TQS Research & Consulting

What TQS Research & Consulting does

TQS Research & Consulting KG is a Vienna-based market research institute and management consultancy founded in 1997 as a spin-off from an Austrian Science Fund (FWF) research project jointly conducted by the Institute for Marketing Management at WU Vienna and the Institute for Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Vienna. The firm operates from its headquarters at Absberggasse 31 in Vienna's 10th district (Ankerbrotfabrik) with a core staff of 12 supplemented by a network of approximately 150 trained field interviewers deployed across Austria for face-to-face survey work. It delivers full-service custom market research — quantitative (CAPI/PAPI, CATI, CAWI), qualitative (focus groups, depth interviews, observation, mystery shopping, eye-tracking), and mixed-methods designs — alongside consulting in marketing, corporate management, employer branding, and organizational change.

The service portfolio is organized into three methodological pillars (Quantitative Methods, Qualitative Methods, Mixed Methods/Multimethod) and four service modules (Customer Insights, Marketing & Research, Employee Insights, Branding & Communication), supported by the proprietary TQS Employer Brand Monitor. Its core technical differentiation rests on an interdisciplinary team combining marketing/strategy expertise with work and organizational psychology, enabling simultaneous external (customer) and internal (employee) research under one roof — a configuration that single-discipline competitors in Austria do not replicate. The firm operates a sales-led, custom-project business model with no public pricing: engagements are scoped to client needs, involve senior team members from inception, and are sold through direct outreach, industry network referrals, and academic reputation.

Distribution is exclusively direct and domestic (Austria). The company is owned by three managing directors who maintain active university affiliations: Dr. Dieter Scharitzer (WU Vienna, also Academic Director of executive programs at WU Vienna Executive Academy and vice-president of VMÖ), Mag. Angelika Sonnek, and Dr. Christian Korunka (Full Professor at the University of Vienna's Institute for Work and Organizational Psychology). Named clients span Austrian blue-chips across banking and insurance (Erste Bank, Unicredit Bank Austria, Raiffeisen Zentralbank, VIG, DONAU Versicherung), transportation (ÖBB, Wiener Linien), consumer goods (Manner, Stieglbrauerei Salzburg), technology (Tietoevry, Greentube, Hutchison 3G Austria), healthcare (KAV Wiener Krankenanstaltenverbund), culture (Wiener Staatsoper), and federal and municipal bodies (Bundeskanzleramt, BMASK, Wiener Wohnen, WKÖ).

Name

TQS Research & Consulting

Legal name

TQS RESEARCH & CONSULTING KG

Website

https://tqs.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TQS Research & Consulting is a Vienna-based market research and management consultancy, founded in 1997 as a university spin-off, delivering custom quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies plus consulting to Austrian enterprise, government, and nonprofit clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research & Management Consulting

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Competitive & Market Intelligence (Competitive Tracking, TAM/SAM/SOM) (MPAAALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA), Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Management consulting
• Employer branding
• Customer insights
• Employee surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: Full-service market research including quantitative (face-to-face PAPI/CAPI, CATI, CAWI, PAPI), qualitative (focus groups, depth interviews, observation, mystery shopping, eye-tracking), and mixed-methods studies. Projects span customer satisfaction, brand awareness, employee surveys, employer branding, and public opinion research.
2. Consulting Services: Strategic consulting in marketing, corporate management, and organizational psychology. Includes data-driven consulting, systemic organizational consulting, change management, leadership development, and employer branding advisory. Often bundled with research projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TQS Research & Consulting is a Vienna-based full-service market research institute and management consultancy founded in 1997. It delivers quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research studies (CAPI/PAPI/CATI/CAWI, focus groups, depth interviews, observation, mystery shopping, eye-tracking) combined with strategic consulting in marketing, corporate management, and work and organizational psychology. Engagements span study design, fieldwork execution, analysis, and results transfer for enterprise, government, and institutional clients in Austria.

