When Is The Right Time To Bring In A Consultant?
There are a great many reasons businesses may bring in a consultant. Being a consultant myself, I see the value. At the risk of sounding somewhat cliche, I know I make a difference to the businesses I work with and whenever a project is completed I feel an immense sense of satisfaction knowing that I had an impact. It’s having that impact that keeps me motivated and passionate about my role as a ticketing consultant for the attractions industry and it’s why I continue to receive glowing references and referrals from my clients – some of which you can see in my case studies. Yet, I also understand why bringing in a consultant can be a difficult decision for an organisation to make.
Why Businesses May Not Recognise The Right Time To Bring In A Consultant
Bringing in a consultant may mean recognising that there are not the skills or expertise within the organisation to execute the project or change you need to make.
Consultants have a reputation also for being costly and, because consultants are often brought in to make changes, it can be unsettling for both staff and management to bring an outsider on board. Yet, when the right consultant is hired they can bring new perspectives and insight and enact change for the better. More often than not, this saves time and money in the long term and fuels the success and security of an organisation sometimes for years after the consultant has left.
Still, hesitancy to reach out to an expert can mean businesses don’t bring in a consultant soon enough. They invest resources in trying to fix the problem or tackle the project themselves without the support they might need. Inevitably, when the decision is then made to bring on a consultant, the problem has often become far more complex and money and time have usually been thrown at trying to solve the issue to no avail. Not only have resources likely dwindled but so too has morale.
Another reason businesses may not know the right time to bring in a consultant is that it is not always business leaders and directors who work with consultants.
Team leaders and managers often require consultant support but may be reluctant to ask. ‘What if they interpret this as I sign that you can’t manage?’ they might worry. Or, ‘What if I’m not offered similar opportunities again because the first thing I did was request support?
Unfortunately, this is a company culture issue but that does make it reasonably easy to solve. By making it part of the process, when handing a project or transition over to a team leader or manager, to check they have the resources (including in-house expertise) they need. As part of this, it must be made clear that requesting further assistance, whether that be additional staff or a consultant, will not be stigmatised.
Generally, a consultant’s role is to leave an organisation stronger than when they entered it.
Bringing a consultant into a business should be a positive experience and, if you want it to have a real impact, then it’s better done sooner rather than later. But how do you know when it is the right time to bring in a consultant?
Let’s look at three examples of times when a consultant might be the best solution for your business:
1. Times Of Transition In An Organisation
During times of major transition, such as a takeover, changing systems, major expansion or relocation, a business might bring in a change management consultant. A change management consultant will be tasked with ensuring as smooth a transition as possible for all those in the company and their suppliers. Change management consultants will work best when involved from the beginning of the transition – that is, during the initial scoping and planning stages. If the change is unexpected, such as a takeover, change in leadership or sudden closure of large parts of the business or even specific sites, then again bringing in a consultant as soon as possible is advisable as they will be able to help navigate you through times of potential instability.
There may also be smaller transitions businesses go through where bringing in a consultant can be beneficial. For instance, when a business decides to branch out into another sector, a different region of their current market or launch a brand new product or service. For this, an outsider’s perspective can be very useful, particularly if they have specialist knowledge or skills the business can benefit and learn from.
To use me as an example, my role as a ticketing consultant is largely to help attractions and leisure operators source and procure new software solutions that can support their business needs. Through my business, Rework, I assist clients in developing a brief for what they require from their ticketing/Epos/CRM systems. In addition to this though, we will look outside of technical ability, to source a company that would be the right partner in terms of project management and support, as well as their working culture and approach to the client/supplier relationship.
Moving over to a new system is rarely a simple process but it can be made far simpler when:
- A plan is set out and followed under the guidance of an informed consultant
- The right procurement process is followed
- Communication is clear and consistent
- Buy-in from all parties is established and maintained
- The best/right technology partner is selected
- Processes are reviewed and new ones are established if required
- Training is well-planned and executed
- Investment is made into the long-term success of the partnership
When team leaders decide to change suppliers or scope new partnerships themselves, they are often doing this on top of their existing workload. This can make the process longer and put extra pressure on teams to rush through procurement. When this happens, businesses quite often experience issues with the new supplier or the new system. Perhaps because they have chosen the wrong partner or sometimes because they have not had the time available to fully explore capabilities and/or get to grips with the systems/processes.
