If you find that you are thinking of adding the services of a computer consulting firm to your business plan, you need to be prepared to ask the right questions so you help assure you get the best company for the job. The following tips can help overcome the root of the problem – the fact that small business owners often don’t know how to deal with difficult computer consultants or how to weed them out of the running for contracts.
PART TIME OR FULL TIME?
Is the computer consulting firm in question one that houses consultants with day jobs or are they moonlighting?
SOLO PRACTIONER OR TRUE COMPUTER CONSULTING COMPANY?
If the computer consulting firm uses the term “we” a lot, ask who the other people are working with the company. You need to know if they are employees or contractors and what their backgrounds and fields of expertise are. The more specific your questions, the more you will eliminate confusion.
COMPUTER CONSULTING: IS IT A SMALL BUSINESS OR LAGE COMPANY FIRM?
You should ask the prospective computer consulting firm about the size of the typical client, based on total number of PCs, employees and the annual revenue.
GENERALIST OR SPECIALIST?
Ask the prospect what industries his/her company has worked with and with what software applications. What kinds of products and services will the computer consulting company not manage? Does the company work with any specific hardware, software or services vendors?
Addressing these four categories of questions will help get the hiring process started for even those businesses with no experience hiring computer consulting clients to handle technology needs.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101
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