TheShortlist Report

Measured research on who gets recommendedLatest reading

Research · Buying guides · No paid placement

Shortlist Report

What The Shortlist Report finds

Our research reports measure which service firms AI assistants recommend. Our Top 7 buying guides explain what each firm does best.

We put the questions buyers really ask to AI assistants, ask each one many times because the answers move, and record which firms come back. Then we publish the tally, the sample size, and the method — so you can argue with the numbers instead of taking our word for them.

The research reports count who gets named. They do not measure the quality of a firm’s work. How we measure.

33,883Responses measured
107Questions reported
577Firms counted
Last measured

Top 7 buying guides

Seven firms for each category, with a clear view of their specialties and the work they’re best suited for. Browse all Top 7 guides.

Reports

Where each firm shows up: managed IT service providers

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 16 managed IT service providers questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one managed IT service providers report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmManaged it service providersMSP small businessMSP cybersecurityCo managed it providersMSP regulated industriesMSP multi site and remoteMSP cloud microsoft AWSOutsourced it help deskSwitching managed service providerMSP midmarket and enterpriseMSP proven resultsMSP sla reportingMSP backup and ransomware recoveryMSP network and infrastructureMSP vcio and it strategyMSP by cityReports
Dataprise43%28%——31%——18%6%23%——5%———7 of 16
Integris36%6%—————14%8%——————46%5 of 16
Accenture59%—————31%12%—64%——————4 of 16
Ntiva46%42%—————22%7%———————4 of 16
IBM35%—31%——————36%——7%———4 of 16
Kyndryl53%—————17%——54%——————3 of 16
NTT DATA48%—20%——————51%——————3 of 16
CDW46%—————40%——23%——————3 of 16
Cognizant26%—————16%——48%——————3 of 16
SHI33%—————23%———18%—————3 of 16
CMIT Solutions—15%——————5%——————22%3 of 16
Framework IT———————————9%——12%19%3 of 16
Click One MSP——————————24%7%——7%—3 of 16
Rackspace32%—————45%—————————2 of 16
HCLTech29%————————39%——————2 of 16
DXC26%————————34%——————2 of 16
ITSco—7%————————42%—————2 of 16
Wipro—————————37%—7%————2 of 16
Capgemini——————14%——28%——————2 of 16
Infosys———————10%—31%——————2 of 16
CompassMSP————21%15%——————————2 of 16
Hi-Tek Data———23%——————10%—————2 of 16
NetSys———22%——————————8%—2 of 16
Bit by Bit————————4%——————19%2 of 16
On-Site Technology———15%—————————3%——2 of 16
WCC—————————————4%13%—2 of 16
Global IT————————8%————4%——2 of 16
TeamLogic IT————————8%———4%———2 of 16

Where each firm shows up: Amazon agencies

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 14 Amazon agencies questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one Amazon agencies report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmAmazonAmazon full service managementAmazon PPCAmazon listing creativeAmazon launchAmazon enterprise brandsAmazon small sellersAmazon account problemsAmazon proven resultsAmazon profit reportingAmazon by verticalAmazon international expansionAmazon logistics and claimsSwitching amazonReports
Tinuiti97%12%38%—15%41%——20%22%39%——40%9 of 14
Olifant Digital21%—28%—12%——4%—14%17%——21%7 of 14
Canopy Management74%18%40%—18%——6%—————46%6 of 14
Nuanced Media56%—16%18%16%—————17%——22%6 of 14
SalesDuo19%22%24%14%—22%———————14%6 of 14
Acadia77%13%———32%————16%——20%5 of 14
My Amazon Guy39%——19%———5%——17%——21%5 of 14
Pattern50%————27%————21%6%——4 of 14
PPC Jumpstart——19%———34%4%—————11%4 of 14
Flywheel22%————27%——20%—————3 of 14
Front Row19%20%———23%————————3 of 14
VASO Group—————18%——15%———29%—3 of 14
Amazon Growth Lab23%——————4%—————12%3 of 14
Channel Bakers60%————22%————————2 of 14
Marknology——13%———39%———————2 of 14
Seller Sage——————18%—32%—————2 of 14
Advance Amazon————————40%10%————2 of 14
Teikametrics——28%——————————9%2 of 14
AMZ Advisers————————23%14%————2 of 14
Seller Interactive———14%14%—————————2 of 14
IZC Media———————3%—13%————2 of 14

