Watermark Consulting
Watermark Consulting is a privately held boutique customer experience consultancy founded by Jon Picoult that advises Fortune 500 and global enterprises across insurance, financial services, healthcare, and industrial sectors through custom CX strategy engagements, keynotes, workshops, and proprietary ROI research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersEastleigh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Watermark Consulting does
Watermark Consulting is a privately held boutique customer experience consultancy that advises large enterprises on customer experience strategy, journey design, and culture transformation. Founded by Jon Picoult, a Princeton-trained former Fortune 100 executive, the firm serves Fortune 500 and global organizations across insurance, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and industrial sectors. Its client roster includes named enterprises such as Allstate, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Chubb, Generali, Honeywell, and Textron.
The company's core offerings are organized into three service lines — CX Consulting (custom strategic engagements built around the proprietary Customer Experience Reality Check assessment), CX Keynotes (executive and corporate event speaking by founder Jon Picoult), and CX Workshops (interactive training programs built on the proprietary 12 CX Design Principles framework). Underpinning these services is a portfolio of intellectual property including the 18-year longitudinal CX ROI Study research series, an interactive CX ROI Calculator launched in 2026, the published Amazon bestseller "From Impressed To Obsessed," and related educational content distributed via the firm's blog, newsletter, and founder's media contributions to Forbes and The Wall Street Journal.
Watermark's business model is purely professional services plus ancillary book royalties, with no software platform, API, or recurring SaaS revenue. GTM is consultative and relationship-driven, leveraging thought leadership, published research, and founder-led speaking as primary lead-generation channels, followed by bespoke enterprise engagements sold directly to client decision-makers. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed, with multi-year engagements referenced in available materials. The firm is headquartered in Simsbury, Connecticut, and operates globally through direct client engagement with no intermediaries or channel partners.
Watermark Consulting firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Watermark Consulting
- Legal name
- Watermark Consulting
- Website
- https://watermarkconsult.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Watermark Consulting is a privately held boutique customer experience consultancy founded by Jon Picoult that advises Fortune 500 and global enterprises across insurance, financial services, healthcare, and industrial sectors through custom CX strategy engagements, keynotes, workshops, and proprietary ROI research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Watermark Consulting industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Customer Experience Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer Experience (CX) & Voice-of-Customer Analytics (BPAHALAK), Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE)
Keywords
Where Watermark Consulting is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eastleigh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Watermark Consulting business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- CX Consulting: Hands-on consulting assistance with developing and executing customer experience strategy. Customized engagements tailored to individual client needs, including CX assessments, journey mapping, experience design, and operational improvement recommendations.
- CX Keynotes / Speaking: Keynote programs served as a catalyst for customer experience improvement at corporate events, all-employee meetings, conferences, and customer conferences.
- CX Workshops: Highly interactive, customized educational programs where client teams learn and apply CX design principles. Includes executive education, webinars, and hands-on exercises.
- Published Book Royalties: Author royalties from 'From Impressed To Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans' (Amazon bestseller, featured in The Wall Street Journal).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise engagements — no standardized tiers publicly listed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Watermark Consulting product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Watermark Consulting is a boutique customer experience consultancy that sells CX strategy consulting, keynote speaking engagements, and customized CX training workshops to large enterprise organizations. Its engagements are built on proprietary intellectual property including the 12 CX Design Principles framework and the Customer Experience Reality Check assessment, and are supported by thought-leadership assets such as the firm\'s annual CX ROI Studies and founder Jon Picoult\'s book "From Impressed To Obsessed."
Product overview
Watermark Consulting is a boutique customer experience consultancy offering a portfolio of services centered on CX strategy development, education, and research. The core offerings include CX Consulting (hands-on strategy assistance with proprietary assessment tools like the Customer Experience Reality Check), CX Keynotes (motivational speaking programs by founder Jon Picoult), and CX Workshops (interactive training programs teaching the company's proprietary '12 CX Design Principles' framework). Supporting these service offerings are intellectual property products including the CX ROI Calculator (an online tool for quantifying CX investment returns), CX ROI Studies (annual research publications analyzing customer experience impact on shareholder value), and Jon Picoult's book 'From Impressed To Obsessed'. The firm does not offer a software platform but rather delivers expertise-based services designed to help organizations transform their customer and employee experiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CX Consulting Hands-on consulting assistance with developing and executing customer experience strategy for enterprise clients. Includes customized engagements such as CX assessments (via the proprietary Customer Experience Reality Check), journey mapping, experience design, and operational improvement recommendations tailored to each client\'s needs.
