From the outside, expert networks seem like magic. You send a request to speak to an expert about some obscure industry niche, and they find someone within days, sometimes hours.
How do they do it, you wonder?
Well, DeepBench is here to shed light on this semi-opaque industry. (We operate a tech-enabled expert network that has been around for 3+ years. We are growing rapidly and hiring for multiple roles in Boston — reach out to inquiries@deepbench.io to learn more!)
I’ll talk a bit about our practices, and compare them to what our competitors do.
Identifying your needs
To make sure we find the best fit expert for you, DeepBench starts by figuring out your unique needs. We usually hop on a 15-minute kickoff call. During this open-ended discussion, we typically cover the following areas:
• Context — Why do you need experts? Understanding this foundational “why” is extremely important and helps shape our approach.
• Basic Logistics — We discuss your timeline, how many experts you need, and other logistical details such as how you prefer to communicate (in-person, video conferencing, etc.)
• Privacy — You may want to keep your consultation 100% private. Or you may be fine with revealing more context about your identity. Either is okay with us.
• Pricing — Different clients have different budgets and different service expectations.
• Target list — You may have lists of companies, titles, geographies, and even specific names you want us to reach out to. Understanding your list and preferences helps us find better experts.
In general, DeepBench’s customer on-boarding service practices are on-par with that of other expert networks.
Finding and connecting you to the expert
During the on-boarding call, we discuss our two tiers of service: self-service and full service.
Our self-service tier is perfect for clients who are budget conscious. You can create an account, access the entire platform, browse the expert database and message the experts for free for as long as you like. Once you have found an expert you want to engage with, our rates are up to 70% cheaper than traditional expert networks. No membership or subscription fee required.
All customers have the ability to create a free landing page of your choice to be posted on our bulletin board. This helps get information across more succinctly and authentically, further improving conversions and encouraging more responses. You also have the option of using this landing page to crowdsource responses from our network, as well as share the link as you see fit.
Our full-service tier offers all the tools from our self-service model as well as a client service team employing proprietary search technology. During the on-boarding call we will glean a detailed understanding of your needs. We then algorithmically scrape the web for information and reach out to expert candidates who will self-select and respond.
DeepBench looks over the respondents. We screen additionally as appropriate and present good-fit candidates for you to review and potentially screen further before scheduling a meeting.
This kind of algorithmic sourcing lets us contact a large, diverse array of experts, and it gives you the best odds of reaching someone who can help you. With our full-service tier, we provide concierge-level service every step of the way, and we guarantee satisfaction. We do not charge any upfront fee, instead opting to have a success-led model. We ultimately offer 10–20% lower prices than traditional full-service expert networks, no contract required.
Regardless of which process is used, the end result is the same. You and the expert(s) you choose will engage in a phone / video call through our platform, complete with compliance, billing, scheduling, and teleconferencing features.
The key difference between DeepBench’s service levels & search methodology vs. incumbent expert networks are:
● Technology — Our larger competitors typically have high cost people manually scouring LinkedIn & their existing databases — whereas we use our algorithms to automatically search the web to find the most relevant and unique experts.
● Cost — As such, we can pass along the savings even with concierge-level service. Everything is pay-as-you go. Plus, our competitors certainly don’t offer a self-service option at 70% lower cost. As an added cost-saving bonus, we keep track of past advisors that anyone in your company has engaged with, and provide up to 70% discounts for re-connections.
● Transparency — The fact we wrote this article shows that transparency is a big part of our ethos. Unlike other networks, we always show you exactly how much the advisor is getting paid, and what our cut is. We encourage you to reveal your identity when possible. And when you grant us permission, we post your project on our bulletin board as part of our unique approach.
In closing
Whether you are a regular user of expert networks or just getting started, DeepBench is here to help you demystify the process. We are experts on the expert network industry, we will tell you everything you need to know, and we won’t charge you $1,000 / hour for our time. 😉
We also don’t charge annual subscriptions, and it’s free & to get started (This is yet another difference between us and the traditional incumbents — who might normally charge $100,000 or more up-front in bulk credits that expire annually.)
If you work for a large organization — chances are, we have already been approved by your legal / procurement department — just check with us and we will get back to you to confirm.
Contact DeepBench to get started!
P.S. — Regardless of whether you choose to try us or not — you might find this helpful. We interviewed 200+ experienced expert interviewers and combined their insights to curate this best practices guidebook. Check it out (excerpt below)!
