What Do Business Technology Consultants Do?

Business technology consultants specialize in helping businesses to find solutions that enable them to perform more efficiently. When a professional hires a consultant firm, the first step normally is that he or she meets with a team of consultants and explains where his or her organization is lacking. Business technology consultants then discuss possible solutions, most of which involve use of Information Technology (IT). After determining a set of solutions from which a client business can benefit, consultants begin planning and designing systems that can help an organization to improve its overall performance. Once a solution has been agreed upon, business technology consultants might oversee or direct implementation of new systems.

IT is used in ever industry. Business technology consultants work to improve performance in areas such as cost effectiveness, customer outreach, business intelligence, technological upgrades, and technological integration. Consultants typically work for firms that serve clients in a number of different fields and with a great variety of needs. It is common for teams of consultants to work together. Each member of a team might have a different area of expertise.

After business technology consultants have reviewed available business intelligence regarding a client's operations, they might begin designing a plan based on their conclusions. Consultants commonly present clients with reports that explain how solutions address certain issues. If clients have questions about conclusions, consultants can revise a plan to meet a client's needs.

The most effective business technology consultants tend to avoid promoting specific solutions. In other words, they do not operate as salespeople or proponents of specific business models. Instead, they communicate with clients to create unique solutions that pertain specifically to a client's issues.

In order to provide the best advice, a business technology consultant should be very familiar with the IT industry. He or she might have years of experience designing and implementing systems so that he or she can understand potential benefits and setbacks of different programs and models. It also is common for business technology consultants to join professional organizations and to attend seminars and trade shows that introduce them to new developments and ways of thinking about business system design.

Business technology consultants may act as project managers. For example, if a consulting team has worked with a client to develop a system that all parties agree is most effective, a consultant then might oversee implementation. Consultants can work with in-house IT professionals to modify current systems. They also can participate in establishing guidelines for new practices and training employees.