- CX Keynotes Keynote programs by founder Jon Picoult delivered at corporate events, all-employee meetings, customer conferences, and industry conferences, designed to serve as a catalyst for customer experience improvement across the organization.
- CX Workshops Highly interactive, customized programs where client teams learn and apply CX design principles, including executive education, team workshops, and webinars built on the firm\'s proprietary 12 CX Design Principles framework.
- CX ROI Studies Annual research studies analyzing the relationship between customer experience quality and cumulative total stock returns, including Cross-Industry, Banking, Airlines, and Insurance editions based on customer experience rankings from J.D. Power, Temkin Group, and Qualtrics surveys.
Companies that use Watermark Consulting
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Watermark Consulting technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Watermark Consulting partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Watermark Consulting competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Medallia: Enterprise VoC and CX analytics platform increasingly bundling advisory and benchmarking services around its software. Comparable in serving CX leaders at large enterprises and in publishing flagship CX research, but product-led rather than pure services.
Direct peers
- Walker Information: Long-standing CX consulting and research firm specializing in Net Promoter, customer experience measurement, and CX strategy for Fortune 1000 clients. Directly comparable in target customer, methodology focus, and boutique positioning.
- Heart of the Customer: B2B-focused boutique CX consultancy providing journey mapping, VoC programs, and customer experience strategy. Comparable in size, specialization, and enterprise targeting, with a more B2B-skewed client base than Watermark.
- Beyond Philosophy: Boutique CX consultancy focused on emotional connection and customer experience strategy, offering keynote speaking, workshops, and consulting. Highly comparable in service mix and target buyer to Watermark.
- Temkin Group (now part of Qualtrics): Founded by Bruce Temkin, Temkin Group was the most direct boutique CX research and consulting peer to Watermark, producing widely cited CX reports and CX ROI analyses. Its acquisition by Qualtrics makes the combined entity the closest direct comparable in the CX advisory space.
Broad incumbents
- Forrester Research: Global research and advisory firm with a deep Customer Experience practice covering VoC, journey analytics, and CX strategy consulting. Comparable to Watermark in producing flagship CX research and serving enterprise CX buyers, but with a much broader portfolio.
- Bain & Company (Customer Strategy practice): Top-tier strategy consultancy with a Net Promoter System heritage and an active CX strategy practice. Competes with Watermark for enterprise CX advisory work but operates at a much larger scale and global footprint.
- McKinsey & Company (Customer Experience practice): Global management consultancy with a sizable Customer Experience practice serving many of the same Fortune 500 buyers. Not a boutique, but the most direct large-firm competitor for high-end CX transformation mandates.
- Qualtrics (CX / XM): Enterprise experience management platform with a dedicated XM Institute producing CX research and offering CX strategy advisory. Directly comparable in producing benchmark CX research (e.g., CX ROI analyses) and serving enterprise CX buyers, but bundled into a software platform.
Others
- The CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association): Global non-profit industry body for CX professionals, offering certification (CCXP), training, and events. Not a competitor, but an ecosystem player whose CCXP curriculum, training programs, and conference overlap directly with Watermark's workshop and education offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Watermark Consulting social profiles
Digital presenceWatermark Consulting financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Watermark Consulting leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Watermark Consulting funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Watermark Consulting M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Watermark Consulting
What does Watermark Consulting do?
Watermark Consulting is a boutique customer experience consultancy that sells CX strategy consulting, keynote speaking engagements, and customized CX training workshops to large enterprise organizations. Its engagements are built on proprietary intellectual property including the 12 CX Design Principles framework and the Customer Experience Reality Check assessment, and are supported by thought-leadership assets such as the firm\'s annual CX ROI Studies and founder Jon Picoult\'s book "From Impressed To Obsessed."
Is Watermark Consulting a public or private company?
Watermark Consulting is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Watermark Consulting founded?
Watermark Consulting was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Watermark Consulting based?
Watermark Consulting is headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Watermark Consulting make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. CX Consulting is the primary driver. The others are CX Keynotes / Speaking, CX Workshops and published Book Royalties.
Who are Watermark Consulting's main competitors?
Medallia is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Walker Information, Heart of the Customer, Beyond Philosophy and Temkin Group (now part of Qualtrics). Broad incumbents are Forrester Research, Bain & Company (Customer Strategy practice), McKinsey & Company (Customer Experience practice) and Qualtrics (CX / XM). The CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association) is listed as an others.
Does Watermark Consulting have an API?
No public API is recorded for Watermark Consulting.
What industry is Watermark Consulting in?
Watermark Consulting's product category is Customer Experience Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAEAC, Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience, with a secondary code of BPAHALAK, Customer Experience (CX) & Voice-of-Customer Analytics. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.