What if, for once, we reversed the roles?
At Leger, we are used to asking questions, analyzing answers, and uncovering insights that drive decisions. With The Pollster Polled, we shift perspectives: we give the floor to those who are usually behind the surveys.
As Artificial Intelligence Continues to Evolve, What Does the Future Hold for Market Research and Polling?
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping market research, and at this point, leveraging it is no longer a differentiator, it is table stakes.
AI is rapidly standardizing key aspects of the industry. Speed can be matched. Costs can be optimized. Even access to tools and capabilities is becoming more uniform. As a result, competitive advantage is shifting away from automation itself.
The real opportunity lies in how AI is applied.
At Leger, we see the greatest impact in the ability to unlock deeper, faster insights from increasingly complex data environments, particularly unstructured data. Through omni channel listening programs, we capture customer verbatims alongside behavioral signals across the full journey. This data has always held significant value but was historically underutilized due to the effort required to analyze it at scale.
AI changes that. It allows us to systematically extract meaning, detect patterns, and surface signals that would otherwise remain hidden.
From a CX perspective, this is critical. Understanding what customers are saying is no longer enough. Organizations need to understand why experiences are breaking down, where to act, and how to prioritize.
That is where human expertise remains essential. The design of the program, the framing of the problem, and the translation of insight into action all require context and judgment. AI accelerates the process, but it is the combination of technology and human insight that drives real impact.
Looking ahead, the firms that will lead are not those that simply adopt AI, but those that integrate it thoughtfully into how they generate, interpret, and activate insights.
What Are You Most Proud of?
This is a difficult question because there is no single answer. What stands out most to me comes down to two things.
First is the people. The human side of Leger has always been at the core of who we are. We started as a family business and have grown into the largest Canadian owned market research firm, but that foundation has never changed. There is a genuine focus on surrounding ourselves with talented, thoughtful people and creating an environment where they can do their best work. That consistency is something I am incredibly proud of.
The second is how we are approaching the evolution of our industry, particularly with AI. While many organizations are focused primarily on efficiency and cost savings, Leger has taken a different approach. We actively encourage our teams to learn, experiment, and integrate AI into their day-to-day work in a way that enhances their capabilities.
For me, these two things are closely connected. Investing in people and giving them the tools to evolve is what allows us to continue growing without losing what makes us strong. It is how we build not just a more efficient organization, but a more capable and future ready one.
How Does Leger Help Its Clients Translate Insights Into action?
At Leger, we see insights as a means to an outcome, not an output. A report or dashboard has value, but action only happens when insights are connected to how an organization actually operates.
We start by grounding insights in context. That means understanding our clients’ business model, their operational constraints, and how decisions get made across teams. This allows us to frame findings in a way that is immediately relevant to the people who need to act on them.
From a CX perspective, our role is to connect listening with execution. We design programs that bring together customer feedback and operational data, so organizations can see not only what customers are saying, but also where and why issues are occurring across the journey.
We also focus on activation. That includes aligning stakeholders around clear priorities, translating insights into specific actions at the team level, and embedding those actions into existing workflows. Whether it is front line improvements or strategic initiatives, the goal is always the same: make insights usable, actionable, and tied to measurable impact.
Ultimately, impact comes from consistency. By combining strong listening programs, deep client understanding, and a clear path to action, we help organizations move from insight to sustained improvement in the customer experience.
