Qualtrics XM Institute

What Qualtrics XM Institute does

Qualtrics XM Institute is the research and education division of Qualtrics, a publicly traded experience management software company (NASDAQ: XM). The Institute publishes annual benchmark research, articles, eBooks, and guides on customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) management, organized by maturity stage (Establish, Advance, Modernize) and by business goal, and it runs an annual proprietary global consumer survey covering more than 20,000 consumers. Its content portfolio includes flagship reports such as 'The State of Customer Experience Management 2025' and 'The State of Employee Experience Management 2025,' a Qualtrics AI field guide for CX teams, vertical case studies (e.g., Community Health Network in Healthcare), and 'XM Guided Solutions'—accelerated research-as-a-service offerings—and is led by Bruce Temkin as Head of Qualtrics XM Institute.

The Institute does not operate as an independent commercial entity: pricing is not publicly disclosed, content is offered freely, and the unit functions primarily as a thought leadership and demand-generation engine for Qualtrics' core software business. Its go-to-market is enterprise-oriented, with a 'Request a demo' lead capture form on the Qualtrics.com site routing prospects into the parent's enterprise field-sales motion. Primary audiences are CX leaders and practitioners, EX/HR professionals, and—increasingly—operations and supply chain leaders, all engaged through content marketing, earned media (e.g., Forbes), and topical thought leadership.

The Institute serves three main jobs: establishing Qualtrics as the authority in experience management, producing proprietary global benchmark data that competitors cannot replicate, and feeding an enterprise demand funnel for Qualtrics' software. Distribution is concentrated through the Qualtrics website and digital content library, with research outputs cited in third-party media to amplify reach. There is no separate funding, cap table, financials, headquarters address distinct from Qualtrics, or independent ownership structure; XM Institute's measurable commercial value accrues inside Qualtrics rather than as a standalone P&L.

Name

Qualtrics XM Institute

Legal name

Qualtrics XM Institute

Website

https://xminstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Qualtrics XM Institute is the research and education division of Qualtrics that publishes annual benchmark reports, articles, eBooks, and guided research solutions on customer and employee experience management for global CX and EX practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experience Management Research

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Service Excellence (EDABACAB)

Keywords

• Experience management research
• Customer experience insights
• Employee experience research
• CX benchmarking
• XM thought leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and thought leadership as commercial driver: XM Institute functions as Qualtrics' internal research division, producing market intelligence, benchmarks, and best practices that support Qualtrics' commercial software revenue by establishing authority and generating demand in the experience management market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

XM Institute is the research and education division of Qualtrics, producing proprietary global consumer research, benchmark data, expert-curated best practices, and guided solutions for enterprise customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) programs. It publishes annual research reports, articles, eBooks, and offers accelerated strategic insights solutions that help organizations build, advance, and modernize their experience management capabilities across maturity stages.

Product overview

XM Institute is a research and knowledge hub operated by Qualtrics that provides research reports, articles, eBooks, and guided solutions for experience management professionals. It offers resources across customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) domains, organized by maturity stages (Establish, Advance, Modernize) and business goals such as driving change, demonstrating ROI, and designing human-centered experiences. The Institute serves as a trusted source for building and advancing best-in-class XM programs through research, best practices, and thought leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• XM Institute Research Reports Annual proprietary research reports on customer and employee experience management, including 'Consumer Journeys Needing Improvement 2025', 'The State of Customer Experience Management 2025', and 'The State of Employee Experience Management 2025'. These downloadable reports provide market intelligence and benchmarks for CX/EX professionals.
• XM Guided Solutions Accelerated strategic insights solutions that help organizations conduct research at the speed of business. These guided services enable enterprises to obtain rapid, expert-supported research outcomes to inform experience management decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of supply chain leaders report improving CX correlates with 15-20% revenue growth
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Genesys: Cloud customer experience and contact center platform that complements its product with industry research and thought leadership on employee engagement and CX. Comparable as a large CX incumbent with adjacent content/research arm.
• Bain & Company: Global management consultancy with a recognized Customer Experience practice and proprietary NPS/NPSx frameworks. Comparable as a high-end advisory peer producing research that shapes CX strategy at large enterprises.
• Medallia: Direct competitor to Qualtrics' XM platform with its own research programs and customer experience thought leadership. Comparable as a sibling XM platform operating comparable research and analyst content as commercial support.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consultancy with deep CX and EX practices publishing surveys (e.g., McKinsey CustomerOne). Comparable as a research-led advisory peer targeting the same enterprise CX/EX buyer personas.
• NICE: Customer experience and contact center software incumbent that publishes CX industry research and benchmarks. Overlaps with XM Institute's CX content scope as part of a wider enterprise software portfolio.
• Zendesk: Customer service and engagement platform that publishes CX research, including CX Trends reports, and has a comparable practitioner education function. Overlaps with XM Institute's customer experience research and best-practice content.

Direct peers

• International Customer Management Institute (ICMI): Research, training, and certification body focused on contact center and customer service operations. Closely comparable to XM Institute's customer service and contact center training thought leadership and practitioner-development content.
• Forrester Research: Global research and advisory firm whose CX/EX practice publishes annual benchmarks, maturity frameworks, and consumer research that compete directly with XM Institute's research reports (e.g., 'The State of CX Management, 2025'). Comparable business model of subscription research plus enterprise advisory.
• Gartner: Premier IT and business research/advisory firm with a dedicated CX/EX research stream and Magic Quadrants that influence enterprise buying for customer experience platforms. Comparable as a content-thought-leadership funnel into enterprise software sales.

Others

• SurveyMonkey: DIY survey and research platform that publishes consumer and market research and supports many of the same CX methodology use cases XM Institute references. Comparable as an adjacent, enabling data collection and self-serve research vendor rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Qualtrics XM Institute