What Best Companies does

Best Companies Limited is a UK-based, privately held employee engagement measurement and workplace culture specialist, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Wrexham, Wales. The company operates a B2B subscription platform built around its proprietary b-Heard digital survey, the academically validated 8-Factor Framework (developed with University of Plymouth academics), and the Workplace Insight Tool (WIT) analytics platform. Its product portfolio is structured as three tiered annual subscriptions — Measure, Improve, and Elevate — covering engagement measurement, advanced analytics with benchmarking, and an AI-augmented management development platform that delivers personalized coaching based on real team feedback.

The company's commercial model is enterprise field sales with quote-based pricing, supported by accreditation and recognition programs (One to Watch, 1–3 Star ratings, Best Companies Lists) that confer employer-brand value on client organizations. Across 25 years it has surveyed 6.5 million employees and serves a diverse enterprise client base spanning banking, public sector, utilities, insurance, automotive, hospitality, technology, and housing. Go-to-market relies on content marketing (Insight Hub, eBooks, the annual State of Engagement Report), social media, SEO, events such as The Big Reveal, and published client case studies demonstrating outcomes such as 27% increases in employee satisfaction and 23% reductions in turnover for accredited organizations.

Operationally, Best Companies is founder- and management-owned with no disclosed external institutional funding. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, FSQS, and JOSCAR certifications, positioning it for procurement access into regulated UK and European enterprise buyers. Its geographic footprint is concentrated in the UK and the European Economic Area, with no evidence of US or APAC expansion.

Name

Best Companies

Legal name

Best Companies Limited

Website

https://b.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Best Companies Limited is a UK-based, employee engagement measurement specialist that provides subscription-based b-Heard surveys, 8-Factor Framework analytics, and AI-augmented management development (Elevate) to enterprise clients in the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Engagement Software

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Employee Engagement, Surveys & EX (BPACAPAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culture, Engagement & Employee Experience (EX) Consulting (BPAHAGAI), People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH), Workforce Analytics & HR Metrics Advisory (BPACAJAK)

Keywords

• Employee engagement
• Workplace culture measurement
• Staff surveys
• Management development
• Best places to work

Headquarters

HQ city

Wrexham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Employee Engagement Survey Subscriptions: Organizations subscribe to survey packages (Measure, Improve, Elevate) to conduct employee engagement surveys. Subscription-based model with tiered plans offering different levels of access and features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Best Companies provides an employee engagement measurement platform that helps UK and Ireland-based organizations measure, improve, and elevate workplace engagement. Its core offerings include the b-Heard anonymous employee survey (Measure), the Workplace Insight Tool analytics dashboard (Improve), and the Elevate AI-powered management development program (Elevate). The company also runs the Best Companies Lists and a workplace accreditation programme used by major employers including Danske Bank, NHS, Toyota and Lloyds.

Product overview

Best Companies offers a unified employee engagement platform with three core solutions: Measure (b-Heard Survey), Improve (Workplace Insight Tool), and Elevate (management development). The b-Heard Survey is a digital engagement measurement tool using 24 core statements across 8 Workplace Factors, supported by the academic 1+3 Method framework. The Workplace Insight Tool provides advanced analytics with executive data packs, action planning packs, and SWOT insights. Elevate is an AI-powered management coaching platform. Supporting tools include MC3 for manager assessment, pBCI for pulse surveys, and accreditation/recognition programs. The platform is complemented by benchmarking services and the Russell Circumplex Model for engagement profiling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• b-Heard: The company's survey platform used for employee engagement measurement.
• Workplace Insight Tool (WIT)
• Elevate
• MC3
• 1+3 Method

Products and services

• b-Heard Employee Survey (Measure)
• Workplace Insight Tool (WIT) (Improve)
• Elevate Management Development
• MC3 Management Development Tool
• Best Companies Accreditation Programme
• Best Companies Lists

Quantifiable outcome

• 27% increase in employee satisfaction for organizations achieving 3-star accreditation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Great Place to Work UK: Operates Best Workplaces lists and accreditation in the UK built on employee survey data — the closest head-to-head competitor to Best Companies' Accreditation and Best Companies Lists programs.
• Culture Amp: Employee engagement survey platform providing measurement, analytics, and action-planning tools — direct overlap with Best Companies' Measure and Improve offerings, though more software-led and global.
• Workday Peakon: Employee voice and engagement platform acquired by Workday — directly competes in the same employee listening/survey category as Best Companies and bundles into a broader HCM suite.

Broad incumbents

• SurveyMonkey Enterprise: Broader survey platform used for internal employee surveys — a lower-cost, more general-purpose alternative that Best Companies competes against in the employee listening category.
• Qualtrics (EmployeeXM): Experience management platform with a dedicated EmployeeXM product competing head-on with b-Heard, offering integrated analytics but at the cost of pure-play engagement specialization.
• Gallup: Global pioneer of the Q12 employee engagement survey and CliftonStrengths; competes with Best Companies' b-Heard survey in methodology credibility and enterprise benchmarks but at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Officevibe: Pulse-survey and employee feedback tool for SMB/mid-market — overlaps with Best Companies' pBCI pulse product and Improve tier, particularly for organizations seeking lighter-weight continuous listening.
• 15Five: Continuous performance management and engagement platform with manager-focused coaching features — overlaps with Best Companies' Elevate and MC3 management development offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bestcompanies
• Facebookfacebook.com/bestcompaniesltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/best-companies-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/bestcompaniesltd

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Best Companies