7 Keystrokes for providing better consulting experience

The word consulting is derived from the latin word consulere which means 'take counsel'. Consulting means giving expert advice to the clients in exchange of financial benefits. Generally customers engage in different types of consulting projects according to their business needs such as financial consulting, marketing consulting, technological consulting, risk consulting, etc. However, this article will focus primarily on IT consulting and what key parameters we need to keep in mind while engaging in a consulting project.

While there are thousands of IT consulting firms across the world, only couple of them are successful in delivering value to the customers. Competition is extremely high and focus needs to be put on the value proposition provided to the customers and the competitive edge. However, focus on these two parameters isn't enough if you don't get the basics of consulting right. Many companies fail miserably because of the lack of focus on the basic things. I'll jot down 7 important points which companies need to focus on to get their basics right.

1. Fix the Scope of Work: More than often, the basic cause of failure in delivering a good consulting project is the inability to define the scope of work. The ambiguity in defining the scope can lead to conflicts between the customer and your company. Thus a direct face to face session must be arranged to discuss the scope and it must be clearly documented along with the consent of the customer.
2. Map the scope of work to the resources needed: If companies engage in consulting projects without assessing the resource requirements properly, it can lead to a delay in the overall project. Thus, as soon as the scope is fixed, resource mapping to the line items in the SOW must be done. It must then be documented and resources should be made available according to the timelines.
3. Customize reports and deliverables according to customer needs: Most of the organizations have a predefined templates for the deliverables. It is good to have a template to ensure that most of the basics are covered. However, creativity and customizations are required to make the assignment exhaustive and complete. Having an open mind will help you dig into the details and give a better final report to the customers.
4. Track deliverables statuses: Consulting projects often have multiple milestone based deliverables. These milestones must be achieved within stipulated timelines to gain customer trust. Delays must be avoided as revenues are also generally related to these milestones.
5. Keep a check on the timelines: Timeline is one of the most critical success factor of a consulting project. Even before the start of the project, appropriate assessment should be done before committing on a final date. Ensure to have a buffer, in case required. The project manager must track every activity as per the timeline and act upon it when required.
6. Interact and inform customers: Do not keep the customer guessing or waiting for you communication. Pro-active communication helps in keeping the customers informed about the progress of the project. As they invest hefty amounts for consulting, they expect to see progress without which they feel dissatisfied. A point to be noted here is that building a rapport can prove to be a trust gaining mechanism. Apart from having formal discussions, small talks on subject of interests will make them feel comfortable.
7. Provide a little something extra: While sticking to the deliverables is essential, it is always good to provide some extra information. It can be related to an identified area of opprtunity, a scope for expansion of business, an insight into new technology etc. It has two way benefit, one being the key insight for the customer about their environment; second being the possibility of selling another service of yours. Thus a little investment of time and resource on providing a little extra information can have a big impact on your business.

The aforementioned points are just a few of many more which determines the success of a consulting assignment. Make sure to get the basics right before focusing on the key distinguishers of your company. It will help you in gaining reputation in the industry and broaden your customer base.

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