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WHAT DO CONSULTANTS
ACTUALLY DO? Copyright © 1997 Claire Belilos
Distinguishing between "Facilitators"
and "Consultants"
The Encounter between the Client
and the Consultant
The Consultant's role
A Consultant must acknowledge to himself, and then to the Client, whether he is equipped with the right tools and expertise to solve the problem, accomplish the necessary changes and improvements, or whether more specialized help is needed. If, due to a limited budget or a superficial diagnosis, the Client asks the Consultant to provide a limited service (e.g. a lecture or presentation on Customer Service), which may not actually solve the company's problem/s, the Consultant should attempt to discover the real need of the company in relation to the subject under discussion, i.e. is this a request only for a "refresher" session or is there a problem with Customer Service? If the latter is the case, he must offer an honest opinion to the Client, even at the risk of losing the business. Example: with a few probing questions the Consultant may discover the reasons behind the bad Customer Service, which is but a symptom and that the problem may lie either in shortcomings in supervision, management or human resources practices, a deficient operational aspect, or inadequate training. At this point the Consultant should be candid with the Client and offer an opinion regarding the effectiveness of a generic Customer Service session, explaining the necessity of correcting the root of the problem before the actual delivery of training sessions to front-line employees. Here, the Consultant acts as a true Consultant, way beyond the "Facilitator" the Client wanted to hire. A good Consultant will first clarify goals, discover the root/s of the problem/s, help correct those problems, then guide management and employees towards the desired results. A good Consultant will custom-design a Customer Service workshop to fit this company's needs, taking into consideration all the attributes of the human resources at hand. Employees should never be treated as mere "recipients" of a program - their background, culture, personalities, skills, abilities, knowledge, know-how, past and present experience, aspirations, morale and opinions should be taken into account when planning any type of program. This applies to all the human resources of a company, including its supervisory level. A good Consultant knows this and he therefore serves his Client best by proposing to follow this preliminary discussion and diagnosis with an in-depth needs assessment that will involve an impartial study (accompanied by interviews) of the company: its present situation, its management/ managerial style, employees, operation, past and present achievements, and shortcomings, as compared to the desired goals and objectives. When a Client agrees to invest in a needs assessment he is giving Management's commitment to improving the situation in a structured manner. The company will be ready to advance and improve progressively, with the involvement of all its players. It will stop stifling fires as they erupt and managing crisis after crisis, but advance as a unified force in a progressive manner. Needs Assessment
The purpose of any training program, be it a Seminar-Workshop or a structured program to be carried "in-house" is to improve any or all of the above-mentioned aspects (the ideal being "all of the above"). A company is composed of many facets which represent interdependent areas of operation; each affects the whole. Managers' Reluctance to pay for
Needs Assessments leads to Dilemmas (a) Giving management what they want
at the price they are ready to pay, even if such an activity will
not lead to long-term results or represent true value to the Client,
or Some Consultants believe that if they give the client what he wants and later speak about further needs the company has, the Client will be "won over" by then for further Consulting. Other Consultants prefer to maintain their image, repute, and business integrity by speaking openly with the Client about the real needs of the company. Such Consultants risk losing some Clients but "win big" in the long run; the Client doesn't feel he has been duped or drawn into unending short-term Consulting contracts. If it is short-term sporadic activities that the Client insists on, even though he has been made aware of the deeper needs that must first be tackled, then the Consultant must make sure that he will not be held accountable for unreasonable expectations by the Client. Short-term, unstructured activities are "stop gap" measures and the Client must be made to realize that; otherwise, the Consultant's reputation is at stake. A good Consultant leads the Client to realize that a Consultant plays the role of Company Physician. A good physician does not prescribe antibiotics or cough drops relying on the patient's diagnosis, without examining the patient, or depending on the patient's budget. A Consultant who does not act as Company Physician (examining, diagnosing, prescribing and tailoring a remedy to fit the patient) should describe himself as "Facilitator"; consulting involves deeper commitment from all sides. Managers call upon Consultants to help them:
For any of the above the Manager will agree to consider a Consultant with:
The Consultant as Problem-Solver,
Coach, Guide, Mentor Traits, Characteristics and Validation
to look for when choosing a Consultant
or
Consultants are costly, but if you
choose the right Consultant, it is the best investment you can make.
Actually, if you have a problem, instead of spending more on advertising,
you should take the time to select the right Consultant and work
with him to plan a company strategy that will raise it to the level
you desire and that your Customers expect. Thank you for visiting. We hope you will find value in the free online information provided in our "how to" articles. Copyright ©
1997 - Claire Belilos Claire Belilos, owner of Chic Hospitality Consulting Services, and Easytraining, specializes in Hospitality, human resources strategies, organizational training and development, Customer Service and problem-solving. She offers "on site", online and distance consulting and coaching. She creates job, training and evaluation tools, and custom-tailored solutions to people management problems. She also moderates a unique Customer Service Viewpoints forum. List yourself at http://www.easytraining.com/csforumlisting.htm to be advised of its new location. Subscribe to the Easytraining News newsletter at http://www.easytraining.com/easynews.htm Listing for the forthcoming book on Employee Motivation is at http://www.easytraining.com/motivationbooklist.htm Claire Belilos |