Product overview

TQS Research & Consulting operates as a full-service market research institute and management consultancy offering integrated consulting and research solutions. The portfolio consists of three core methodological offerings (Quantitative Methods, Qualitative Methods, and Mixed Methods/Multimethod) delivered through four main service areas: Consulting Services, Customer Insights, Employee Insights, and Branding & Communication. The company also provides proprietary tools such as the TQS Employer Brand Monitor for specialized employer branding assessments. The company was founded in 1997 out of a research project from WU Wien and University of Vienna.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TQS Employer Brand Monitor: Copyrighted employer brand monitoring tool for measuring employer attractiveness

Products and services

• Quantitative Research Methods

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded from FWF (Austrian Science Fund) research project, demonstrating scientific credibility and rigorous methodology foundations.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tietoevry AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025TQS and Tietoevry Austria conducted joint studies on AI adoption in Austrian businesses, including the 2025 AI survey (September 2025) and the 2023 AI survey. These collaborative studies have been widely covered in Austrian media and position both companies as thought leaders in digital transformation.
• HorizoomminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025TQS contributes to the 'insights Austria' study series powered by Horizoom, producing recurring public opinion and consumer behavior surveys published across Austrian media outlets including Kurier, Der Standard, and Die Presse.
• Verband der Marktforscher Österreichs (VMÖ)coreOthersTQS is an active member of the Austrian Market Research Association. Dr. Dieter Scharitzer serves as Vice President (Vize-Präsident) of VMÖ. The association adheres to ESOMAR codes and ethical standards.
• Verband der Markt- und Meinungsforschungsinstitute Österreichs (VDMÖ)coreOthersTQS is an active member of VDMÖ, the Austrian association of market and opinion research institutes, committed to ESOMAR ethical standards and industry quality norms.
• Direktmarketingverband Österreich (DMVÖ)minorOthersTQS is listed among references connected to DMVÖ, indicating collaborative or membership relationship with the Austrian direct marketing association.
• Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU) – Institut für Marketing ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTQS was founded from an FWF research project initiated by the Institute for Marketing Management at WU Vienna. Founder Dr. Dieter Scharitzer is an assistant professor at WU. The company maintains ongoing teaching and research collaboration with WU Executive Academy.
• Universität Wien – Institut für Arbeits- und OrganisationspsychologiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTQS was co-founded by the Institute for Work and Organizational Psychology at University of Vienna. Co-owner Dr. Christian Korunka is a full professor at this institute. Ongoing academic collaboration supports research output and methodological innovation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Global market research and consulting giant with extensive Austrian and DACH presence. Competes with TQS for large enterprise and multinational clients, though it offers a much broader portfolio of syndicated data, panels, and consulting products.
• Ipsos: Global market research and consulting firm with strong DACH operations. Overlaps with TQS in customer experience, brand, and social research, but operates at vastly greater scale with syndicated products.

Direct peers

• Rogator AG: German full-service market research institute offering quantitative and qualitative research with field operations across DACH. Comparable to TQS in methodology mix, customer-experience focus, and DACH enterprise client base.
• Splendid Research: German market research firm specializing in consumer, brand, and digital research with full-service methodology. Similar in size and positioning to TQS, serving DACH enterprise clients with bespoke research.
• INTEGRAL Marktforschung: Austrian full-service market research institute with quantitative and qualitative capabilities, similar client base across banking, insurance, and public sector. Closely comparable to TQS in scale, methodology, and Austrian enterprise/government focus.
• IFES Institut für Empirische Sozialforschung: Long-established Austrian social and market research institute with strong public-sector and political polling heritage. Comparable to TQS in Austrian field operations, public opinion research, and enterprise/government client mix.
• Marketagent Austria: Austrian market research firm operating a large online consumer panel and offering quantitative and qualitative research services. Direct competitor to TQS in the Austrian market research space, particularly for digital-first survey solutions.
• Gallup Austria (Österreichisches Gallup Institut): Austrian branch of the global Gallup franchise, providing opinion polling and consulting. Notably, TQS managing director Dr. Scharitzer served as acting CEO of this institute in 2015, indicating direct overlap in management and methodology.
• heuristic-recherche: DACH qualitative market research boutique specializing in consumer insights and trend research. Comparable to TQS in qualitative methodology focus and senior-team-driven engagement model.

Regional players

• FOCUS GmbH Marktforschung: German-Austrian market research firm with regional field infrastructure comparable to TQS's ~150 interviewer CAPI operation. Competes in adjacent DACH geographies with similar quantitative and qualitative offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqgtmi_KTiX9eHJfB8ArfPA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/TQS-Research-Consulting-989573271107476
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tqsresearch&consulting
• Instagraminstagram.com/tqsresearchconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 TQS Research & Consulting