{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Collected before this harness existed; verbatim text not retained. Coded values are in the protocol appendix. Not reconstructed here. Returned 14% and 34% for novices; named 'the NBER working paper Generative AI at Work'. 8 citations, none the QJE article.", "answer_text": null, "citations": null, "discriminator_hits": null}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": false, "error": null, "note": "Collected before this harness existed; verbatim text not retained. Coded values are in the protocol appendix. Not reconstructed here. Returned 14% and 'about 35%'; named 'NBER Working Paper No. 31161, April 2023'. Reported web_search: false despite search being requested.", "answer_text": null, "citations": null, "discriminator_hits": null}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Collected before this harness existed; verbatim text not retained. Coded values are in the protocol appendix. Not reconstructed here. Returned 14%, 35%, 5,179; named 'NBER Working Paper No. 31161' WHILE stating it was later published in the QJE in May 2025, and citing oup.com.", "answer_text": null, "citations": null, "discriminator_hits": null}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Collected before this harness existed; verbatim text not retained. Coded values are in the protocol appendix. Not reconstructed here. Returned 14% and 34%; named 'the working paper published by NBER in April 2023'. 4 citation slots, all nber.org.", "answer_text": null, "citations": null, "discriminator_hits": null}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:48:15+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Named the commissioning sponsor's own marketing publication as 'the original source'.", "answer_text": "The BCG study found that consultants using **GPT-4** completed **12.2% more tasks**, worked **25.1% faster**, and produced output rated **40% higher in quality** than the control group on tasks within the model’s capability frontier. For tasks outside that frontier, GPT-4 users performed worse: BCG reported a **23% decline** in performance.\n\nThe original BCG source is **“How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI”** from Boston Consulting Group.", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-BHI-GenAI-Experimental-Findings.pdf"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://jobcannon.io/research/stats/dell-acqua-hbs-24-013"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.facebook.com/aliansari0/posts/27234889272817212/"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.bcg.com/news/25october2023-theres-time-and-place-for-generative-ai"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.bcg.com/press/5september2024-generative-ai-knowledge-workers-consultants"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://themelan.com/harvard-study-reveals-openai-gpt-4-boosts-creative-consulting-capabilities-but-fails-on-strategic-analysis/"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=64700"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://venturebeat.com/ai/enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-boost-from-gpt-4-harvard-study-finds"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.innovationtraining.org/bcg-chatgpt-ai-productivity-study-and-report/"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOqk7OyMbpI"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/double-edged-sword-ai-professional-services-bcg-gpt-4-holt-nguyen"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.mi-3.com.au/20-09-2023/harvard-business-school-study-bcg-finds-knowledge-workers-using-chat-gpt-outperform"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://medium.com/@takafumi.endo/how-ai-is-redefining-strategy-consulting-insights-from-mckinsey-bcg-and-bain-69d6d82f1bab"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bradsmi_harvard-business-school-partners-with-bcg-activity-7134952239290290176-_v6e"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marshallmatt_enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-activity-7112186312157253632-gGSB"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2023/09/29/harvard-and-bcg-unveil-the-double-edged-sword-of-ai-in-the-workplace/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:48:31+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "40.2% appears in NEITHER version of the paper. Traced to the jobcannon.io statistics page. Never names the academic paper; credits BCG as the study's conductor.", "answer_text": "A study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in collaboration with Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Warwick investigated the impact of OpenAI's GPT-4 on consultant performance. The research involved 758 BCG consultants who were assigned to one of three groups: Control Group (no access to GPT-4), GPT-4 Access Group, and GPT-4 with Training Group. Participants were tasked with 18 realistic consulting assignments. The findings revealed that consultants using GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and produced results rated 40.2% higher in quality compared to the control group. However, the study also highlighted challenges. When GPT-4 was used for tasks outside its current capabilities, participants performed 23% worse than those who did not use the tool.", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://jobcannon.io/research/stats/dell-acqua-hbs-24-013"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40.2%", "diagnoses": "downstream fabrication - appears in NEITHER version; traced to an SEO statistics page"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:49:09+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "'40 percent of the trial group' converts a magnitude into a headcount. This error is the Harvard Crimson's, reproduced faithfully and cited correctly. '750' (vs 758) is cited to the LinkedIn Pulse post; origin of that error not established.", "answer_text": "Consultants who used GPT-4 completed on average 12.2 percent more tasks, 25.1 percent quicker, and 40 percent of the trial group produced higher quality results. However, the study also found a significant downside: consultants using AI for tasks considered outside of the frontier were 19 percent less likely to produce the correct solutions compared to those without AI. Original Source: The study was published in a working paper titled \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier\" on September 22, 2023, by Harvard Business School researchers who conducted an experimental study of GPT-4 use by 750 Boston Consulting Group consultants. The paper was authored by researchers from Harvard, MIT, Wharton, BCG and Warwick Business School.", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/double-edged-sword-ai-professional-services-bcg-gpt-4-holt-nguyen"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://aibusiness.com/nlp/harvard-study-gpt-4-boosts-work-quality-by-over-40-"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "40 percent of the trial group", "diagnoses": "Harvard Crimson misstatement - magnitude converted to headcount"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:49:14+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Citations returned as vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com redirect URLs; source domains recorded as reported by the API. Names the working paper, cites none of it.", "answer_text": "A study conducted by Harvard Business School in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that consultants using GPT-4 significantly improved their performance. The study, which involved 758 BCG consultants, showed that those with access to GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, finished tasks 25.1% faster, and produced results that were 40% higher in quality compared to a control group without AI access.\n\nThe original source for this study is a working paper titled \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality,\" published by Harvard Business School. The lead author of the paper is Fabrizio Dell'Acqua.", "citations": [{"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "jobcannon.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hindustantimes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-5.5-2026-04-23", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T17:00:32+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "Strongest available model, reasoning enabled, ~3x cost of the gpt-4.1-mini call. NEVER mentions Organization Science or any published version. Reasoning summary recorded: 'There's a PDF that likely contains relevant figures, like a 12.2% increase in tasks completed, 25.1% faster performance, and over 40% improved quality. I can cite search14 even if it's not fully opened yet.' Breaks the capability-vs-surface confound: capability is not the explanation.", "answer_text": "The BCG field experiment found that **consultants using GPT-4 performed substantially better on tasks within GPT-4’s capability frontier**: they completed **12.2% more tasks**, finished them **25.1% faster**, and produced work assessed as **over 40% higher quality** than consultants without AI access. The original study was **“Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier”**, conducted with **758 BCG consultants**.\n\nImportant caveat: for a task **outside** GPT-4’s effective capability frontier, BCG reported that consultants using GPT-4 performed **23% worse** than those who did not use it.", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/24-013_d9b45b68-9e74-42d6-a1c6-c72fb70c7282.pdf"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "consumer interface (model not disclosed)", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:58:00+00:00", "surface": "consumer", "collected_via": "dataforseo/chat_gpt_scraper (US, en, force_web_search)", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "CITES THE VERSION OF RECORD. [Corrected 2026-07-27 20:44: this note originally read \"4 of 8 slots\". The retained citation list holds 2 entries, one of them the informs.org DOI, and does not support a slot count. The slot figure was hand-typed at scrape time and is not reproducible from this record.] and names both versions correctly. Gets the outside-frontier units right ('19 percentage points') where the published abstract does not. STILL reports 'more than 40% higher in quality' and cites the Organization Science page for a claim that paper does not contain.", "answer_text": "The figure most commonly cited from the original BCG/Harvard study is: Consultants using GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, completed them 25.1% faster, and produced work judged to be more than 40% higher in quality than the control group on consulting tasks that were within GPT-4's capabilities. The study also found an important limitation: on a complex business problem intentionally designed to be outside GPT-4's capability frontier, consultants using GPT-4 were 19 percentage points less likely to reach the correct answer than those without AI, illustrating what the authors call the \"jagged technological frontier\". Original source: Dell'Acqua, F., McFowland III, E., Mollick, E., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S., Krayer, L., Candelon, F., & Lakhani, K. R. \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier...\" Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 24-013 (2023), later published in Organization Science (2026).", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2025.21838"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.hbs.edu/ris/download.aspx?name=24-013.pdf"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "consumer interface (model not disclosed)", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T16:59:00+00:00", "surface": "consumer", "collected_via": "dataforseo/chat_gpt_scraper (US, en, force_web_search)", "search_used": true, "error": null, "note": "The only response in the study to volunteer the version revision unprompted. Close to a pass. A leaked internal citation token ('urlNBER working paperturn0search0') appears in the raw markdown — recorded as a surface artefact.", "answer_text": "In the original working paper, Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond found that providing customer support agents with a generative AI conversational assistant increased productivity by 14% on average, where productivity was measured as issues resolved per hour. They studied the staggered rollout of the AI assistant across 5,179 customer support agents. Average productivity increase: 14%. Novice and lower-skilled agents: 34% improvement. Experienced and highly skilled agents: Minimal impact. Original source: Brynjolfsson, E., Li, D., & Raymond, L. R. (2023). Generative AI at Work. National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper No. 31161. Note: A later peer-reviewed version published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics reports a 15% average productivity increase using a slightly revised sample and analysis. The 14% figure is the one reported in the original 2023 working paper that is most commonly cited.", "citations": [{"title": null, "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": null, "url": "https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/generative-ai-work"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "5,179", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}, {"match": "15%", "diagnoses": "version of record"}]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:07:16+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0286488, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer is generally more expensive than retaining an existing one. According to Optimove, the cost of acquiring a new customer can be up to five times higher than retaining an existing one. ([optimove.com](https://www.optimove.com/resources/learning-center/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs?utm_source=openai)) Similarly, Joy Subscription notes that the widely cited rule is that retention is 5–7 times cheaper than acquisition. ([joysubscription.com](https://www.joysubscription.com/glossary/customer-acquisition-cost-vs-retention?utm_source=openai)) Artisan Strategies further elaborates that acquiring new customers costs 5–25 times more than retaining existing ones. ([artisangrowthstrategies.com](https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know?utm_source=openai))\n\nThese figures highlight the significant cost disparity between customer acquisition and retention, emphasizing the importance of investing in strategies that foster customer loyalty and reduce churn. ", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition Costs vs. Retention Costs | Optimove", "url": "https://www.optimove.com/resources/learning-center/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Cost Vs Retention - Definition & Meaning | Joy", "url": "https://www.joysubscription.com/glossary/customer-acquisition-cost-vs-retention"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25x CAC Gap) | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "7 times", "diagnoses": "variant ratio with no traceable origin at all"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}], "fan_out_queries": ["how much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:07:34+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.047428, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The commonly cited figure is that acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining an existing customer. \n\nThe foundational figure comes from Bain and Company research by Frederick Reichheld, which established this 5-25x range. The range is wide because the ratio depends heavily on industry, average deal size, and sales cycle length.\n\nThe original source for this widely referenced statistic is **Bain & Company research conducted by Frederick Reichheld**. This research has become one of the most frequently cited statistics in customer retention discussions across the business world.", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost – Statistics & Trend", "url": "https://www.businessdasher.com/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs: 2026 Statistics & Trends | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}], "fan_out_queries": ["customer acquisition cost vs retention cost statistics"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:07:43+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.035486, "error": null, "note": "Every Gemini citation resolves through a vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/ URL; only the domain label is exposed. Opaque redirect tokens not retained.", "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer can be anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. While some older research, like a 1990 Harvard Business Review article by Frederick Reichheld, cited the cost as 5 times more, this figure can vary significantly based on industry, business model, and price point.\n\nThe higher cost of customer acquisition is due to the extensive marketing and advertising efforts needed to attract new customers. This includes investments in digital advertising, content marketing, social media campaigns, and often promotional discounts to convert prospects. In contrast, retention efforts often involve customer success teams, support infrastructure, and targeted retention marketing, which tend to be less expensive as the customer already trusts the brand.", "citations": [{"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "optimove.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "optimove.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "prescientai.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "uplandsoftware.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Harvard Business Review", "diagnoses": "usually HBR 2014 (Gallo), which states the figure hedged and uncited"}], "fan_out_queries": ["cost of customer acquisition vs customer retention original source", "how much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one original source"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 1, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:07:48+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005107, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The commonly cited figure is that **acquiring a customer costs 5 times more than retaining one**.[1][17][18] The original source most often traced for this rule of thumb is **Frederick Reichheld’s Bain & Company research**, which later summaries describe as showing acquisition can cost **5 to 25 times** more than retention.[2][9][11][14]", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.optimove.com/resources/learning-center/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs"}, {"title": "Customer Retention: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs. Retention: Cost Comparison Guide", "url": "https://churnkey.co/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost-comparison-guide/"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Versus Customer Acquisition", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/12/customer-retention-versus-customer-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25 ...", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Cost of customer acquisition vs retention", "url": "https://www.upside.com/business/retailer-blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: The Real Math (2026)", "url": "https://churnmiser.com/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: Beyond 5x", "url": "https://releva.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost/"}, {"title": "CAC vs Retention Cost 2026: The 5-25x Budget Mistake", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-cost-vs-retention-cost-analysis-benchmarks"}, {"title": "Does it still cost 5X more to acquire customers than ...", "url": "https://hashtagpaid.com/banknotes/does-it-still-cost-5x-more-to-acquire-customers-than-to-retain-them-in-2023"}, {"title": "Retention vs Acquisition: The 5x Cost Difference | Regulr Blog", "url": "https://regulr.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition"}, {"title": "The Real Cost of Customers: Why Acquisition, Retention ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-cost-customers-why-acquisition-retention-loss-shape-diego-rondon-jtccc"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.invespcro.com/blog/customer-acquisition-retention/"}, {"title": "What is the Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention?", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-cost-customer-acquisition-vs-retention-ian-kingwill"}, {"title": "Why Customer Retention Costs 5x Less Than Acquisition", "url": "https://www.postaffiliatepro.com/blog/why-customer-retention-costs-5x-less-than-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition: What You Need To Know", "url": "https://extension.psu.edu/customer-acquisition-what-you-need-to-know/"}, {"title": "The Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention", "url": "https://uplandsoftware.com/kapost/resources/blog/customer-acquisition-versus-customer-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Marketing vs. Customer Acquisition ...", "url": "https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/customer-retention-marketing-vs-customer-acquisition-marketing/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 2, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:09:32+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0285832, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer is generally more expensive than retaining an existing one. Industry benchmarks indicate that customer acquisition costs (CAC) can be 5 to 25 times higher than customer retention costs (CRC). ([artisangrowthstrategies.com](https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know?utm_source=openai)) For example, in the SaaS industry, the average CAC is approximately $1,200 per customer, while the average CRC is around $35 per customer. ([artisangrowthstrategies.com](https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-retention-cost-vs-acquisition-cost-industry-benchmarks-2026?utm_source=openai))\n\nThis significant difference underscores the importance of balancing acquisition and retention strategies to maximize profitability. ", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25x CAC Gap) | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost vs Acquisition Cost: Industry Benchmarks for 2026 | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-retention-cost-vs-acquisition-cost-industry-benchmarks-2026"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}], "fan_out_queries": ["how much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 2, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:09:48+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.048598, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Based on the search results, acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining an existing customer. The range varies depending on the industry and business model.