This article is the third in a series. We talk to the Head of Market and Competitive Intelligence at BT, Andrew Beurschgens. In this series, we ask people we respect within Competitive Intelligence eight pertinent questions. At the end of this series of questions, we will analyse the answers and publish a report.

1. In your view, what's Competitive Intelligence?
The process and the outcome that curates all source information that is legally and ethically collected and analysed to create the knowledge and the foreknowledge of the market around us as a prelude to decision making and action

2. In your view, what's the true benefit of CI?
Decision support, bigger picture, choices and the opportunity in some instances to be one step ahead

3. How would you advise a company with no experience in Competitive Intelligence to get started?
Ask them to articulate what their business is. What five questions keep them up at night about that external environment - customers, competitors, suppliers? Why they win, and why they lose? Who are their competitors, and do you understand why they buy from you? Why they do not, or if you are in the heart of growth, what happens when it stops? What are the options and how the market could evolve, and what do we do as a result?

4. What analytical tools do you recommend?
win-loss, business model canvass, value proposition, scenario analysis, driver analysis, comb analysis

5. Competitive Intelligence is becoming too much about risk mitigation, copying the competitor and the last dataset. And not enough about growth, exploration and creation. It can stop people from being original, risky and creative enough. Do you agree?
Yes - blue ocean views, not red oceans

6. Without giving away anything confidential, what's the best result you have achieved with CI?
The last outcome we achieved with respect to a decision that was taken.

7. Artificial Intelligence and platforms will transform CI, and there will be no need for human input in the future. The longevity of the job of a Competitive Intelligence analyst is limited? Do you agree?

No, human intervention is required. Context established, situation, complication, question, answer - inductively stated or deductively stated. Platforms will be relevant for only elements of the process and argument forming

8. Finally, what's the one piece of advice you would give a CI analyst?
Continue to be passionate about your craft and take on a strategic perspective linking up the hear and now with what could be the range of tomorrows.

Thank you for your time, Andrew.

Head of Market and Competitive Intelligence at BT
In this article, the Head of Market and Competitive Intelligence at BT, Andrew Beurschgens, answered our questions. This article is the third in the series where we ask great people who really understand Competitive Intelligence their thoughts on the subject.