Why Use a Consultant?
Consultants can provide many services that may be of value to your organization:
Specialized Expertise
This is often thought to be the only reason to hire a consultant. It is one of the most common. When you need expertise to handle an issue within your organization that is not available from in- house personnel a consultant can be used to deal with the issue. It is impossible for most organizations to maintain a staff with expertise in ever area they may need. This is particularly true for projects or issues which come up only occasionally.
Specialized Resources
Specialized resources may also provide the justification for using a consultant. It is often not cost effective for an organization to purchase specialized resources that are not going to be used frequently. A consultant specializing in a particular area can afford to obtain many resources particular to that discipline.
Experience
Some issues may arise infrequently. This does not allow much opportunity for in-house personnel to gain experience in handling these issues. A consultant by working with many organizations can gain a great deal of experience in solving a special type of problem.
Time Required
Timing is often a problem that a consultant can help solve. If your in-house staff is too busy to handle an issue a consultant can be used to fill the gap. Consultants may also be able to complete a particular project faster than your in-house staff. If a consultant specializes in a particular type of project it is only logical that they should be capable of completing projects in that area faster than your personnel who may not deal with the issues involved on a regular basis.
Cost
Consultants have a reputation for being expensive. If you compare the hourly wage of an in-house staff member to the hourly rates of most consultants it is easy to see how this impression is formed. The difference in hourly rates is only part of the difference though. A consultants hourly or daily rates must include not only the consultants salary but, overhead, benefits, and many other costs that are frequently hidden when considering the cost of an in-house person.
The other item which is not usually considered is the superior efficiency of most consultants. I don't mean to imply that consultants are more efficient than your personnel in general. They are, however, or at least should be more efficient in their area of expertise. The nature of the consulting business demands this of a consultant that hopes for long term success.
Third Party Objectivity
No matter how much an insider tries to view a problem objectively they will always be influenced by their own stake in the issue and the culture of the organization. An outside consultant can provide a fresh unbiased view of the issue. This objectivity is a major advantage for both the client and the consultant. It allows the consultant to explore solutions that may have been completely overlooked by your own personnel or discounted as unworkable. A consultant can make a recommendation that is identical to one made by in-house personnel and have more creditability because they are an outsider.
Finding a Consultant
Finding the right consultant can be a frustrating experience. It is difficult to assess the quality of a consultants work until that work is completed. When the work is completed you have already paid or at least agreed to pay for the services. The following section will help provide some resources that can be used to find an appropriate consultant.
Previous In-House Use
The ideal way to find an appropriate consultant is to have had previous personal experience with the consultant. If you have used a consultant for a project in the past and been satisfied with the work they did you can feel reasonably safe that you can expect the same caliber of work in the future.
Referrals from a Consultant You Use
Current consultants can be an excellent source of information. If a project needs to be handled that is outside the expertise of a consultant you are currently using they may provide names of other consultants you can consider. No smart consultant would refer you to someone unless they were sure that the other consultant was going to provide good results.
Other Facilities Within Your Organization
If no one at your facility has had any direct experience with a consultant you may find helpful information from other facilities. This source is only useful if your organization has multiple facilities. You may be able to contact your counterpart at the other sites and get a reference for a consultant that they have worked with.
Industry Contacts
Others within your industry may prove to be excellent contacts. Chances are good that someone else in your industry has run into a similar problem. They may have found a consultant they are pleased with that could handle the issues your facing.
Area Contacts
If contact within your industry don't provide the information you need you can contact individuals from outside your industry in your local area. Many industries have similar problems and these people may be able to refer you to a consultant they have used that may have the expertise you need.
Associations
Trade and professional associations often offer referral services. You can check with these groups for your industry and also the groups that the type of consultant you are looking for may belong to. Referrals from associations typically don't offer any assessment of the quality of the consultant. A list of possibilities would give you a place to start though.
Professional Directories
Many organizations publish directories of consultants and other professionals with in specialized fields or general guides. These offer many potentials but, like associations they do not evaluate the quality of any individual consultant.
Selecting a Consultant
Once you have searched and found a number of what appear to be qualified consultants you will need to select the one which you think will best meet your individual needs. The following section provides some basic guidance on selecting a consultant.
Satisfied Clients
The single most important factor is satisfied previous clients. A consultant that does not have a base of clients that thought they did a good job should not be used. The one exception to this rule is the individual that is new to consulting. We all started sometime and our first clients had to take a chance on our abilities. There is nothing wrong with giving an individual a chance. You need to recognize this as a special situation to make a reasoned choice.