\n\nThe foundational figure comes from Bain and Company research by Frederick Reichheld, which established this widely-cited statistic. The 5x floor is typical for transactional consumer businesses, while the 25x ceiling shows up in complex B2B environments with long sales cycles and substantial onboarding costs.\n\nAdditional research supports this finding: Bain & Company revealed that increasing customer retention rates by a mere 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%.\n\n**Original Source:** The statistic originates from research by **Frederick Reichheld at Bain & Company**, which has become the foundational reference for the customer acquisition versus retention cost comparison.", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost – Statistics & Trend", "url": "https://www.businessdasher.com/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs: 2026 Statistics & Trends | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}, {"match": "25% to 95%", "diagnoses": "secondary drift - the 1990 original is 25-85%"}], "fan_out_queries": ["customer acquisition cost vs retention cost statistics"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 2, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:09:57+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0353623, "error": null, "note": "Every Gemini citation resolves through a vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/ URL. The destination domain is exposed only as the title label; the opaque redirect token is not retained in this dataset, so `url` is null for this system. Recorded as a limitation, not reconstructed.", "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer can be anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. This figure is widely cited and supported by research from Bain & Company.\n\nThe significant cost difference is due to the extensive marketing and advertising efforts required to attract new customers, which can include digital advertising, content marketing, and social media campaigns. In contrast, customer retention focuses on maintaining existing relationships through customer service, loyalty programs, and targeted engagement, which typically represent a fraction of acquisition expenses.", "citations": [{"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "prescientai.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "2wtech.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "thefundworks.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "proceragroup.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "uplandsoftware.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "thefundworks.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "optimove.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}], "fan_out_queries": ["cost of acquiring a customer vs retaining a customer", "Bain & Company customer acquisition vs retention cost"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 2, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:10:02+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005126, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The commonly cited figure is that acquiring a customer costs **5 times more** than retaining one, though some sources put the range at **5 to 25 times** depending on the industry and business model.[1][16]\n\nThe original source most often traced for the **5x** claim is **Bain & Company / Frederick Reichheld** research, which later summaries say Harvard Business Review repeated as “anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive.”[2][19]", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.optimove.com/resources/learning-center/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs"}, {"title": "Customer Retention: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs. Retention: Cost Comparison Guide", "url": "https://churnkey.co/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost-comparison-guide/"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Versus Customer Acquisition", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/12/customer-retention-versus-customer-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25 ...", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Costs vs Retention Costs: What Matters", "url": "https://prescientai.com/blog/customer-acquisition-costs-vs-retention-costs"}, {"title": "Cost of customer acquisition vs retention", "url": "https://www.upside.com/business/retailer-blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: The Real Math (2026)", "url": "https://churnmiser.com/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: Beyond 5x", "url": "https://releva.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost/"}, {"title": "CAC vs Retention Cost 2026: The 5-25x Budget Mistake", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-cost-vs-retention-cost-analysis-benchmarks"}, {"title": "Retention vs Acquisition: The 5x Cost Difference | Regulr Blog", "url": "https://regulr.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition"}, {"title": "The Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention", "url": "https://uplandsoftware.com/kapost/resources/blog/customer-acquisition-versus-customer-retention/"}, {"title": "The Real Cost of Customers: Why Acquisition, Retention ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-cost-customers-why-acquisition-retention-loss-shape-diego-rondon-jtccc"}, {"title": "What is the Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention?", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-cost-customer-acquisition-vs-retention-ian-kingwill"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.invespcro.com/blog/customer-acquisition-retention/"}, {"title": "Why Customer Retention Costs 5x Less Than Acquisition", "url": "https://www.postaffiliatepro.com/blog/why-customer-retention-costs-5x-less-than-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition: What You Need To Know", "url": "https://extension.psu.edu/customer-acquisition-what-you-need-to-know"}, {"title": "Does it still cost 5X more to acquire customers than ...", "url": "https://hashtagpaid.com/banknotes/does-it-still-cost-5x-more-to-acquire-customers-than-to-retain-them-in-2023"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Marketing vs. Customer Acquisition Marketing", "url": "https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/customer-retention-marketing-vs-customer-acquisition-marketing/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}, {"match": "Harvard Business Review", "diagnoses": "usually HBR 2014 (Gallo), which states the figure hedged and uncited"}]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:10:19+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.028604, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer is generally more expensive than retaining an existing one. The cost of acquiring a new customer can be 5 to 25 times higher than retaining an existing one, depending on the industry and business model. ([artisangrowthstrategies.com](https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know?utm_source=openai))\n\nFor example, in the SaaS industry, the average Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is $1,200 per customer, while the average Customer Retention Cost (CRC) is $35 per customer. ([artisangrowthstrategies.com](https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-retention-cost-vs-acquisition-cost-industry-benchmarks-2026?utm_source=openai))\n\nThis significant difference underscores the importance of balancing acquisition and retention strategies to maximize profitability. ", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25x CAC Gap) | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost vs Acquisition Cost: Industry Benchmarks for 2026 | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-retention-cost-vs-acquisition-cost-industry-benchmarks-2026"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}], "fan_out_queries": ["how much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:10:48+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.047443, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The commonly cited figure is that acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining an existing customer. \n\nThe foundational figure comes from Bain and Company research by Frederick Reichheld, which established this 5-25x range. The range is wide because the ratio depends heavily on industry, average deal size, and sales cycle length.\n\nThe original source for this widely-referenced statistic is **Bain & Company research conducted by Frederick Reichheld**. This research has become one of the most frequently cited statistics in customer retention literature and marketing strategy discussions.", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost – Statistics & Trend", "url": "https://www.businessdasher.com/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs: 2026 Statistics & Trends | Artisan Strategies", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Cost Statistics 2026: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition (18 Sources)", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}], "fan_out_queries": ["customer acquisition cost vs retention cost statistics"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:10:58+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0358504, "error": null, "note": "Every Gemini citation resolves through a vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/ URL; only the domain label is exposed. Opaque redirect tokens not retained.", "answer_text": "Acquiring a new customer is significantly more expensive than retaining an existing one, with figures consistently showing it costs **5 to 25 times more**. While the exact ratio can vary depending on the industry, business model, and price point, this principle remains a cornerstone of business strategy.\n\nThis widely cited statistic has a real basis, stemming from research such as a 1990 Harvard Business Review article by Frederick Reichheld. The higher cost of acquisition is due to the extensive marketing and advertising efforts required to attract new customers, including digital advertising, content marketing, and promotional offers. In contrast, retaining existing customers often involves less \"awareness spend\" as trust is already established, and loyal customers are more likely to convert.\n\nFor example, customer acquisition costs can average between $200 and $1,500 per customer, while retention costs typically range from $15 to $85 per customer. Across various industries, retaining a customer costs 80-95% less than acquiring a new one.\n\nThe benefits of customer retention extend beyond just cost savings; increasing customer retention by a mere 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. This is because existing customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, spend more over time, and are less costly to serve. They also have a significantly higher success rate for new sales (60-70%) compared to new prospects (5-20%).", "citations": [{"title": "prescientai.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "optimove.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "prescientai.