Tue. Apr 30th, 2024

Content Assessment: The Dance of eDiscovery? Operational Metrics and Financial Outcomes from the Summer 2023 Business Confidence Survey

Information - 93%
Insight - 92%
Relevance - 91%
Objectivity - 94%
Authority - 95%

93%

Excellent

A short percentage-based assessment of the qualitative benefit of the recent announcement by ComplexDiscovery of the Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey results relating to DSO, MRR, and revenue distribution across customer bases.

Editor’s Note: We are delighted to present the results of the nineteenth iteration of the business operational metrics subset of the eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey by ComplexDiscovery. Introduced in the winter of 2019, these optional questions about Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), and customer revenue distribution have been a component of 19 of the 31 surveys conducted. Over 1,685 professionals from the legal, IT, and business sectors have contributed valuable insights since the introduction of these questions. In the latest survey, we received responses on at least one of these topics from 65 participants. 


Industry Report

The Dance of eDiscovery? The Dynamics of Three Business Metrics in Summer 2023

ComplexDiscovery Staff

The Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey serves as a crucial resource for assessing the confidence levels of professionals within the eDiscovery ecosystem. This non-scientific, quarterly survey addresses diverse aspects related to the creation, delivery, and consumption of eDiscovery products and services through nine core multiple-choice questions. Moreover, it delves into three key business operational metrics with optional questions.

The first question asked participants to assess the trajectory of their organization’s Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) over the last quarter. DSO is a measure of the average number of days a company takes to collect revenue after a sale has been made, reflecting the efficiency of a company’s collection and credit policies.

The second question focused on the organization’s Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) trajectory during the past quarter. MRR represents the predictable revenue that a company can expect on a monthly basis, excluding one-time sales, and serves as a vital indicator of a company’s financial health.

The third question asked participants to describe the distribution of their organization’s revenue across their customer base during the last quarter. This question aimed to understand the spread of a company’s revenue among its customers, focusing on efforts to reduce the concentration of revenue among a small group of repeat customers, thereby reducing risk and promoting business stability.

Each of these questions provided four options for response: Increasing, Unchanged, Decreasing, and Do Not Know.

The ensuing analysis and graphical summaries comprehensively overview the collective responses to these business operational metric questions. Providing a unique perspective on the trends of these critical measurements, these insights could prove invaluable to business and legal professionals as they evaluate the current conditions and emerging trends within the data and legal discovery landscape.

Key Observations in the Summer of 2023

Days Sales Outstanding, Monthly Recurring Revenue, and Revenue Distribution Across Customer Bases

In the Summer of 2023, the eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey offered insightful trends related to pivotal operational metrics, providing a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s financial health and potential trajectories. The survey examined three vital parameters: Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), and the Distribution of Revenue Across the Customer Base. These metrics shed light on the state of financial management, consistent revenue generation, and customer revenue diversification within the eDiscovery ecosystem.

Days Sales Outstanding 

Based on survey responses, the following observations can be made about the Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) from the Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey and how they compare to the Spring 2023 survey:

  1. Increasing DSO: In the Summer 2023 survey, 29.2% of participants reported an increasing DSO, nearly doubling from 14.9% in the Spring 2023 survey. This suggests a trend of companies taking longer to collect receivables, which could indicate challenges in cash flow management or changes in credit policies.

  2. Unchanged DSO: The percentage of respondents reporting an unchanged DSO dropped from 37.3% in the Spring to 29.2% in the Summer. This shift indicates a dynamic environment, with more companies experiencing changes in their DSO.

  3. Decreasing DSO: The percentage of participants reporting a decrease in DSO remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 10.4% in the Spring to 13.8% in the Summer. This suggests that some companies are improving their collection processes or are experiencing changes in customer payment habits.

  4. Uncertainty: The percentage of participants uncertain about their DSO dropped from 37.3% in the Spring to 27.7% in the Summer. This reduction in uncertainty may reflect improved financial reporting or a better understanding of financial metrics among participants.

For industry professionals, these trends underscore the importance of closely monitoring DSO as a key financial metric. The increase in companies reporting an increasing DSO may be a cause for concern, potentially indicating issues with collection processes or credit policies.

To ensure positive financial outcomes, professionals might consider the following actions:

  1. Review Collection and Credit Policies: If DSO is increasing, reviewing and potentially tightening collection and credit policies might be beneficial to speed up cash inflows.

  2. Improve Financial Reporting: The high percentage of participants uncertain about their DSO suggests a need for improved financial reporting and better education around financial metrics.

  3. Diversify Customer Base: If a high DSO is due to slow-paying customers, diversifying the customer base could help spread risk and improve cash flow.

  4. Monitor Industry Trends: The DSO trends from these surveys provide valuable benchmarks. Companies can compare their DSO with these trends to identify potential issues and opportunities.

Remember, a low DSO is typically desirable as it means that a company can quickly turn its credit sales into cash. However, balancing this with maintaining good customer relationships and not discouraging sales with overly aggressive collection policies is also important.

Monthly Recurring Revenue

Based on the survey responses, the following observations can be made regarding the Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) from the Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey and its comparison to the Spring 2023 survey:

  1. Increasing MRR: The Summer 2023 survey saw 33.8% of respondents reporting an increase in MRR, slightly down from 38.2% in the Spring survey. This decrease might suggest slowing growth in reliable monthly revenue for some businesses.

  2. Unchanged MRR: The percentage of respondents reporting an unchanged MRR remained relatively stable, slightly increasing from 22.1% in Spring to 23.1% in Summer. This indicates a steady MRR for a significant portion of companies.

  3. Decreasing MRR: The percentage of respondents reporting a decrease in MRR increased from 5.9% in Spring to 9.2% in Summer. Although this is a relatively small portion of respondents, it shows an emerging trend of declining monthly revenue for some businesses.

