Consultants are external parties that utilizes their vast array of specific skill sets to solve complex problems or work on projects that do not fall under the regular regime of the permanent employees of a firm. This article contemplates the advantages of hiring a consultant in comparison to utilizing the expertise of the in house team.
Consultants have vast amount of experience in solving complex problems as they serve multiple clients in the same sector. In this way, working on variety of specific challenges allow them to develop a breadth of resources, which they can refer to confidently recognize common attributes and engineer an effective and a well-rounded solution while ensuring the least amount of resources are consumed. Moreover, working with multiple companies with varying corporate culture and work ethics across the globe allows them to be easily accustomed to a new work environment and adapt to new scenarios faster. Therefore, consultants can develop a quick and concrete solution on their first attempt and in a relatively smaller time frame than by using in house employees.
Hiring a consultant allows a firm to keep their internal staff headcount low. This serves several benefits to the firm. In this way, a company does not need to provide any permanent employee benefits to a consultant, and most importantly their services can be used on as needed basis. Moreover, a permanent staff hired with a specific skill to perform a special task may not have enough work for him to keep him busy all year-round. Furthermore, a hired staff may not be able to present his opinion with confidence due to lack of expertise, perceived power issues and hierarchical constraints. Working with consultant, the internal staff can learn the specific skill set and utilize them while tackling a similar project independently in future. Lastly, assigning new projects and challenges to consultants prevents overburdening regular employees with extra work and allows them to focus on their core responsibilities. Hence, consultants bring a wealth of skills set to a company without the constraints of a standard employee.
A consultant brings a new perspective to a problem, without the filters and preconceived notions that internal employees may have developed by falling into a daily routine. A fresh view on the problem by an external party can often lead to develop an outside the box solution that the client wasn’t able to determine on their own. Furthermore, consultants can help the clients make an unpopular or risky decision on a controversial project without getting involved in the emotions or politics. This allows companies to insulate themselves from an unpopular decision by utilizing the consultant as the representatives. Hence, use of consultants allows political leverage and the clients can reap benefits of an innovative approach to the solution.
The fee for the solutions delivered by the consultant pays for itself in the long run in terms of reduced overall cost and increased productivity. In addition, a consultant saves time and money by providing the assistance in the right time and mitigates the probability of costly mistakes. Efficient utilization of consultants is a key tool in managing a successful operation in these times of tough market conditions.
– Nikhil Argawal
Nikhil is working as associate mining engineer as Mineit consulting. He will be writing series of articles to help you reap benefits from the Mineit’s consulting services.