and all-source intelligence.
03 / Insight operating models

Give evidence a route
into action.

Analytical skill is part of the problem. Ownership, incentives, capacity and reporting requirements also determine what happens to the findings. My research examines these organisational conditions rather than assuming another dashboard will resolve them.

Questions I work on
Who owns the next action? Is analytical time funded? Are we measuring learning, compliance or a customer outcome?
Relevant research
Organisational Evidence Capacity in Third Sector Policy Delivery, a critical literature review undertaken as part of my DBA.

How I approach a brief

Four questions
before the method.

  1. What decision needs to be made?
  2. What evidence would change it?
  3. Who can act on the findings?
  4. What outcome will we check?

This page describes my remit and approach. Employer or client results are not presented without permission. My current role and previous dentsu work are described in CDO Magazine’s appointment coverage.

Start a conversation

Discuss an insight challenge.

For a professional exchange on customer understanding, research operating models or insight leadership, get in touch. This site represents my own views.

Get in touch