  4. Uncertainty: The percentage of participants uncertain about their MRR remained the same at 33.8% in both surveys. This sustained level of uncertainty underscores the need for improved revenue tracking and understanding of financial metrics within these organizations.

For industry professionals, these trends highlight the importance of monitoring MRR as an indicator of financial health. An increase in businesses reporting a decrease in MRR and a decrease in those reporting an increase could suggest a challenging financial period for some businesses within the industry.

To ensure positive financial outcomes, professionals might consider the following actions:

  1. Focus on Customer Retention: As MRR is primarily driven by subscription-based revenue, maintaining high customer retention rates is crucial. Businesses might need to invest more in customer satisfaction and engagement initiatives.

  2. Upsell and Cross-Sell: To increase MRR, businesses can explore upselling and cross-selling opportunities. Offering additional valuable services to existing customers can increase recurring revenue.

  3. Improve Revenue Reporting: The high percentage of participants uncertain about their MRR suggests a need for better revenue reporting systems. By improving these systems, businesses can have a clearer picture of their financial status and make more informed decisions.

  4. Monitor Industry Trends: Comparing individual MRRs with industry trends can help businesses identify potential issues and opportunities. For instance, if a company’s MRR is decreasing while the industry trend is increasing, it may signal internal issues that need to be addressed.

Distribution of Revenue Across Customer Base

From survey responses, we can make the following observations about the distribution of revenue across customer bases from the Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey and how they compare to the Spring 2023 survey:

  1. Increasing Distribution: In the Summer 2023 survey, 29.2% of participants reported an increasing distribution of revenue across their customer bases, down from 37.3% in the Spring 2023 survey. This could suggest that fewer companies are succeeding in diversifying their revenue sources, which might indicate a potential increase in financial risk.

  2. Unchanged Distribution: The percentage of respondents reporting an unchanged distribution of revenue across their customer bases remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 28.4% in Spring to 29.2% in Summer. This suggests that a significant portion of companies have a steady revenue distribution.

  3. Decreasing Distribution: The percentage of participants reporting a decrease in revenue distribution increased from 4.5% in the Spring to 12.3% in the Summer. This rise indicates that more companies are becoming more reliant on fewer customers for their revenue, which could increase financial risk.

  4. Uncertainty: The percentage of participants uncertain about their revenue distribution remained nearly the same, with 29.2% in the Summer and 29.9% in the Spring. This level of uncertainty underlines the importance of clearly understanding customer revenue distribution.

For industry professionals, these trends underscore the importance of monitoring customer revenue distribution as a measure of financial stability. A decrease in companies reporting an increase in revenue distribution and a rise in those reporting a decrease could signal a concentration of revenue among fewer customers, increasing financial risk.

To ensure positive financial outcomes, professionals might consider the following actions:

  1. Customer Diversification: To mitigate revenue concentration risk, businesses might need to focus on customer diversification strategies, such as expanding into new markets or sectors.

  2. Customer Retention and Expansion: Maintaining existing customers and expanding business within this group is often more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. Offering new services or products to existing customers could help increase revenue distribution.

  3. Improve Revenue Reporting: The high percentage of participants uncertain about their revenue distribution highlights a need for improved revenue tracking and understanding financial metrics.

  4. Monitor Industry Trends: Keeping track of industry trends in revenue distribution can provide valuable benchmarks. Companies can compare their revenue distribution with these trends to identify potential risks and opportunities.

Remember, a balanced distribution of revenue across a diverse customer base can help mitigate financial risk and ensure business stability.

Observations Summary

Our exploration of the Summer 2023 eDiscovery Business Confidence Survey’s operational metrics reveals some compelling trends in Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), and the Distribution of Revenue Across Customer Bases.

DSO saw a significant increase, with more companies reporting longer periods to collect receivables, potentially indicating challenges in cash flow management. However, the slight increase in businesses reporting a decreasing DSO suggests some companies are making strides in their collection processes. This highlights the importance of closely monitoring DSO and reviewing collection and credit policies for better cash flow management.

MRR trends suggest a slight slowing down of growth in reliable monthly revenue for some businesses, with a decrease in businesses reporting an increasing MRR and a slight increase in those reporting a decreasing MRR. Focusing on customer retention, exploring upselling and cross-selling opportunities, and improving revenue reporting can help businesses maintain or increase their MRR.

Lastly, the distribution of revenue across customer bases showed a potential increase in financial risk for some companies, with fewer businesses reporting an increasing distribution and more reporting a decreasing distribution. This trend underscores the importance of customer diversification, customer retention and expansion, and improved revenue reporting.

By closely examining these key business operational metrics and comparing their own metrics with industry trends, industry professionals can identify potential challenges and opportunities, ensuring positive financial outcomes and business stability.

Survey Charts

(Charts Can Be Expanded for Detailed Viewing)


Chart 1: An Aggregate Overview of Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) Trajectory

eDiscovery Business Metric Trajectory – Days Sales Outstanding – Summer 2023 Aggregate

Chart 2: An Aggregate Overview of Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) Trajectory

eDiscovery Business Metric Trajectory – Monthly Recurring Revenue – Summer 2023 Aggregate

Chart 3: An Aggregate Overview of Distribution of Revenue Across Customer Base

eDiscovery Business Metric Trajectory – Distribution of Revenue Across Customer Base – Summer 2023 Aggregate

Complete Presentation: Market Kinetics – Operational Metrics – Summer 2023 (PDF) – Mouseover to Scroll 

0 – Business Confidence – Operational Metrics – 071923

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Additional Reading
Source: ComplexDiscovery
 

 

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