Experience With Similar Projects
The ideal situation is to find a consultant that has handled a project exactly like yours for a client in the same industry. This is not always going to be possible. Experience with similar projects is important though.
Demonstrated Expertise
Whether new to consulting or established in the consulting profession, the individual should be able to show a demonstrated expertise in the area of specialty. Demonstrations of expertise may be previous related projects. Published magazine articles, books, and other writings in the field can be evidence of expertise. Conference presentations and other public speaking engagements may show expertise. Certifications are useful in that they indicate at least a certain minimum competence on the part of the consultant.
Communications Skills
The entire consulting process hinges on the ability of the consultant to communicate. Consultant must be excellent communicators in all areas; listening, speaking, and writing. During the interview with a potential consultant you can make an evaluation of their listening and speaking skills. You should ask to see a sample of written materials to allow you to evaluate the consultants ability to communicate in writing. This last step is particularly important if your project will involve a written end product. Ask to see something similar to what your project will generate.
Understanding of Your Project
It is essential that the consultant have a clear mental image of the situation you want to address. If you and the consultant view the situation differently at the beginning of a project it is not possible to end the project with satisfactory results.
Sensitivity to Your Needs
An effective consultant is sensitive to the needs of their clients. This can be demonstrated by the way the consultant relates with you during the interview.
Honest and Clear About Fees
Any quality consultant is not bashful or ashamed about their fees. They are providing a valuable service and deserve to be adequately compensated. You should immediately eliminate from consideration any consultant that will not provide information you request on fees and other costs that you will be expected to pay. Acceptable fee arrangements are based on mutual agreement between the consultant and client. Many ways exist to handle billing. Commonly you will find hourly and daily rate, fixed fee plus expenses, and fixed fee. The exact arrangement is not as important as the consultants willingness to discuss the specifics with you.
Specific About Results
There is a fine line in this area. Consultants will not provide all the information on how they will handle your situation until they have been retained. You cannot expect the consultant to solve your problem during the interview. You can, however, expect the consultant to provide enough information on their approach to the problem to demonstrate that they can do the job.
Getting Results
Satisfactory results from the use of a consultant are not just the responsibility of the consultant. You will play a major role in the success of the project. The following section contains some guidelines for your role in the consulting process.
Your Expectations
Consultants should be excellent within their field of expertise but, they are not mind readers. You need to be honest and clearly communicate your expectations in all important areas of the project.
Provide Necessary Information
If a clock had only a single hand you could look at it and still not know what time it was. This is true of consultants. With the necessary information a good consultant can help you deal with many situations. If you withhold, intentionally or through oversight, information that is directly related to the project even the most competent consultant will get poor results.
Clarify Misunderstandings Promptly
If it becomes obvious that a misunderstanding has occurred you must resolve it immediately. Misunderstanding that are not corrected will ruin the results.
Monitor Progress
The consultant is primarily in charge of insuring that their commitments to you are kept. It is in your best interest though to monitor the progress of the project. Let the consultant know if you feel things are not going as planned.
Ask for What You Want
Ask for the answers you want. If situations arise during the project that you are unsure about ask.
Any good consultant will appreciate your questions.
Avoid Imposing a Bias
Do not impose your bias on the consultant. This defeats one of the advantages of using a consultant. A reputable consultant will not consciously let you insert a bias but, you must try to avoid putting a bias into the project.
Evaluating The Project
After the project has been completed you should evaluate the results. This provides an insight into the project itself and will also help you decide if you will use the particular consultant again in the future.
Results
The results that were obtained is one of the key evaluation criteria. Did the consultant do what they said they would do.
Planning
Did the consultant prepare an adequate plan for the project. Did this plan take into consideration all the essential steps of the process.
Project Management
Project management is primarily an evaluation of whether the consultant followed the plan they developed. Minor deviations from the plan are not significant. Major differences between the plan and how the project was actually accomplished indicate poor project management or a poor plan.
Reporting
Were you kept informed of the progress during the project. Were variances from the schedule and other problem areas reported promptly.
Expertise
Is the expected expertise reflected in the finished project.
Recommendations
Are the recommendations submitted by the consultant workable. Was adequate information provided to implement them successfully. Once they were implemented did they perform as expected.
Follow Up
Did the consultant follow up with you after the completion of the project and offer assistance where needed.
This information is provided by:
FIRECON, P. O. Box 231, East Earl, PA 17519,
US & Canada tollfree 800-222-8841
Office 717-354-2411
Fax 717-354-7233.