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "artisangrowthstrategies.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "artisangrowthstrategies.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "forbes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "forbes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "yotpo.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Harvard Business Review", "diagnoses": "usually HBR 2014 (Gallo), which states the figure hedged and uncited"}, {"match": "25% to 95%", "diagnoses": "secondary drift - the 1990 original is 25-85%"}], "fan_out_queries": ["cost of acquiring customer vs retaining customer", "how much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one original source"]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "How much more expensive is acquiring a customer than retaining one? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:11:04+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005132, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Acquiring a customer is typically cited as **5 times more expensive** than retaining one, and some later summaries broaden that to **5–25 times** depending on the industry and source.[1][2]\n\nIf you want the **originally cited source** behind the common “5x” figure, later articles trace it to **Bain & Company research associated with Frederick Reichheld**, with subsequent writeups noting the claim was popularized through Harvard Business Review and related Bain-era material.[2][11][14]", "citations": [{"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.optimove.com/resources/learning-center/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs"}, {"title": "Customer Retention: 5-25x Cheaper Than Acquisition", "url": "https://stealthagents.com/research/customer-retention-cost-statistics-2026"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs. Retention: Cost Comparison Guide", "url": "https://churnkey.co/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-cost-comparison-guide/"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Versus Customer Acquisition", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/12/12/customer-retention-versus-customer-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition vs Retention Cost: 2026 Stats (5-25 ...", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-vs-retention-costs-statistics-and-trends-you-should-know"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs. Retention: Which Drives Profit?", "url": "https://www.yotpo.com/blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention/"}, {"title": "Cost of customer acquisition vs retention", "url": "https://www.upside.com/business/retailer-blog/cost-of-customer-acquisition-vs-retention"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: The Real Math (2026)", "url": "https://churnmiser.com/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost"}, {"title": "Customer Retention vs Acquisition Cost: Beyond 5x", "url": "https://releva.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition-cost/"}, {"title": "CAC vs Retention Cost 2026: The 5-25x Budget Mistake", "url": "https://www.artisangrowthstrategies.com/blog/customer-acquisition-cost-vs-retention-cost-analysis-benchmarks"}, {"title": "Does it still cost 5X more to acquire customers than ...", "url": "https://hashtagpaid.com/banknotes/does-it-still-cost-5x-more-to-acquire-customers-than-to-retain-them-in-2023"}, {"title": "Retention vs Acquisition: The 5x Cost Difference | Regulr Blog", "url": "https://regulr.ai/blog/customer-retention-vs-acquisition"}, {"title": "The Real Cost of Customers: Why Acquisition, Retention ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-cost-customers-why-acquisition-retention-loss-shape-diego-rondon-jtccc"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition Vs Retention Costs", "url": "https://www.invespcro.com/blog/customer-acquisition-retention/"}, {"title": "What is the Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention?", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-cost-customer-acquisition-vs-retention-ian-kingwill"}, {"title": "Why Customer Retention Costs 5x Less Than Acquisition", "url": "https://www.postaffiliatepro.com/blog/why-customer-retention-costs-5x-less-than-acquisition/"}, {"title": "Customer Acquisition: What You Need To Know", "url": "https://extension.psu.edu/customer-acquisition-what-you-need-to-know/"}, {"title": "The Cost of Customer Acquisition vs Customer Retention", "url": "https://uplandsoftware.com/kapost/resources/blog/customer-acquisition-versus-customer-retention/"}, {"title": "Customer Retention Marketing vs. Customer Acquisition ...", "url": "https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/customer-retention-marketing-vs-customer-acquisition-marketing/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5 times", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "25 times", "diagnoses": "upper bound of the HBR 2014 range, which cites nobody"}, {"match": "Reichheld", "diagnoses": "attribution to the person; his published claim is the 5%-retention one, not a cost ratio"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}, {"match": "Harvard Business Review", "diagnoses": "usually HBR 2014 (Gallo), which states the figure hedged and uncited"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:13:01+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0288552, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "In their 2023 study, \"Generative AI at Work,\" Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond investigated the impact of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity. They found that access to a generative AI-based conversational assistant increased productivity by approximately 14% on average. This improvement was particularly significant among less experienced and lower-skilled agents, who experienced a 34% increase in the number of issues resolved per hour. In contrast, more experienced and highly skilled agents saw minimal effects on their productivity. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161?utm_source=openai))\n\nThe study also observed that the AI tool facilitated the dissemination of best practices from more capable workers to newer agents, aiding in their development. Additionally, AI assistance improved customer sentiment, reduced requests for managerial intervention, and enhanced employee retention. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161?utm_source=openai))\n\nFor a visual representation of these findings, you can refer to Figure 1 in the study, titled \"Productivity of Customer Support Agents and AI Support,\" which illustrates the increase in resolutions per hour before and after AI deployment. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf?utm_source=openai))\n\nThe original source of this information is the working paper \"Generative AI at Work\" by Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in April 2023. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161?utm_source=openai)) ", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "In This Issue", "url": "https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}], "fan_out_queries": ["Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity"]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:13:19+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.045586, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Based on my search results, I can see there are two versions of this study with slightly different figures:\n\n**NBER Working Paper version (April 2023):** Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that access to AI assistance increased productivity, as measured by issues resolved per hour, by 14% on average, including a 34% improvement for novice and low-skilled workers but with minimal impact on experienced and highly skilled workers.\n\n**Published version in The Quarterly Journal of Economics (2025):** The published study found that access to AI assistance increases worker productivity, as measured by issues resolved per hour, by 15% on average, with substantial heterogeneity across workers.\n\nThe original source is:\n- **Working Paper:** Brynjolfsson, Erik, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond. \"Generative AI at Work.\" NBER Working Paper No. 31161 (April 2023).\n- **Published Paper:** Brynjolfsson, Erik, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond. \"Generative AI at Work.\" *The Quarterly Journal of Economics*, Volume 140, Issue 2 (May 2025): 889–942.\n\nThe slight difference in the productivity figure (14% vs. 15%) appears to reflect updates between the working paper and the final published version.", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics | Oxford Academic", "url": "https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}, {"match": "15%", "diagnoses": "version of record"}], "fan_out_queries": ["Brynjolfsson Li Raymond AI assistance customer support agent productivity"]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:13:24+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005137, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that **AI assistance increased customer support agent productivity by about 14% on average**, measured as issues resolved per hour, with the largest gains among newer and lower-skilled agents and little effect for the most experienced workers.[1][3][5]\n\nThe original source is their NBER working paper, **“Generative AI at Work”** by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond.[1]", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "GENERATIVE AI AT WORK˚ - Danielle Li", "url": "https://danielle.li/assets/docs/GenerativeAIatWork.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI and Worker Productivity", "url": "https://mitsloan.mit.edu/centers-initiatives/institute-work-and-employment-research/generative-ai-and-worker-productivity"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work - Íñigo Medina", "url": "https://inigomedina.co/library/work/brynjolfsson-li-raymond-generative-ai-at-work"}, {"title": "AI improved the productivity of a Fortune 500 software ...", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2024/beyond-bls/ai-improved-the-productivity-of-a-fortune-500-software-company.htm"}, {"title": "Research on a large language assistant by Lindsey Raymond and ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erikbrynjolfsson_generative-ai-can-boost-productivity-without-activity-7221961645793689600-1l5s"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:13:36+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0357119, "error": null, "note": "Gemini citations resolve through vertexaisearch grounding redirects; only the domain label is exposed and the opaque token is not retained.", "answer_text": "Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that access to AI assistance increased customer support agent productivity by an average of 14%. This figure is based on a study of 5,179 customer support agents at a Fortune 500 software company. The productivity was measured by the number of customer issues resolved per hour.\n\nTheir research also indicated that the productivity gains were not evenly distributed; less experienced and lower-skilled workers saw the most significant improvements, while highly skilled workers experienced minimal impact on their speed and even slight declines in quality. The study suggests that the AI model helps disseminate the knowledge of more experienced workers, aiding newer employees in improving their performance.