IT plays a huge role in the way we do business. Regardless of your organisation’s size or industry type, in today’s world, keeping up with technology is a ‘must’. It’s more clear than ever – for a company to succeed, it must have a strong technological infrastructure that leaves space for innovation.
As technology becomes increasingly essential for running businesses and providing top-notch service, it’s a great idea to bring in an IT business consultant to handle all your tech needs. Whether you’re a small business or a big organisation, you could really gain from the expertise, strategies, and valuable experience that a professional IT business consultancy firm can offer. In the article below, we explain how IT consultancy and projects could benefit your company.
What is an IT consultant?
In simple terms, an IT consultant is someone (or a company) who is an expert in information technologies and uses that expertise to assist companies with their tech and business challenges. They are great at spotting potential weaknesses and areas where a company can do better, and they offer advice on how to make things more efficient through automation or other improvements. Think of IT consultants as helpful go-betweens who bridge the gap between business needs and technology solutions.
IT consulting services are all about helping clients figure out the best tech strategies that align with their business goals. It’s no secret that creating a successful business doesn’t happen overnight. For success to come, you must constantly put in the effort to evolve and keep up with the ever-changing needs of your industry. The same goes for technology – your business must adapt to changes. If you don’t, your competitors surely will.
So how can an IT consultant benefit your business (and projects)?
Support for your in-house IT staff
Often, smaller businesses find it challenging to handle their daily workload due to a limited number of IT staff. This can sometimes lead to stress and pressure on the team, resulting in mistakes, taking shortcuts outside of company policies, and even missing deadlines.
Thankfully, there is a solution – outsourcing some responsibilities to your IT consultant partner. This can be an excellent opportunity to give your hardworking IT staff some breathing room while ensuring important tasks are completed accurately. When your IT partner truly understands your overall business model, they can work together with your team to enhance efficiencies and streamline processes, making life easier for everyone.
Increased productivity
The biggest benefit of hiring IT consultants is the improved efficiency of your business. Companies that offer these services have a clear understanding of what changes and technology you need to up your productivity. Using an IT consultant will make it easier to push forward digital transformation, organise management processes and find the best practices for increased productivity.
Insight
The incorporation of AI and automation in IT consultancy has been on the rise. According to McKinsey, AI could potentially deliver $13 trillion in additional global economic output by 2030.
Help with growth
Growth is the ultimate goal for any business. If you’re planning to scale your company in the near future, you must create a well-thought plan and put in place processes that will make it possible.
Let’s say you want to hire extra employees. Even this requires preparation before – you must ensure they have all their technology set up.
Sounds easy, right? With one or two new hires, sure. But when you’ve got 15 new setups on the line, it becomes more challenging.
Here’s where IT consultancy comes in. At Ingenious, we will work to find the right strategies for your business that will help it expand without falling behind.
Cost-effective solution
Hiring another full-time staff member is not a realistic option for many businesses as it can be expensive. Whenever you need an extra set of hands to assist you on a specific project or task, it’s less costly to get help from an IT consultant firm. Plus – when you work with them on a contract basis with an SLA for your chosen time, your billing will be simplified too.
Hiring a consultant for your IT project
If your company doesn’t need constant support, you may consider hiring an IT consultant for a specific project to ensure it is managed effectively and delivered smoothly. This, of course, isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but in some cases, having an external expert can be beneficial. For instance:
Your in-house staff doesn’t have the required skills
While having in-house consultants is an option, sometimes the workload might not be enough to keep them occupied throughout the year. In such cases, IT consultants can step in as talented, temporary team members, offering their expertise to bridge any gaps in required competencies and skills.
Your project must be in safe hands
This is something that’s important to startups or companies working on more challenging projects. If security is your top priority, it’s crucial to set up the right infrastructure. An IT consultant can handle all the risks and vulnerabilities, so you can focus on other tasks.
You need an outside perspective
If your business is facing some challenges in improving efficiency and increasing ROI, and you’ve tried a few things before without success, getting an outside perspective might be a good idea. At Ingenious, we work with all sorts of businesses, so we can provide a fresh, expert viewpoint based on our years-long experience.
Tip
Think long-term. While short-term fixes may be necessary in some cases, focus on long-term solutions that align with your business’s growth and scalability. A good IT consultancy should offer solutions that are sustainable and adaptable.
How can you measure an IT consultant’s success?
If you’ve never worked with an IT consultant before, understanding how to measure their work can seem confusing. Here are a couple of steps you should take before starting:
- Define clear goals using the SMART principles, which means making them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Determine the tangible results you want to achieve. This could include improved performance, increased revenue, process automation, and more.
- Consider the intangible results that are important for your business, such as improved employee loyalty or increased customer satisfaction.
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the consultant’s progress at each phase of the project.
Recap
Nowadays, we’re living in a technology-fueled market. To scale your business and secure its success, it’s best to seek advice from the best.
At Ingenious, we take a personalised approach to everything we do. We’ll ensure your business has the right strategy, resources and tech to reach its goals. To learn how an IT consultant could help your company, reach out to our friendly team here.
