How BDO Canada Modernized Its Intelligence Workflow with Real-Time Insights and Predictive Data

Advisory firms run on insights. But many are still stuck in the past with manual processes, backward-looking metrics, and zero visibility into what clients want next.

For BDO Canada, a leading advisory firm serving everyone from startups to enterprise clients, market intelligence isn’t just a nice-to-have. When you’re competing for high-value advisory relationships, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to one thing: knowing what your clients need before they do.

That’s exactly what BDO Canada discovered when they started leveraging ZoomInfo’s GTM Intelligence Platform via ZoomInfo Sales and API.

The plug-and-play aspect of the API means I can integrate it very easily into any process and get information at a moment’s notice
Jerry Wilson
Senior Marketing Intelligence Analyst

The Old Way: Manual and Reactive

Before ZoomInfo, BDO Canada’s intelligence gathering was time-consuming, ad hoc, and reactive.

“We’d have to go into the sales platform to download the information and transform the data,” says Jerry Wilson, Senior Market Intelligence Analyst at BDO Canada. “It was a day-long process to update dashboards.”

And all that time spent on data sourcing and cleaning meant that Wilson’s Client and Market Intelligence team wasn’t giving stakeholders the real-time intelligence they needed to act at the speed of their markets.

Connecting to ZoomInfo’s API changed that. Dashboard updates that once took eight hours now are completed in one — an 87% reduction that gets critical insights to stakeholders faster.

Real-Time Intelligence that Actually Works

API Integration: From Manual to Automated

Speeding up processes was just the start. ZoomInfo’s API fundamentally changed the team’s approach to market intelligence, with self-service dashboards that provide instant access to company-level intent and insights.

“The plug-and-play aspect of the API means I can integrate it very easily into any process and get information at a moment’s notice,” Wilson says.

Game-Changing Intent Data

BDO also leveraged ZoomInfo’s buyer intent signals to transform the way it measures client value.

Previously, the firm’s Client Value Index relied on data such as revenue, engagement, and project history. It was all useful data, but also fundamentally backward-looking – none of it told them where clients were headed next.

“But we realized we do have a forward-facing metric: the intent of that client. We can tie a certain amount of value toward what a client is searching for,” Wilson says. “That’s when we realized that intent data is not just a snapshot of where the client is right now, but also where they’re trying to go.”

Including predictive intent signals in the Client Value Index has transformed BDO Canada’s client management from reactive to proactive, putting them in better position to support their fastest-growing clients as true, tuned-in partners.

Building a Scalable Self-Service Intelligence Culture

Here’s what separates BDO Canada’s approach to intelligence from other firms: they went beyond implementing new tools and built a new internal operating model.

“We’ve created a self-service model with the insights that we’re producing,” says Rachel Corvinelli, Senior Specialist on the Client and Market Intelligence Team. “We’ve made internal dashboards that stakeholders across the firm can access and filter the data that they’re looking for to get quick, digestible insights. And ZoomInfo has played a really important role in fueling these dashboards.”

This ethos of innovation is something that BDO Canada consistently practices.

“We are constantly looking for feedback,” Corvinelli says. “That mindset of being able to test, get feedback quickly, and test again so we can continue to improve is what makes these tools successful.”

The Results: Intelligence That Scales

Integrating ZoomInfo into their processes brought BDO Canada’s intelligence team real results, fast:

Process efficiency: dashboard updates that took eight hours now take one hour: an 87% improvement that freed up analysts for strategic work instead of data wrangling
Forward-looking intelligence: BDO’s Client Value Index now includes predictive intent signals, moving the firm from reactive to proactive client management
Firm-wide adoption: Self-service dashboards democratized intelligence across multiple internal teams

While the technology has proven powerful, Wilson emphasizes the value of ZoomInfo’s people and service.

“The tools, the Sales platform, the API all speak for themselves. But I think it’s working with these folks that makes it so special. They’ve been super responsive and committed to our success, and that level of commitment makes the tools even more valuable to us.”

A Transformative Approach

By partnering with ZoomInfo, BDO Canada did more than buy software; they transformed their entire approach to GTM Intelligence. From manual processes to real-time insights. From backward-looking metrics to forward-facing intent signals. From departmental silos to firm-wide intelligence sharing.

Looking ahead, they continue to explore ways to work smarter, at scale.

“We’re passionate about helping our clients, and that really shines through in how we leverage ZoomInfo to tailor our insights,” Corvinelli says. “We produce really meaningful insights for both our clients and for internal teams, influencing strategy that makes an impact. And ZoomInfo plays a really important part in how we’re able to do that.”