Where each firm shows up: fractional CFO and outsourced accounting firms

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 14 fractional CFO and outsourced accounting firms questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one fractional CFO and outsourced accounting firms report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmFractional CFO firmsFractional CFO startupsOutsourced accounting small businessCFO support fundraising M&AFractional CFO by industryOutsourced controller bookkeepingAccounting systems implementationBooks are messFractional CFO firms proven resultsFractional CFO performance reportingOutsourced tax and complianceCap table and valuation advisorsOutsourced FP&A and forecastingInterim finance leadershipReports
Deloitte22%——16%————12%—22%15%13%21%7 of 14
RSM34%——12%——24%———21%——9%5 of 14
PwC18%———————15%—27%15%—20%5 of 14
EY———11%——13%———21%14%—18%5 of 14
KPMG———————3%——25%15%—19%4 of 14
Pilot94%53%42%———————————3 of 14
Burkland Associates67%51%—24%——————————3 of 14
Paro50%———————15%———13%—3 of 14
Preferred CFO32%———————20%11%————3 of 14
BDO28%—————————21%——14%3 of 14
Grant Thornton18%——————2%——18%———3 of 14
Kruze Consulting66%53%————————————2 of 14
inDinero74%—17%———————————2 of 14
Bookkeeper36025%—35%———————————2 of 14
Maven Financial Partners————————30%11%————2 of 14
AccountingDepartment.com——16%——20%————————2 of 14
Kroll———17%———————17%——2 of 14
Local Fractional———16%—————15%————2 of 14
Genpact—————19%——————12%—2 of 14

Where each firm shows up: TikTok Shop agencies

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 14 TikTok Shop agencies questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one TikTok Shop agencies report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmOverallLive sellingAffiliatePaid mediaCreator sourcingSetup and managementUSSmall brandsEnterprise cpgBeauty brandsBy verticalSales stalledProven resultsReportingReports
Social Tale40%—56%34%43%49%45%49%50%64%67%43%55%28%13 of 14
MediaLabs67%—78%35%41%24%19%24%59%36%37%16%—31%12 of 14
MADA——43%27%22%——30%44%56%54%19%41%15%10 of 14
Creatify21%—34%26%38%13%—19%—52%20%14%—16%10 of 14
Pattern58%—16%—21%19%——52%—15%———6 of 14
TBAR Partners26%—18%13%———————8%25%20%6 of 14
Growera———38%———44%———28%92%42%5 of 14
The Brand Buddies———————51%13%32%45%—45%—5 of 14
WE Marketing——25%—50%35%—————18%——4 of 14
MomentIQ27%34%——10%—26%———————4 of 14
Social Commerce Club47%—21%—14%—————14%———4 of 14
Outlandish46%———13%———25%—————3 of 14
Uptickk42%—24%—13%—————————3 of 14
Spotlight Media——————18%15%————36%—3 of 14
TokShop Agency———————11%—27%25%———3 of 14
Amie——————18%——51%————2 of 14
Harvest Group23%———————37%—————2 of 14
FlowDeck Studios—19%————16%———————2 of 14
inBeat——————25%———9%———2 of 14
OverCast Digital24%——————————10%——2 of 14
Darkroom————————————20%11%2 of 14
Favored17%——————————8%——2 of 14
Aventra Media—————11%————7%———2 of 14

Where each firm shows up: Salesforce and CRM implementation partners

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 12 Salesforce and CRM implementation partners questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one Salesforce and CRM implementation partners report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmSalesforce partners small mid marketSalesforce partners by industrySalesforce migration partnersSalesforce integration specialistsSalesforce managed servicesFailed salesforce implementationSalesforce partners proven resultsSalesforce outcome measurementSalesforce marketing cloud partnersSalesforce service cloud partnersSalesforce data and analyticsSalesforce training and adoptionReports
Accenture15%68%18%38%23%—57%24%27%48%22%9%11 of 12
Slalom20%46%14%32%——62%21%27%34%26%8%10 of 12
Deloitte—62%20%31%21%—49%15%26%33%20%—9 of 12
PwC—52%—17%——36%26%—22%15%—6 of 12
Capgemini—36%—17%——17%—17%32%——5 of 12
Cognizant———19%22%—18%—21%25%——5 of 12
IBM———23%——19%—17%35%——4 of 12
Coastal Cloud—31%————16%—20%———3 of 12
Wipro———21%————13%30%——3 of 12
VRP Consulting—17%———————26%13%—3 of 12
Systep15%———45%———————2 of 12
RSM14%—14%—————————2 of 12
JPW Consulting—————5%—————17%2 of 12
ForceFolks——13%——9%——————2 of 12

