How consultants can stay ahead of the curve in a changing industry
There has never been a more pertinent time for consultancies to ensure that they remain informed, relevant, and reactive to what has essentially been an ever-changing business landscape. Consultants need to not only adapt to the evolution within their client sectors but also anticipate solutions to stay ahead of the curve, writes Eman Al-Hillawi, the Chief Executive Officer at business change consultancy, Entec Si.
One of the major issues facing businesses across industries and sectors is staff retention and talent acquisition. In recent years, attitudes towards the workplace have changed drastically and almost a fifth of UK workers have signalled that they intend to leave their current position for a new employer within the next 12 months.
When work demand starts to outweigh a business’s ability to keep up, the business functions and their people will begin to feel the strain. This has been evident recently within the health, hospitality and travel sectors as their services have seen a spike in demand despite many businesses within the sectors struggling with workforce capacity issues, ultimately resulting in service level failures.
It is in these moments where consultancies can help to bridge the gap by offering tactical interim solutions that will help support productivity and continuity in the short term. For example, critical issues with capacity and workflow management can be solved by ensuring that consultants and clients are working collaboratively to strengthen capacity and free-up more time for workers in front line roles. Moreover, in the long term, consultancies can provide the strategic advice and support to put the necessary processes or infrastructure in place for continuous improvement. Having strong relationships that complement existing teams, whilst also leaving behind knowledge and skills for sustainable long-term success, is now even more vital for businesses choosing consultancy services.
Supporting digital transformation
Implementing and supporting a robust digital transformation journey has been more significant today than over the last decade, as businesses continue to battle the fluctuating views of what constitutes a workplace and as society expects a seamless digital experience. To support changes across the shift in the way people can remain productive while working, whether from home, the office or elsewhere, has been paramount for businesses to adapt how technology is used day-to-day.
In order to stay ahead of the curve, many organisations have adapted to agile working methods that allow decision-makers to test certain management methods. This is supported through implementing helpful digital processes, such as online consultation or self-serve systems, in order to provide more efficient customer solutions and maximise resource efficiencies.
Attitudes towards consultancy are also shifting as organisations continue to realise the benefits of selectively choosing bespoke, tailored services that better fit their requirements. Industries are experiencing a considerable shift away from the typical ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach being applied as organisations are now carefully considering scale, location, people fit and specific agendas when choosing who best to advise them.
Recent years have shone a spotlight on the importance of having robust change support in place. Adaptability has become more of a necessity, particularly for the public sector where a focus on change operations has become part of the everyday. As a result, businesses are looking to consultancies to not only fully understand the challenges facing them and how they are best tackled, but to lead the way through promoting flexibility in the transformation of their processes.