How do I know this? Because ReWork has often been called in after this has happened and, whilst I’m more than happy to help, I know that if I’d been involved from the beginning, I’d have been able to save them this wasted time, expense and effort.
It’s not fair to expect teams with an already significant workload to oversee and enact big changes, such as systems and partnership changes without additional support. This is the right time to bring in a consultant and allow them to work in partnership with you to aid the transition.
2. Improving Relationships
When an organisation is struggling to retain staff, is seeing a lack of productivity or is losing clients, it may be time to look inward. It’s essential to do so because businesses rarely thrive without having healthy relationships both internally and externally and a breakdown in these relationships can lead the company to suffer. However, this can be a difficult problem to analyse or solve internally. An outsider’s perspective can be useful in establishing why a company may be losing staff or clients and they may be able to mediate you through overcoming these issues.
But, when is the right time to bring in a consultant to improve relationships? Some signs may include:
- A rise in employee resignations
- HR issues involving employee disputes and/or complaints
- Difficulty in recruiting
- Losing clients for reasons that appear non-logistical
Companies may also, at times, be struggling with partner or supplier relationships. Communication may be an issue and misunderstandings may result in various problems that affect the client-supplier relationship. In these cases, a knee-jerk reaction might be to change suppliers but sometimes a consultant can help you to rework an existing partnership and present solutions that enable both parties to work more effectively together.
In my role, for instance, I might be consulted when a ticketing supplier doesn’t appear to be supporting a client in the way that is required. Sometimes terminating the relationship is necessary but quite often it may be that the existing supplier is capable of fulfilling the client’s needs but, for various and differing reasons, this has not been communicated or enacted upon.
Working with both parties, a consultant can often mediate a way through issues and assist the client in encompassing the full capabilities a supplier may have to offer that had yet to be explored.
3. When You Need The Expertise Of A Consultant
If a business is embarking on a new project or exploring new areas of potential, they are unlikely to yet have the expertise they need within the company. Exploring new possibilities, or working outside of in-house skill sets can mean bringing in a consultant – someone who does hold the expertise you need to execute this new phase.
Bringing in a consultant for their expertise offers businesses two things: Firstly, organisations can benefit from the consultant’s skills, knowledge and sometimes connections, to help them through a transition/change or open up new areas of business. They can help a company put a plan together and guide them through your project. Secondly, organisations working with consultants should also be learning from them. This is why a good consultant, even though they may only be working with your business for a short period, is a long-term investment because their knowledge gets absorbed into the organisation.
Of course, you may wish to commit to hiring full-time employees who hold the required expertise. However, internal hiring can be expensive and is a big commitment. Therefore, when you are in the exploration and development phases, a consultant may be the more cost-effective way to bring in expertise.
There may also be projects which require specific skills that you don’t necessarily need in your organisation once the project is completed. Again, in this case, a consultant may be a smarter solution. Especially since one of the key skills of a good consultant is the ability to enter an organisation and quickly understand their needs and the project brief. This is one of the reasons why a need for expertise might be the right time to bring in a consultant, as businesses often find the process far simpler than onboarding new members of staff or upskilling existing staff to fill a skills gap.
What Are The Benefits Of Hiring A Consultant?
Broadly speaking, a good consultant offers a unique perspective and insight into an organisation that those within might not always be able to access.
Sometimes it’s necessary to take steps back from an artwork to be able to see the whole picture in its entirety and sometimes it’s worth honing your attention in one particular area. Those who have been looking at a picture for a long period may struggle to do either of these things objectively. An outside may be better able. This means they may spot opportunities or pinpoint areas for attention that business insiders would not otherwise have seen.
Bringing in a consultant also introduces new skills and perspectives into an organisation that should help you to grow and increase internal capability and knowledge. It allows teams to focus on their areas of expertise without the pressure of solely taking on a project they neither have the time nor resources to apply their full commitment to. Moreover, it can be inspiring to work alongside someone who has a different skill set and perhaps even new ideas. Who can bring unique insight into an organisation and transform what might have been a difficult and stressful process into an exciting learning experience.
If you’re embarking on a project and you’re short of resources, need expertise that’s not available within your organisation, or need a fresh look at a problem, Rework can help.
