Don't lose sleep wondering if your IT Consultant is worth the money. Know what you expect, articulate your end goal, and get expert help confidently.
If you haven't read Part I of the Small Business IT Boot-Camp Series, "5 Must-Haves Before Hiring an IT Company", start there! If you know what you want and need out of IT and can articulate your budget, use this list to get the most out of your investment and feel confident that you're hiring the RIGHT consultant for the job.
Define Clear Objectives: Of any recommendation in this article, this one is most ciritical. Before you hire a consultant or IT firm, be clear on what you expect from them. If you're shopping for consulting, have the end goal clearly stated: "I want a detailed project plan outlining budget, schedule, risks, and requirements for moving from my old phone system to VOIP services through XYZ." If you're shopping for IT services, having specific technical needs and customer service expectations documented for the sales meeting will send a clear message to the prospective IT that you expect value and consistency of service. Great IT companies welcome these expectations and set a clear plan for meeting them. Any hesitency or resistence to meeting your base expectations should be a red flag.
Discuss Communication and Reporting: Understand that hiring a consultant requires that you take part in the process of problem solving. By definition, consulting is the process in which an expert is engaged in the business of giving expert advice to people working in a professional or technical field. If you hire a consultant expecting to be "hands off" or expecting quick magical fixes with little conversation, then you will be sorely inconvinienced. Set expectations early on how often and for how long you're able to meet with your consultant. Weekly for 60 minutes? Twice weekly for 45 minutes? or potentially once every other week for a 2 hour working meeting. Either way, your presence and input are essential to the success of your IT project. Consulting is collaboraive, so be sure to make time in your schedule as part of your committment to the investment.
Check References and Reviews: Client testimonials are a great indicator that a consultant has an established practice but cherry-picked reviews won't give you the full picture. Any reputable consultant or IT company will have an "About" section. Start there and first make sure the company is clear about it's values or mission statement. You'll need to do some digging beyond the website to get a realistic picture of who you'll be working with and some of the most telling signs of a good (or bad!) IT Company can come from employee review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed company pages. If the company you're about to hire has a 2-star Glassdoor rating full of recently angered ex-employees, you may want to shop around before committing.
Review Certifications and Qualifications: Industry-recognized credentials can be a good indicator of a consultant's expertise, but be sure the credentials listed are relevant to your IT project or needs. If you need general IT Helpdesk services, hiring a software developer proficient in 3 coding languages with Fortune 500 experience won't be the best fit regardless of how credentialed and highly reviewed they are. IT has become an enormous industry - so think of it a bit like finding the right doctor. Start with an IT Generalist (your primary care doc) unless you already know you need an expert Network Engineer (an endocrinologist of IT).
Check out this CompTia article listing the most populat IT certifications and what they're for: https://www.comptia.org/blog/most-popular-it-certifications
Assess Experience: Evaluate the consultant’s experience in your specific industry and with similar projects. Most basic IT skills are transferrable across industies - a computer in a lawyers office has roughly the same troubleshooting steps as a computer in a warehouse, with roughly the same fixes. Microsoft 365 email migrations generally follow the same structure regardless of environment, for instance, as do phone system (VOIP) projects or IT Documentation projects. Once you get into the realm of software and application consulting, however, you may want to consider IT expirience specific to your industry.
Request a Project Plan: Ask for case studies, examples of similar consulting projects, and a sample project plan for how the consultant or IT company envisions the step-by-step process for acheiving your business's goals. Consultants should have a standard process or at least a rough structure of how to get from point A to B. Without a clear example of how their consulting process has worked for clients in the past, they may spend your time and money developing one as they go. Avoid consultants who claim they don't have a process because each client is different. Each client is different, and the value of a great consultant is that they come prepared with a process and plan for solving your unique IT Issues.
Conduct Interviews: Treat the hiring process like a job interview! You'll need to trust your IT Company or IT Consultant, so shop around. Interview a solo consultant and a major IT firm, and see which one gives the better answers. When in doubt, start very small - hire an IT consultant for 1-2 hours to do the research for you!
Start with a Small Project: Begin with a smaller project or a trial period to evaluate the consultant’s performance before committing to a long-term contract. Don't be afraid to establish a "trial period" where both you or the consultant can decline further work without stating a reason. If you're unsure if the consultant can meet your needs, they may be unsure too! This is a great way to professionally establish a drama-free safety net so neither party feels obligated to continue past 3-6 weeks if it's just not working. Establish trust and evaluate performance the same way you might do with an employee.
Verify Legal and Compliance Knowledge: Ensure the consultant is familiar with relevant legal and regulatory requirements. This is crucial for data protection and compliance with industry standards. Don't assume! If you've found a wonderful consultant who's not familiar with particular compliance standards, ask if they'd be willing to get up to speed with a training course.
Set Up a Detailed Contract: Draft a comprehensive contract outlining the scope of work, timelines, payment terms, and confidentiality agreements. A clear contract can protect both parties and set expectations. As simple and obvious as it sounds, this step gets skipped all to often as both parties get wrapped up in the work itself. Before any work starts, be sure to respectfully ask for a few days to draw up a contract. Rushing through this step to save time can cost you more money in the long run.
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