\n\nThe original source for these findings is the working paper \"Generative AI at Work\" by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER Working Paper No. 31161) in April 2023.", "citations": [{"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "policycommons.net", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "edwardconard.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mit.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hrdive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "policycommons.net", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "edwardconard.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nngroup.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "policycommons.net", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "5,179", "diagnoses": "preprint"}], "fan_out_queries": ["Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond AI assistance customer support agent productivity", "Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond 2023 AI customer support productivity original source", "The effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond"]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:13:46+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0285848, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study involving 758 consultants found that those using GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and produced results rated 40.2% higher in quality compared to a control group on tasks within AI's capability frontier. ([jobcannon.io](https://jobcannon.io/research/stats/dell-acqua-hbs-24-013?utm_source=openai))\n\nHowever, when consultants used GPT-4 for tasks outside its current competence, their performance was 23% worse than those who didn't use the tool at all. ([bcg.com](https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai?utm_source=openai))\n\nThese findings highlight the importance of understanding AI's capabilities and limitations to maximize its benefits. ", "citations": [{"title": "BCG + GPT-4: 12% more tasks, 25% faster, 40% quality gain (n=758) — JobCannon Research · JobCannon", "url": "https://jobcannon.io/research/stats/dell-acqua-hbs-24-013"}, {"title": "How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI | BCG", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40.2%", "diagnoses": "downstream fabrication - appears in NEITHER version; traced to an SEO statistics page"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}], "fan_out_queries": ["BCG study on consultants using GPT-4"]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:14:08+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.046666, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The BCG study, conducted in collaboration with Harvard Business School and other institutions, found several key performance improvements when consultants used GPT-4:\n\nConsultants who used GPT-4 completed on average 12.2 percent more tasks, 25.1 percent quicker, and produced 40% higher quality work compared to those without AI access.\n\nHowever, the study also revealed an important caveat: consultants using AI for tasks considered outside of the frontier were 19 percent less likely to produce the correct solutions compared to those without AI.\n\nThe original source is the working paper titled \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier\" published on September 22, 2023, by Harvard Business School researchers who reported on their experimental study of GPT-4 use by 750 Boston Consulting Group consultants. The paper was authored by researchers from Harvard, MIT, Wharton, BCG and Warwick Business School.", "citations": [{"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Study: GPT-4 Boosts Work Quality by Over 40%", "url": "https://aibusiness.com/nlp/harvard-study-gpt-4-boosts-work-quality-by-over-40-"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Professional Services: BCG GPT-4 Findings More Cautionary Than Reported", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/double-edged-sword-ai-professional-services-bcg-gpt-4-holt-nguyen"}, {"title": "Harvard Study: GPT-4 Boosts Work Quality by Over 40%", "url": "https://aibusiness.com/nlp/harvard-study-gpt-4-boosts-work-quality-by-over-40-"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}], "fan_out_queries": ["BCG study consultants GPT-4"]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:14:16+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005156, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The BCG study found that consultants using **GPT-4** completed **12.2% more tasks**, finished **25.1% faster**, and produced work that was **about 40% higher quality** on creative product-innovation tasks.[2][4] The original source is BCG’s report *How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI*.[2]\n\nThe same study also found a limit: when consultants used GPT-4 for **business problem solving** outside the model’s capability frontier, performance was **23% worse** than without GPT-4.[2][4]", "citations": [{"title": "BCG-BHI-GenAI-Experimental-Findings.pdf", "url": "https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-BHI-GenAI-Experimental-Findings.pdf"}, {"title": "How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}, {"title": "A team of researchers at Harvard, MIT, and Boston Consulting ...", "url": "https://www.facebook.com/aliansari0/posts/a-team-of-researchers-at-harvard-mit-and-boston-consulting-group-ran-758-working/27234889272817212/"}, {"title": "There's a Time and Place for Generative AI - Boston Consulting Group", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/news/25october2023-theres-time-and-place-for-generative-ai"}, {"title": "Harvard Study Reveals OpenAI GPT-4 Boosts Creative ...", "url": "https://themelan.com/harvard-study-reveals-openai-gpt-4-boosts-creative-consulting-capabilities-but-fails-on-strategic-analysis/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity ...", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Generative AI Instantly Elevates the Aptitude of Knowledge ...", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/press/5september2024-generative-ai-knowledge-workers-consultants"}, {"title": "Enterprise workers gain 40 percent performance boost from GPT-4, Harvard study finds", "url": "https://venturebeat.com/ai/enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-boost-from-gpt-4-harvard-study-finds"}, {"title": "BCG tests GPT-4, the results will surprise you! (Harvard Study)", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOqk7OyMbpI"}, {"title": "This Harvard Business School study found Boston Consulting Group (BCG) consultants who used GPT-4 in their work finished on average 12% more tasks, 25% faster, with 40% higher quality. | Brad Smith", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bradsmi_harvard-business-school-partners-with-bcg-activity-7134952239290290176-_v6e"}, {"title": "Work 25% faster, 40% better: Harvard study finds consulting giant BCG's staff using ChatGPT outperform on every measure – and underachievers get biggest boost | Mi3", "url": "https://www.mi-3.com.au/20-09-2023/harvard-business-school-study-bcg-finds-knowledge-workers-using-chat-gpt-outperform"}, {"title": "Enterprise workers gain 40 percent performance boost from GPT-4 ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marshallmatt_enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-activity-7112186312157253632-gGSB"}, {"title": "How AI is Redefining Strategy Consulting: McKinsey, BCG, ...", "url": "https://medium.com/@takafumi.endo/how-ai-is-redefining-strategy-consulting-insights-from-mckinsey-bcg-and-bain-69d6d82f1bab"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 3, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:14:26+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.03553, "error": null, "note": "Gemini citations resolve through vertexaisearch grounding redirects; only the domain label is exposed and the opaque token is not retained.", "answer_text": "A study conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Business School, MIT, and Warwick University, found that consultants using GPT-4 on tasks within AI's capability frontier demonstrated significant improvements in their work. The study, which involved 758 BCG consultants, showed that those with access to GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and produced results rated 40.2% higher in quality compared to a control group.\n\nThe original source for this study is a Harvard Business School Working Paper titled \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality\" by Dell'Acqua et al., published in 2023.", "citations": [{"title": "jobcannon.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "bcg.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "youtube.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "jobcannon.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "qualitydigest.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "youtube.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "northernlight.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "jobcannon.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40.2%", "diagnoses": "downstream fabrication - appears in NEITHER version; traced to an SEO statistics page"}], "fan_out_queries": ["BCG study consultants GPT-4 productivity", "BCG study GPT-4 results", "BCG GPT-4 study original source"]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:02+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0288248, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "In their 2023 study, \"Generative AI at Work,\" Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond examined the impact of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity. They found that access to a generative AI-based conversational assistant increased productivity by approximately 14% on average. Notably, less experienced and lower-skilled agents experienced a 34% improvement in issues resolved per hour, while more experienced and highly skilled agents saw minimal impact. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161))\n\nThe study also observed that the AI tool facilitated the dissemination of best practices from more capable workers to newer agents, aiding in their progression along the experience curve. Additionally, AI assistance improved customer sentiment, reduced requests for managerial intervention, and enhanced employee retention. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161))\n\nFor a visual representation of these findings, you can refer to Figure 1 in the study, titled \"Productivity of Customer Support Agents and AI Support,\" which illustrates the increase in resolutions per hour before and after AI deployment. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf))\n\nThe original source of this information is the working paper \"Generative AI at Work\" by Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in April 2023. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161)) ", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "In This Issue", "url": "https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:14+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.045166, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Based on my search results, I can see that there are two versions of this paper with slightly different figures:\n\n**Working Paper Version (2023):**\nBrynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that access to AI assistance increased productivity, as measured by issues resolved per hour, by 14% on average, including a 34% improvement for novice and low-skilled workers but with minimal impact on experienced and highly skilled workers.