What does “Making the complex simple around people process and technology” mean?
What it means to make the complex simple around people process and technology is:
- Taking as much people dependent processes out of your business equation and using technology to simplify and streamline your business.
- Simplifying processes and eliminating antiquated steps, tasks, and stumbling blocks for your business and customers.
- Removing points of disconnect between your departments, teams, leadership, boards, suppliers, and local or global offices and facilities.
- Designing and implementing new product delivery systems to give your customers what they want, cost effectively and efficiently. Lowering your customer service department load and making sales simpler than ever before.
- Removing the tension and frustration in your business, so you and your team can start enjoying your business!
Do you help the client implement new processes?
Yes, if the client would like to add implementation, change management, training classes in person or digital training, we’re available. We’re all about making sure our clients and their key stakeholders are comfortable, knowledgable, and proficient in any new processes and systems. That ensures the success and sustainability of any new initiative. If you’re successful, we’re successful.
What size businesses do you work with?
We have worked with all size businesses, from Fortune 50 to startups to small businesses and medium sized businesses. Our approach is portable across industries and organization sizes.
How do most of your projects and client relationships come about?
I am in the relationship business, a business based on trust and always doing what is in the best interests of the client. Most of our client relationships come from word of mouth. Our clients success is our success.
If a client has a situation they would like addressed, how is a proposal developed?
We walk our talk. We develop the proposal based on the A La Carte Customer® business model, giving the client what they want, without the fluff. Our business model is efficient and agile, so we go through a discovery process to ensure you’re getting what you need as cost effectively as possible.
We work with the individual who can authorize the project to understand 3 key areas:
- Objectives: what are the objectives/outcomes to be achieved.
- Measures: how will success be measured or determined.
- Value: an estimate of the value to the company of the proposed outcome(s).
Once this information is understood, I’m able to create a proposal with different options for consideration. Each project is customized to meet the unique needs of each client.
How do I establish the investment required for a project?
The investment needs to be established based on hard and soft ROI. Most pitfalls in budgeting only look at hard costs, without taking into consideration the value of:
- Improved working environment (engagement, satisfaction, turnover, safety…), attracting and retaining top talent.
- Brand growth and reputation improvement.
- Less staffing “bulk” to manage systems and processes.
- Higher customer satisfaction and less customer service load.
- Enabling leadership to create new opportunities for business growth, instead of putting out fires.
We charge a fixed fee that represents our contribution, expertise, experience, and knowledge, representing a dramatic ROI for the client and equitable compensation for us. That’s how we partner.
What kind of return on investment can I expect?
Return on investment (ROI) has objective, subjective, quantitative and qualitative aspects. If the ROI from a project is insufficient, there is no point in doing it. There is a “cost” associated with doing a project and cost implications of not doing a project; both need to be considered.
What’s different about your approach as a business consultant?
- My focus is on producing the outcomes that we have mutually agreed need to be produced, not on our methodology for producing those outcomes. A discussion about methodology tends to shift focus from outcomes to activities which, in the bigger scheme of things, are not terribly consequential.
- Our approach is to produce the outcome as rapidly as possible, transfer the knowledge to client, so the client can be self-sufficient. We earn our fees not by the time we spend on the clock but by focusing on producing the outcome. Most consultants “get on the clock and stay on the clock.” Hourly or daily billing inherently discourages rapid resolution of a problem as the consultant earns less income if they resolve the issue quickly.
- Fixed fees allow you to know in advance what your investment will be; there will be no surprises. I guarantee the quality of my work.
How would you respond to our desire to only hire consultants who have worked in our specific industry segment?
The client already has more subject-matter experts with specific background in their industry than they can shake a stick at. They don’t need more input that matches the thinking and culture of their industry. What you do need is a management consultant who can challenge current thinking and apply best practices drawn from a variety of sources and industries to your current situation. It is the application of knowledge and expertise to a specific business situation that is key.