Synthetic DATA FOR LONG, HAPPY CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS

A major accounting firm wanted to know what they could do in the 100 days of a client engagement to increase the chances of a lasting relationship.

The question: what warning signs concern clients most? What builds lasting relationships? What converts a satisfactory first year into committed ongoing engagement?

Real clients are too senior, too busy and too protected to answer these questions.

How we approached the synthetic research

ASI doesn't model the specific decision-makers at a specific firm. It models the decision psychology of CFOs, audit committee chairs and board members at similar organisations facing similar situations. The intelligence reveals patterns in how this population thinks, decides and resists — patterns that apply to the client's context without requiring access to their particular people.

We created Client Proxies (synthetic personas) representing the firm's target market across private, public and government organisations at different revenue tiers. Each proxy was surveyed on warning signs during onboarding, factors that build lasting relationships, communication preferences, partner expectations, and the specific triggers that convert a satisfactory first year into a committed ongoing relationship.

The client brought a working hypothesis: different client segments need different onboarding approaches. Tier 1 clients want one thing while Tier 2 clients want another. Public companies have different expectations from private companies.

We tested that hypothesis systematically, with findings that saved the client significant time and wasted effort.

What synthetic research revealed

Creating synthetic data by surveying synthetic personas with Asymmetric Strategic Intelligence (ASI) revealed what actually matters:

• The singular priority that other firms consistently underweight — the same factor ranked first as a warning sign when absent, as a longevity driver when present, and as the dominant conversion threshold at the year-one decision point. 80% of decision-makers said this factor alone determines whether they continue.
• The partner visibility model clients actually expect — neither "partner leads everything" nor "partner disappears after kickoff" meets expectations. There's a specific structure clients anticipate, and deviation from it signals problems.
• The fee asymmetry nobody talks about — one factor ranks last for building relationships but is the most common cause of early relationship failure. It doesn't attract clients, but it repels them when something specific isn't demonstrated.
• The hidden client segment where onboarding investment has highest ROI — 82% of one segment versus 58% of another said their long-term intent depends on onboarding quality.
• What converts tolerance into commitment — 99% of decision-makers perceive a clear distinction between an auditor they'd passively continue with and one they'd actively want to keep. The path to commitment runs through a specific type of value that most firms don't systematically deliver.

How ASI delivers

Accounting firms compete for new clients, then compete to retain them. Many operate on assumptions about what matters during transitions — assumptions that look reasonable but haven't been tested.

When every competitor operates on the same assumptions, clients can't tell them apart. The firm that discovers what actually drives retention and commitment gains a structural advantage.

This intelligence reveals the specific priorities, thresholds and conversion triggers that determine whether new relationships last.

See how ASI would work for your situation