\n\n**Published Version (2025):**\nThe paper was later published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, where the productivity increase was reported as 15% on average, with similar heterogeneous effects across worker skill levels.\n\n**Original Source:**\nErik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, Lindsey Raymond, \"Generative AI at Work,\" The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 140, Issue 2, May 2025, Pages 889–942\n\nThe study was also released as NBER Working Paper w31161 in April 2023, examining data from 5,179 customer support agents.", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics | Oxford Academic", "url": "https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics | Oxford Academic", "url": "https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "5,179", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}, {"match": "15%", "diagnoses": "version of record"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:24+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0356482, "error": null, "note": "Gemini citations resolve through vertexaisearch grounding redirects; only the domain label is exposed.", "answer_text": "Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that access to AI assistance increased customer support agents' productivity by **14% on average**, as measured by the number of customer issues resolved per hour. This figure includes a 34% improvement for novice and low-skilled workers, while experienced and highly skilled workers saw minimal impact. Some sources specify the average increase as 13.8%.\n\nThe original source for this research is the working paper \"Generative AI at Work\" by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER Working Paper 31161) in April 2023 and revised in November 2023.", "citations": [{"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "google.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hrdive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "google.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nngroup.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nngroup.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "nber.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:29+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005155, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that **AI assistance increased customer support agent productivity by about 14% on average**.[2] Their paper on 5,179 agents also reports that the gains were much larger for novice and lower-skilled workers—about **34%**—while experienced, highly skilled workers saw little to no improvement.[2]\n\nThe original source is their NBER working paper, *Generative AI at Work*.[2] The MIT Sloan summary of the same research also reports the **14%** average productivity increase.[1]", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI and Worker Productivity", "url": "https://mitsloan.mit.edu/centers-initiatives/institute-work-and-employment-research/generative-ai-and-worker-productivity"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "GENERATIVE AI AT WORK˚ - Danielle Li", "url": "https://danielle.li/assets/docs/GenerativeAIatWork.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work - Íñigo Medina", "url": "https://inigomedina.co/library/work/brynjolfsson-li-raymond-generative-ai-at-work"}, {"title": "AI improved the productivity of a Fortune 500 software ...", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2024/beyond-bls/ai-improved-the-productivity-of-a-fortune-500-software-company.htm"}, {"title": "Research on a large language assistant by Lindsey ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erikbrynjolfsson_generative-ai-can-boost-productivity-without-activity-7221961645793689600-1l5s"}, {"title": "AI Tools Raise the Productivity of Customer-Support Agents", "url": "https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-productivity-customer-support/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "5,179", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 5, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:44+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0288296, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "In their 2023 study, \"Generative AI at Work,\" Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond examined the impact of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity. They found that access to a generative AI-based conversational assistant increased productivity by approximately 14% on average. This improvement was particularly significant among less experienced and lower-skilled agents, who experienced a 34% increase in issues resolved per hour. In contrast, more experienced and highly skilled agents saw minimal impact, with some even experiencing slight declines in quality. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161))\n\nThe study also observed that the AI tool facilitated the dissemination of best practices from more capable workers to newer agents, aiding in their development. Additionally, AI assistance improved customer sentiment, reduced requests for managerial intervention, and enhanced employee retention. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161))\n\nFor a visual representation of these findings, you can refer to Figure 1 in the study, which illustrates the productivity of customer support agents with and without AI support. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf))\n\nThe original source of this information is the working paper titled \"Generative AI at Work\" by Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research in April 2023. ([nber.org](https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161)) ", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "In This Issue", "url": "https://www.nber.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024number1.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 5, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:42:54+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.044356, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Based on the research by Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond, AI assistance increased customer support agent productivity by 14% on average, as measured by issues resolved per hour, including a 34% improvement for novice and low-skilled workers but with minimal impact on experienced and highly skilled workers.\n\nIt's worth noting that there appear to be two versions of this study with slightly different figures. The original NBER working paper (April 2023) reported the 14% figure, while the published version in The Quarterly Journal of Economics (May 2025) reports a 15% average increase in productivity.\n\nThe original source is: **Brynjolfsson, Erik, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond. \"Generative AI at Work.\" NBER Working Paper No. 31161 (April 2023)**, later published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 140, Issue 2 (May 2025).", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work | NBER", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work* | The Quarterly Journal of Economics | Oxford Academic", "url": "https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}, {"match": "15%", "diagnoses": "version of record"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 5, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:04+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0356538, "error": null, "note": "Gemini citations resolve through vertexaisearch grounding redirects; only the domain label is exposed. No oup.com slot in this run despite the answer naming the QJE version.", "answer_text": "Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond found that access to a generative AI-based conversational assistant increased customer support agents' productivity by an average of 15%, as measured by issues resolved per hour. This study, titled \"Generative AI at Work,\" was published in 2023.\n\nThe researchers studied the staggered introduction of this AI tool using data from 5,172 customer support agents. They observed that less experienced and lower-skilled workers saw improvements in both the speed and quality of their work, while more experienced agents experienced smaller gains in speed and slight declines in quality. The study also suggested that AI assistance can facilitate worker learning and improve English fluency, particularly among international agents.\n\nThe original source for this research is the working paper \"Generative AI at Work\" by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond. It was circulated as an NBER working paper (No. 31161) and later published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.", "citations": [{"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "revartis.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "stanford.edu", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "arxiv.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "policycommons.net", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "itif.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "richmondfed.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "15%", "diagnoses": "version of record"}, {"match": "5,172", "diagnoses": "version of record"}]}
{"question_id": "Q4", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did Brynjolfsson, Li and Raymond find about the effect of AI assistance on customer support agent productivity? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 5, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:10+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005168, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "Brynjolfsson, Li, and Raymond found that **AI assistance increased customer support agent productivity by about 14% on average**, measured as issues resolved per hour.[1][3][5]\n\nThe effect was **much larger for newer, lower-skill agents**—about **34%** higher productivity for novice and low-skilled workers—while the impact on experienced, highly skilled workers was small or near zero.[1][3][5]\n\nThe original source is their NBER working paper, **“Generative AI at Work”** by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey R. Raymond.