Streamline market research for a new strategy

Step 1: Gather the source material in one placeWord

Pull the customer research, survey results, and market reports into a single Word doc or a short list of linked files, noting each one's date and scope — if the AI has to go hunting across loosely described sources, the synthesis in step 2 ends up just as scattered as the inputs were.

Step 2: Ask for synthesis, not just summaryCopilotChatGPTClaude

A summary restates each source; synthesis identifies where sources agree, disagree, and what that means for strategy — ask explicitly for the latter.

Prompt idea:

Here are four customer research reports from the past year. Identify where they agree, where they conflict, and the 3-4 insights with the strongest evidence behind them that should shape our next marketing strategy.

Step 3: Trace each insight back to its sourceWord

Before an insight goes into a strategy deck, confirm which report it actually came from and that it wasn't overstated in the synthesis.

Step 4: Flag what the research doesn't coverWord

Note any strategic question the gathered research can't actually answer, rather than letting a confident-sounding synthesis paper over a real gap.

Check the work

• Every headline insight traces back to a specific source report.
• Conflicting findings between sources are surfaced, not silently resolved.
• Gaps in the research are explicitly noted, not filled in with assumption.

Source: Microsoft Copilot Scenario Library — Streamline market research and strategy (2026)