Where each firm shows up: AEO, GEO and AI visibility agencies

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 10 AEO, GEO and AI visibility agencies questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one AEO, GEO and AI visibility agencies report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmAeo geoGeo b2b saasGeo ecommerceTechnical aeo geoAi citation contentAi visibility monitoringGeo small businessEnterprise geoAeo geo proven resultsAeo geo leads and attributionReports
iPullRank82%28%—7%20%—9%51%——6 of 10
Siege Media76%17%38%—34%——25%——5 of 10
First Page Sage57%30%20%————21%—13%5 of 10
Omniscient Digital69%34%——13%—25%———4 of 10
Profound—17%14%——63%———33%4 of 10
Go Fish Digital43%—36%—24%——20%——4 of 10
Directive41%24%—————33%——3 of 10
Search Agency————13%16%——17%—3 of 10
Peec AI—————56%———26%2 of 10
Semrush—————53%———18%2 of 10
Otterly—————46%———17%2 of 10
WebFX36%——————12%——2 of 10
POLARIS———12%23%—————2 of 10
Omnius14%13%————————2 of 10
HubSpot—————10%———17%2 of 10

Where each firm shows up: NetSuite and ERP implementation partners

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 10 NetSuite and ERP implementation partners questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one NetSuite and ERP implementation partners report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmNetsuite partnersERP selection advisorsQuickbooks to ERP migrationERP ecommerce and inventoryERP integrations and custom buildERP managed servicesFailed ERP implementationERP midmarket and enterpriseERP partners proven resultsERP implementation outcomesReports
Deloitte94%—9%—26%16%—41%19%35%7 of 10
Accenture61%———33%19%—41%17%16%6 of 10
RSM79%—14%12%—31%—32%—10%6 of 10
Rand Group——15%17%—20%16%—14%7%6 of 10
PwC61%———21%——33%17%21%5 of 10
IBM59%———16%16%—33%——4 of 10
Capgemini60%———10%17%—36%——4 of 10
KPMG55%——————24%—12%3 of 10
Lightbridge ERP—50%——13%—18%———3 of 10
Third Stage Consulting Group—57%————8%——13%3 of 10
Ultra Consultants—51%————13%—13%—3 of 10
Infosys52%——————19%——2 of 10
Panorama Consulting Group—59%———————11%2 of 10
EY51%——————19%——2 of 10
Myers-Holum41%——14%——————2 of 10
Cognizant38%———17%—————2 of 10
BDO—————23%—19%——2 of 10
EPIQ Infotech—————29%9%———2 of 10
Folio3——10%22%——————2 of 10
Pemeco Consulting—13%——————12%—2 of 10
ERP Research—12%——————12%—2 of 10

Where each firm shows up: executive search firms

Share of responses naming each firm, across the 9 executive search firms questions. Blank means the firm was not named often enough in that sample to clear the reporting threshold. Only firms named in more than one executive search firms report are shown.

Figures are the percentage of that report’s responses naming the firm. Column headers link to the full report, which states its own sample size and collection window.
FirmExecutive search firmsExecutive search by roleExecutive search by industryExecutive search startupsExecutive search enterprise and boardDiversity executive searchFailed executive searchExecutive search proven resultsExecutive search accountabilityReports
Spencer Stuart99%88%87%—87%55%52%82%12%8 of 9
Korn Ferry99%86%80%—62%50%36%87%13%8 of 9
Russell Reynolds Associates99%77%75%—68%55%37%79%12%8 of 9
Heidrick & Struggles99%80%73%—64%52%31%80%12%8 of 9
Egon Zehnder99%70%53%—63%34%28%64%—7 of 9
ON Partners—21%17%22%28%————4 of 9
JM Search37%24%————7%18%—4 of 9
True86%30%—33%—————3 of 9
Odgers58%—31%—21%————3 of 9
DHR Global72%———23%—8%——3 of 9
Cowen Partners—44%20%————19%—3 of 9
Diversified Search Group39%—20%——24%———3 of 9
Boyden48%———28%—6%——3 of 9
Crist Kolder Associates21%———23%——11%—3 of 9
WittKieffer63%—26%——————2 of 9
Daversa Partners—26%—33%—————2 of 9
Riviera Partners—18%—33%—————2 of 9
Caldwell15%————17%———2 of 9

How to read the research reports

Share is a plain fraction: the number of responses naming a firm, divided by the number of responses in that sample. Nothing is weighted or blended into a score. Firms are grouped into tiers rather than ranked one-to-N, because at these sample sizes the order inside the top group is noise — we tested that and show the working.

These reports do not rank quality. They measure how often an AI assistant names a firm, which follows what has been written about that firm online. A good firm nobody has written about will score low here, and that is a fact about its visibility, not a verdict on its work.