[1]", "citations": [{"title": "Generative AI at Work", "url": "https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161"}, {"title": "GENERATIVE AI AT WORK˚ - Danielle Li", "url": "https://danielle.li/assets/docs/GenerativeAIatWork.pdf"}, {"title": "Generative AI and Worker Productivity", "url": "https://mitsloan.mit.edu/centers-initiatives/institute-work-and-employment-research/generative-ai-and-worker-productivity"}, {"title": "Generative AI at Work - Íñigo Medina", "url": "https://inigomedina.co/library/work/brynjolfsson-li-raymond-generative-ai-at-work"}, {"title": "AI improved the productivity of a Fortune 500 software ...", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2024/beyond-bls/ai-improved-the-productivity-of-a-fortune-500-software-company.htm"}, {"title": "Research on a large language assistant by Lindsey Raymond and ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/erikbrynjolfsson_generative-ai-can-boost-productivity-without-activity-7221961645793689600-1l5s"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "14%", "diagnoses": "preprint"}, {"match": "34%", "diagnoses": "preprint-only figure"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:24+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0287096, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study, in collaboration with Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and Wharton, investigated the impact of GPT-4 on consultants' performance. The study involved 758 BCG consultants who were assigned to complete 18 realistic consulting tasks. The findings revealed that consultants using GPT-4 completed 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and produced results rated 40.2% higher in quality compared to those who did not use the AI tool. ([web-assets.bcg.com](https://web-assets.bcg.com/pdf-src/prod-live/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai.pdf))\n\nHowever, the study also highlighted a \"jagged technological frontier.\" When consultants used GPT-4 for tasks within the tool's current capabilities, their performance improved. Conversely, for tasks outside GPT-4's competence, performance declined by 23% compared to the control group. ([web-assets.bcg.com](https://web-assets.bcg.com/pdf-src/prod-live/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai.pdf))\n\nThese findings underscore the importance of understanding AI's strengths and limitations to maximize its benefits in consulting tasks. ", "citations": [{"title": "How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI | BCG", "url": "https://web-assets.bcg.com/pdf-src/prod-live/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai.pdf"}, {"title": "How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI | BCG", "url": "https://web-assets.bcg.com/pdf-src/prod-live/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai.pdf"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40.2%", "diagnoses": "downstream fabrication - appears in NEITHER version; traced to an SEO statistics page"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:46+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.045373, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The BCG study found that consultants using GPT-4 completed on average 12.2 percent more tasks, 25.1 percent quicker, and 40 percent of the trial group produced higher quality results compared to workers without AI access.\n\nHowever, the study also revealed a critical limitation: consultants using AI for tasks considered outside of the frontier were 19 percent less likely to produce the correct solutions compared to those without AI.\n\nThe original source is a working paper titled **\"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier\"** published by Harvard Business School researchers on September 22, 2023, which reported on their experimental study of GPT-4 use by 750 Boston Consulting Group consultants.", "citations": [{"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI Productivity Study | News | The Harvard Crimson", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Professional Services: BCG GPT-4 Findings More Cautionary Than Reported", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/double-edged-sword-ai-professional-services-bcg-gpt-4-holt-nguyen"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "40 percent of the trial group", "diagnoses": "Harvard Crimson misstatement - magnitude converted to headcount"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:29+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0355653, "error": null, "note": "Gemini citations resolve through vertexaisearch grounding redirects; only the domain label is exposed. jobcannon.io is present in the citation set but the answer returns 40%, not the 40.2% of run 3.", "answer_text": "A study by Harvard Business School, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), found that consultants using GPT-4 significantly outperformed those who did not.\n\nSpecifically, consultants with access to GPT-4:\n*   Completed 12.2% more tasks on average.\n*   Finished tasks 25.1% faster.\n*   Produced results that were rated 40% higher in quality.\n\nThe study, titled \"Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality,\" was published on September 22, 2023. It involved 758 BCG consultants and is considered the first prominent research on how ChatGPT can help to innovate work and increase productivity. Researchers from Harvard, MIT, and Warwick University, along with BCG researchers, conducted the study.", "citations": [{"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "shelf.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hindustantimes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "shelf.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hindustantimes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "qualitydigest.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "hindustantimes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "qualitydigest.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "substack.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "shelf.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "legaldive.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "mi-3.com.au", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "jobcannon.io", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "bcg.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "venturebeat.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "innovationtraining.org", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}]}
{"question_id": "Q5", "question_class": "control", "prompt": "What did the BCG study find about consultants using GPT-4? Give the figure and cite the original source.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 4, "started_utc": "2026-07-27T20:43:52+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005157, "error": null, "note": null, "answer_text": "The BCG study found that consultants using **GPT-4** did **12.2% more tasks**, worked **25.1% faster**, and produced work rated **about 40% higher in quality** than the control group on the creative/product-innovation task.[1][3]\n\nFor tasks *outside* GPT-4’s capability frontier, the same consultants performed worse: BCG reported a **23% drop** in performance on business problem-solving tasks.[1][6]\n\nThe original source is BCG’s publication **“How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI”**.[1]", "citations": [{"title": "How People Create and Destroy Value with Generative AI", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-people-create-and-destroy-value-with-gen-ai"}, {"title": "BCG-BHI-GenAI-Experimental-Findings.pdf", "url": "https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-BHI-GenAI-Experimental-Findings.pdf"}, {"title": "Back to the Beginnings of AI at Work", "url": "https://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/back-to-the-beginnings-of-ai-at-work/"}, {"title": "A team of researchers at Harvard, MIT, and Boston Consulting ...", "url": "https://www.facebook.com/aliansari0/posts/a-team-of-researchers-at-harvard-mit-and-boston-consulting-group-ran-758-working/27234889272817212/"}, {"title": "Harvard Business School Partners with BCG on AI ...", "url": "https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/13/jagged-edge-ai-bcg/"}, {"title": "There's a Time and Place for Generative AI - Boston Consulting Group", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/news/25october2023-theres-time-and-place-for-generative-ai"}, {"title": "BCG ChatGPT AI Productivity Study and Report", "url": "https://www.innovationtraining.org/bcg-chatgpt-ai-productivity-study-and-report/"}, {"title": "Generative AI Instantly Elevates the Aptitude of Knowledge ...", "url": "https://www.bcg.com/press/5september2024-generative-ai-knowledge-workers-consultants"}, {"title": "Harvard Study Reveals OpenAI GPT-4 Boosts Creative ...", "url": "https://themelan.com/harvard-study-reveals-openai-gpt-4-boosts-creative-consulting-capabilities-but-fails-on-strategic-analysis/"}, {"title": "Enterprise workers gain 40 percent performance boost from GPT-4, Harvard study finds", "url": "https://venturebeat.com/ai/enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-boost-from-gpt-4-harvard-study-finds"}, {"title": "GPT-4 improves speed by 25% and quality by 40% for ...", "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/193jspg/gpt4_improves_speed_by_25_and_quality_by_40_for/"}, {"title": "BCG tests GPT-4, the results will surprise you! (Harvard Study)", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOqk7OyMbpI"}, {"title": "BCG GPT-4 Findings More Cautionary Than Reported", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/double-edged-sword-ai-professional-services-bcg-gpt-4-holt-nguyen"}, {"title": "Work 25% faster, 40% better: Harvard study finds consulting giant BCG's staff using ChatGPT outperform on every measure – and underachievers get biggest boost | Mi3", "url": "https://www.mi-3.com.au/20-09-2023/harvard-business-school-study-bcg-finds-knowledge-workers-using-chat-gpt-outperform"}, {"title": "How AI is Redefining Strategy Consulting: McKinsey, BCG, ...", "url": "https://medium.com/@takafumi.endo/how-ai-is-redefining-strategy-consulting-insights-from-mckinsey-bcg-and-bain-69d6d82f1bab"}, {"title": "This Harvard Business School study found Boston Consulting Group (BCG) consultants who used GPT-4 in their work finished on average 12% more tasks, 25% faster, with 40% higher quality. | Brad Smith", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bradsmi_harvard-business-school-partners-with-bcg-activity-7134952239290290176-_v6e"}, {"title": "Enterprise workers gain 40 percent performance boost from GPT-4 ...", "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marshallmatt_enterprise-workers-gain-40-percent-performance-activity-7112186312157253632-gGSB"}, {"title": "Harvard And BCG Unveil The Double-Edged Sword Of AI ...", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2023/09/29/harvard-and-bcg-unveil-the-double-edged-sword-of-ai-in-the-workplace/"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "40%", "diagnoses": "preprint (deleted from the version of record)"}, {"match": "23%", "diagnoses": "sponsor marketing figure, not the paper's"}]}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "Wie viel teurer ist es, einen Neukunden zu gewinnen, als einen Bestandskunden zu halten? Nenne die Zahl und zitiere die Originalquelle.", "system": "chat_gpt", "model_reported": "gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14", "run": 101, "started_utc": "2026-07-28T00:02:22+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0284696, "error": null, "note": "German-language anchor arm. ONE run per system, not a counted cell. Attributes to 'Bain & Company und HubSpot' — HubSpot is a CRM vendor, offered as a study source. One citation slot, one domain, a German marketing agency blog.", "answer_text": "Die Gewinnung eines Neukunden ist in der Regel 5- bis 25-mal teurer als die Bindung eines Bestandskunden. ([vogler.marketing](https://www.vogler.marketing/blog/churn-rate)) Diese Zahlen stammen aus verschiedenen Studien, darunter Arbeiten von Bain & Company und HubSpot. Diese Quellen betonen die erheblichen Kostenunterschiede zwischen Neukundengewinnung und Kundenbindung. ", "citations": [{"title": "Churn Rate: