The management consulting industry is filled with thousands of companies and individual practitioners, but how do you narrow it down to just the right ones to help you achieve your specific goals? AboutMatch has a rich database of consultants who specialise in the sales, service and back office niche – that means everything from call centres (or contact centres) to social media management, offshoring and multi-channel customer experience. Source consultants the smart and contemporary way: simply enter your needs through our quick questionnaire and we’ll connect you with a shortlist of the best-fit consultants based on their experience, availability, specialisation and location.
Tips for sourcing a consultant
The management consulting industry has virtually no barrier to entry – anyone can set themselves up as a consultant, with no formal qualifications required. Therefore sourcing a consultant from a directory or an online search, without extensive due diligence, can be fraught with risk. Consultants on the AboutMatch database have been pre-vetted through multiple reference checks, and we record information on their industry experience, methodologies used, and clients served.
Consulting is typically charged on a daily or hourly rate basis, with expenses passed-through either at cost or with a small, transparent mark-up. Some consulting engagements also have a “success fee” component, payable if the consultant’s recommendations result in the desired outcome. For example, if a consultant’s brief is to identify ways to reduce costs in a customer service operation by 25%, and his or her recommendations are executed resulting in 30% savings to the company, a bonus may be paid to the consultant.
Consultants are often criticised as being too expensive, but good consultants typically bring substantial benefits to their clients, worth many times more than the amounts they invoice. Many consultants also have a gap between client engagements, during which they may be generating no income. It’s important to keep all this in perspective if you are negotiating consulting fees.
While individual consultants are usually cheaper than management consultancies employing many, a larger consultancy may be more relevant to your business if your board is looking for a “brand name” to back recommendations, or if you require a level of governance and partner oversight that an individual practitioner simply cannot offer. Individual consultants offer relative value for money, and should be considered for small or highly specialised work.
Ready to have an exploratory conversation with a consultant? Just enter your needs in our 60-second questionnaire and we’ll connect you with a shortlist of the best-fit consultants.