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Process

How Afrisapients Works

A five-stage process designed to move from research question to expert intelligence in days, with compliance completed before any conversation begins.

Submit Your Brief

~1 hour

The brief is where the work is scoped. You describe your research need, target geography, sector and timeline, and the structured intake form prompts for the detail our research team needs before matching can begin — the decision the research supports, the type of experience required, and any parties you cannot speak to.

Because the form captures that detail up front, matching starts immediately rather than after a round of clarifying calls. A research associate is assigned to the brief and stays with it through delivery.

What we do

  • Assign a research associate to the brief
  • Confirm scope, geography, sector and timeline
  • Acknowledge the brief with a proposed approach

What you do

  • Describe the research need and the decision it supports
  • Name the target geography, sector and timeline
  • Flag any organisations that are off limits

You get: A confirmed brief reference, an assigned research associate, and a proposed approach within one business day.

Common questions

How long does the intake form take?
Around an hour for a considered brief. Shorter is fine; more detail generally produces a sharper shortlist.
When will I hear back?
We acknowledge every brief with a proposed approach within one business day.
Can I change the brief after submitting it?
Yes. Your research associate can revise scope, geography or timeline at any point before scheduling.

Expert Matching

24–48 hrs

Matching combines AI-assisted search across the verified network with review by the research associate who took the brief. The tools surface candidates quickly; the associate decides which of them genuinely answer the question you asked.

Every candidate is reviewed for conflicts of interest and compliance standing at this stage, not later. Candidates whose position cannot be cleared do not progress, and the reason is recorded against the brief.

What we do

  • Search the verified network with AI-assisted tools
  • Review each candidate for relevance to the brief
  • Run preliminary conflict and compliance checks

What you do

  • Answer any clarifying questions from your associate
  • Confirm restricted parties or sensitivities
  • Nothing else — matching runs on our side

You get: A ranked longlist of 8–12 candidates, each with a relevance note and preliminary compliance status.

Common questions

Is the matching automated?
The search is AI-assisted. Every recommendation is reviewed by an experienced research associate before it reaches you.
What happens to candidates who fail compliance review?
They are removed from the longlist before you see it, and the reason is recorded against the brief.

Shortlist Review

2–5 business days

The longlist is narrowed to a shortlist of profiles you can act on. Each profile sets out the relevant experience, why the expert fits this brief, and the compliance status recorded during matching.

Selection is entirely at your discretion. You can proceed with one expert, several, or none — and request alternatives without explanation or additional cost.

What we do

  • Curate the longlist into a shortlist of profiles
  • Write a relevance note for each expert
  • Publish compliance status alongside every profile

What you do

  • Review the profiles and relevance notes
  • Select, decline or request alternatives
  • Confirm the experts you want to speak to

You get: A curated shortlist of 3–5 expert profiles, ready for your review and selection.

Common questions

What if none of the shortlist fits?
Request alternatives. Your associate returns to the network and, where needed, recruits to the brief.
Do I pay for a shortlist I decline?
No. You pay for consultations you use.

Schedule & Consult

30–60 min call

Once you have selected an expert, we handle scheduling across time zones, collect the conflict and employer-consent declarations, and set up the call. Compliance documentation is completed before the conversation starts, not retrospectively.

Consultations typically run 30 to 60 minutes and are recorded and transcribed with the consent of both parties. If either party declines recording, the call proceeds without it.

What we do

  • Schedule the call across time zones
  • Collect conflict and employer-consent declarations
  • Run call logistics, recording and transcription

What you do

  • Confirm a time and your own compliance declarations
  • Prepare your questions
  • Join the call

You get: A recorded, transcribed consultation — with compliance documentation completed before the call begins.

Common questions

Is recording mandatory?
No. Recording and transcription happen with consent; if either party declines, the call proceeds without them.
Who completes the compliance paperwork?
We do, with input from both sides, and it is completed before the call begins.

Intelligence Delivered

Within 24 hrs

After the consultation you receive the full transcript together with an AI-assisted summary that pulls out the substantive points. The summary is a reading aid; the transcript remains the record.

Every consultation is saved to your knowledge library, so the intelligence your team commissions stays searchable and reusable rather than sitting in one person's notes.

What we do

  • Produce the transcript and AI-assisted summary
  • File the record in your knowledge library
  • Deliver within 24 hours of the consultation

What you do

  • Review the summary and transcript
  • Share the record with your team
  • Submit a follow-up brief if the work continues

You get: A full transcript, AI-assisted summary, and a saved record in your client knowledge library.

Common questions

How quickly is the transcript delivered?
Within 24 hours of the consultation.
Who can see the knowledge library?
Your client account. Records are not shared across clients.
Is there a charge for transcripts?
No. There are no platform fees, seat licences or transcript fees.
Timeline

Timeline Summary

Cumulative elapsed time from brief submission to delivered intelligence.

  1. Day 0Submit Your Brief
  2. 24–48 hrsExpert Matching
  3. 2–5 business daysShortlist Review
  4. 5–7 business daysSchedule & Consult
  5. +24 hrsIntelligence Delivered

Typical end-to-end: 5–7 business days.

Boundaries

What We Do Not Do

The commitments behind the process matter as much as the process itself.

  • We do not operate a self-registration marketplace. Every expert is individually verified.
  • We do not connect clients to experts with unresolved conflicts of interest. Compliance clears before scheduling.
  • We do not charge platform fees, seat licences or transcript fees. The published price is the price.

Ready to Start?

Submit a brief and your assigned research associate will respond within one business day.