Warum Bestandskunden halten 5x günstiger ist als Neukunden gewinnen | Insighter", "url": "https://www.vogler.marketing/blog/churn-rate"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}], "language": "de", "counted": false}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "Wie viel teurer ist es, einen Neukunden zu gewinnen, als einen Bestandskunden zu halten? Nenne die Zahl und zitiere die Originalquelle.", "system": "claude", "model_reported": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "run": 101, "started_utc": "2026-07-28T00:02:38+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.057175, "error": null, "note": "German-language anchor arm. ONE run, not counted. Returns FOUR figures (5x, 7x, 16x, 25x); the 16x variant appears nowhere in the English cell. Names NO origin and says so explicitly. The same model asserted 'Bain & Company research conducted by Frederick Reichheld' on 3 of 3 English runs the same day.", "answer_text": "Die Angaben zum Kostenfaktor variieren in verschiedenen Quellen erheblich:\n\n**Die gängigsten Zahlen:**\n\n- **5-mal teurer**: Laut Experten und empirischen Studien ist es mindestens fünfmal teurer, einen neuen Kunden zu gewinnen, als einen bestehenden Kunden zu halten\n\n- **7-mal teurer**: Manche Studien liefern das Ergebnis, dass es sieben Mal so teurer sei, einen neuen Kunden zu gewinnen\n\n- **16-mal teurer**: Laut Studien kostet es bis zu 16-mal so viel, einen neuen Kunden zu gewinnen, als einen bestehenden zu halten\n\n- **25-mal teurer**: Neue Kunden zu gewinnen, kann bis zu 25-mal teurer sein, als bestehende Kunden zu halten\n\n**Problem bei der Quellenangabe:**\nLeider nennen die gefundenen Artikel keine konkreten Originalstudien oder wissenschaftlichen Quellen. Sie sprechen allgemein von \"Experten\", \"empirischen Studien\" oder \"Studien\", ohne diese genau zu benennen. Eine Quelle verweist auf eine \"Potenzialanalyse Kostenmanagement\", die eine Faustformel von Experten bestätigt, aber auch hier fehlt die genaue wissenschaftliche Referenz.\n\nDie am häufigsten zitierte Zahl ist der **Faktor 5**, der als etablierte Faustformel in der Marketingbranche gilt.", "citations": [{"title": "5 Gründe, warum Bestandskunden so wertvoll sind | Content Hub | W&V", "url": "https://www.wuv.de/Archiv/5-Gr%C3%BCnde,-warum-Bestandskunden-so-wertvoll-sind"}, {"title": "Kundenbindung: Stammkunden günstiger als Neukunden", "url": "https://www.franchiseportal.de/definition/kundenbindung-a-4929"}, {"title": "Beziehungspflege zahlt sich aus - Neukundengewinnung fünfmal so teuer - WiWi-TReFF Zeitung", "url": "https://www.wiwi-treff.de/Fuehrung-and-Strategie/Kundenmanagement/Beziehungspflege-zahlt-sich-aus-Neukundengewinnung-fuenfmal-so-teuer/Artikel-4977"}, {"title": "Was sich mehr lohnt: Neukunden-Akquise oder Bestandskunden-Pflege - HORIZONT", "url": "https://www.horizont.net/marketing/nachrichten/was-sich-mehr-lohnt-neukunden-akquise-oder-bestandskunden-pflege-194321"}, {"title": "Kundenbindung: Fünf wirksame Strategien zur Gewinnsteigerung", "url": "https://www.superoffice.de/quellen/artikel/kundenbindung/"}, {"title": "Neukunden teuer als Bestandskunden: Akquise-Aufwand steigt", "url": "https://www.krauss-gmbh.com/blog/neukunden-teuer-als-bestandskunden-akquise-aufwand-steigt"}, {"title": "Neukunden vs. Bestandskunden: Was bringt mehr im B2B?", "url": "https://www.heyacto.com/en/blog/new-vs-existing-clients"}, {"title": "Beziehungspflege zahlt sich aus - Neukundengewinnung fünfmal so teuer - WiWi-TReFF Zeitung", "url": "https://www.wiwi-treff.de/Fuehrung-and-Strategie/Kundenmanagement/Beziehungspflege-zahlt-sich-aus-Neukundengewinnung-fuenfmal-so-teuer/Artikel-4977"}], "discriminator_hits": [], "language": "de", "counted": false}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "Wie viel teurer ist es, einen Neukunden zu gewinnen, als einen Bestandskunden zu halten? Nenne die Zahl und zitiere die Originalquelle.", "system": "gemini", "model_reported": "gemini-2.5-flash", "run": 101, "started_utc": "2026-07-28T00:02:56+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.0357853, "error": null, "note": "German-language anchor arm. ONE run, not counted. Answered a German question out of the ENGLISH corpus: every cited domain (postaffiliatepro, churnkey, optimove, uplandsoftware, forbes) also appears in this system's English runs, and not one German-language source is cited. Introduces a further lower bound, '3x', in the same sentence as 5-25x.", "answer_text": "Die Gewinnung eines Neukunden ist in der Regel **5 bis 25 Mal teurer** als die Bindung eines Bestandskunden.\n\nDiese weite Spanne (3x bis 25x) erklärt sich durch Unterschiede in der Branche, dem Geschäftsmodell und der Preisgestaltung.\n\nEine der häufig zitierten Quellen für diese Erkenntnis ist die Forschung von **Bain & Company**. Auch der Harvard Business Review wird oft als Quelle genannt, der besagt, dass die Neukundenakquise fünfmal teurer ist als die Kundenbindung.\n\nDie höheren Kosten für die Neukundenakquise resultieren aus verschiedenen Faktoren:\n*   **Marketing- und Werbeausgaben:** Um neue Kunden zu erreichen und zu überzeugen, müssen Unternehmen stark in Marketingkanäle wie digitale Werbung, soziale Medien, SEO und traditionelle Werbung investieren.\n*   **Geringere Konversionsraten:** Bestandskunden sind oft loyaler und probieren mit 50 % höherer Wahrscheinlichkeit neue Produkte aus und geben durchschnittlich 31 % mehr aus als Neukunden.\n*   **Aufbau von Vertrauen:** Bei Neukunden muss Vertrauen erst aufgebaut werden, während Bestandskunden bereits eine Beziehung zur Marke haben.", "citations": [{"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "churnkey.co", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "postaffiliatepro.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "optimove.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "uplandsoftware.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "uplandsoftware.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}, {"title": "forbes.com", "url": null, "via": "vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect"}], "discriminator_hits": [{"match": "5x", "diagnoses": "the circulating ratio - no primary document reports it"}, {"match": "Bain & Company", "diagnoses": "the standard attribution; Bain has published no study measuring this ratio"}, {"match": "Harvard Business Review", "diagnoses": "usually HBR 2014 (Gallo), which states the figure hedged and uncited"}], "language": "de", "counted": false}
{"question_id": "Q1", "question_class": "unrecoverable", "prompt": "Wie viel teurer ist es, einen Neukunden zu gewinnen, als einen Bestandskunden zu halten? Nenne die Zahl und zitiere die Originalquelle.", "system": "perplexity", "model_reported": "sonar", "run": 101, "started_utc": "2026-07-28T00:03:02+00:00", "surface": "api", "collected_via": "dataforseo/ai_optimization", "search_used": true, "money_spent": 0.005239, "error": null, "note": "German-language anchor arm. ONE run, not counted. Twenty citation slots, all German-language, spanning DE, AT (steireif.com) and CH (swiss-marketer.ch) plus Reddit. Asked to cite the original source, it closes by OFFERING to look for it: 'Wenn du möchtest, kann ich dir als Nächstes die wahrscheinlich ursprüngliche Studienquelle hinter dieser Aussage heraussuchen.'", "answer_text": "Die gängigste Zahl ist: **5-mal so teuer**. Eine oft zitierte Formulierung lautet: „**Es ist statistisch 5- bis 25-mal teurer, einen Neukunden zu gewinnen, als einen bestehenden zu halten**“[1].\n\nWenn du eine *konkrete* Originalquelle mit der engeren Zahl suchst, ist die verbreitete Faustformel **5-mal teurer** ebenfalls gut belegt, etwa in Formulierungen wie „**mindestens fünfmal teurer**“[2] oder „**fünfmal so teuer**“[7][8].\n\nWenn du möchtest, kann ich dir als Nächstes die **wahrscheinlich ursprüngliche Studienquelle** hinter dieser Aussage heraussuchen und die genaue Wortlautstelle identifizieren.", "citations": [{"title": "Neukunden vs. Bestandskunden: Was bringt mehr im B2B?", "url": "https://www.heyacto.com/blog/neukunden-vs-bestandskunden"}, {"title": "Neukunden kosten, Bestandskunden bringen Geld", "url": "https://www.beyond-print.de/marketing-neukunden-kosten-bestandskunden-bringen-geld/"}, {"title": "Bestandskunden vs Neukunden im B2B – was kostet mehr?", "url": "https://qymatix.de/de/bestandskunden-neukunden-b2b-kosten/"}, {"title": "Neukunden-Akquise oder Bestandskunden-Pflege", "url": "https://www.horizont.net/marketing/nachrichten/was-sich-mehr-lohnt-neukunden-akquise-oder-bestandskunden-pflege-194321"}, {"title": "Neukunden kosten 5x mehr als Stammkunden", "url": "https://www.krauss-gmbh.com/blog/neukunden-kosten-5x-mehr-als-stammkunden-kundenmanagement"}, {"title": "Bestandskunden-Marketing: Retention & CLV verdoppeln", "url": "https://swiss-marketer.ch/blog/bestandskunden-retention-clv.html"}, {"title": "Beziehungspflege zahlt sich aus - Neukundengewinnung fünfmal so teuer", "url": "https://www.wiwi-treff.de/Fuehrung-and-Strategie/CRM/Beziehungspflege-zahlt-sich-aus-Neukundengewinnung-fuenfmal-so-teuer/Artikel-4977"}, {"title": "Neukundengewinnung: Tipps, Strategie und Kosten", "url": "https://blog.hubspot.de/sales/neukundengewinnung"}, {"title": "Warum Kundenbindung 5x weniger kostet als Neukundengewinnung", "url": "https://www.postaffiliatepro.de/blog/why-customer-retention-costs-5x-less-than-acquisition/"}, {"title": "So hältst du Kunden über Jahre – ohne Rabattschlachten - Impulse", "url": "https://www.impulse.de/marketing/loyalitaet-von-kunden-plus/7631650.html"}, {"title": "Neukunden kosten 5 mal mehr als Stammkunden", "url": "https://heinmedia-agentur.de/news/neukunden-kosten-5-mal-mehr-als-stammkunden-und-diese-erkenntnis-veraendert-ihr-marketing-fuer-immer/"}, {"title": "Kostenanalyse: Wann lohnt sich Neukundengewinnung gegenüber der Kundenbindung wirklich?", "url": "https://voice-of-success.de/2024/11/15/kostenanalyse-wann-lohnt-sich-neukundengewinnung-gegenueber-der-kundenbindung-wirklich/"}, {"title": "Der Preis von Neukunden vs. Treue: Die Kosten ...", "url": "https://ecommercefastlane.com/de/Erl%C3%A4uterung-der-Kosten-f%C3%BCr-die-Bindung-neuer-und-treuer-Kunden/"}, {"title": "Warum sind Unternehmen mehr fixiert auf Neukunden, als Bestandskunden zu pflegen?", "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/Finanzen/comments/13jc4fb/warum_sind_unternehmen_mehr_fixiert_auf_neukunden/"}, {"title": "Kundenbindung vs. Neukundengewinnung: Wo lohnt sich ...", "url": "https://www.steireif.com/blog/kundenbindung-vs-neukundengewinnung"}, {"title": "Warum es besser ist, alte Kunden zu behalten, als nur neue zu \"jagen\"", "url": "https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Warum-es-besser-ist-alte-Kunden-zu-behalten-als-nur-neue-zu-jagen-1131586.html"}, {"title": "Warum Kundenbindung wichtiger ist als Kundengewinnung", "url": "https://www.weserbergland-nachrichten.de/warum-kundenbindung-wichtiger-ist-als-kundengewinnung/"}, {"title": "Die Kosten Für Die Gewinnung Neuer Kunden Im Vergleich Zur Bindung Bestehender Kunden - FasterCapital", "url": "https://fastercapital.com/de/thema/die-kosten-f%C3%BCr-die-gewinnung-neuer-kunden-im-vergleich-zur-bindung-bestehender-kunden.html"}, {"title": "Bestandskunden: Warum sind sie so wichtig?", "url": "https://datasolut.com/wiki/bestandskunden/"}, {"title": "Warum Bestandskunden noch wichtiger als Neukunden sind", "url": "https://www.strategische-wettbewerbsbeobachtung.com/wiki/bestandskunden/"}], "discriminator_hits": [], "language": "de", "counted": false}