Tips on choosing the right telework consultant
When executives with Baxter BioScience decided in 2001 to launch a telework program, they knew they were in over their heads.
But how to find the right consultant to help them?
Dominique Endicott, senior manager of clinical data management, took a methodical approach. She conducted searches using keywords “telework,” “telecommute” and “consultant,” and scoured the Web sites that came up. She then cherry picked a few who seemed promising, called three, spoke with two, then brought one out to the firm’s Glendale, Calif., offices for a meeting. Only after a day spent getting to know him, did Endicott hire the consultant for the job.
Selecting a telework consultant is often different than choosing other business or management consultants. Many are independent, and with no trade association to unite them or provide a clearinghouse for names and credentials. And since the field is relatively new, references are sometimes scarce.
“A dose of due diligence and research is required to cut through the bologna,” says Alan Weiss, Ph.D., principal with Summit Consulting Group, an East Greenwich, R.I., organizational development firm and author of several books on consulting. “Fifty percent of all consultants don’t know what they’re doing, and 90% of buyers can’t tell the difference.”
Weiss recommends you start by call companies with existing telework programs. Ask who they used, their level of satisfaction, and for referrals. Talk to someone who’s already done the legwork. “People will share that information, even within an industry,” Weiss says.
If you come up dry, or even just get a name only, head online. Search for visible credibility, but don’t place too much merit in the design or self-promotional elements of a consultant’s Web site. Anyone can build an impressive site. Instead, look for “demonstrable examples of success” – articles, a client list, contact information, and testimonials. “If the site doesn’t include these, then all you’re looking at is an advertisement,” he adds.
While Weiss recommends selecting consultants with credentials and certifications, that’s sometimes easier said than done. So instead, look for consultants active in their professional trade associations such as the International Telework Association & Council and the Telework Coalition. Ask the executive director and several board members for lists of recommended consultants, then compare them.
Finally, once you’ve zeroed in on two or three consultants you like, ask for six references from each, and call at least three. Since they’re clients, the references will probably say nice things, so ask probing questions, like:
- What was the most difficult or worst thing about working with the consultant?
- Were there any disappointments in the process?
- If you had anything do to over, what would that be?
Combine those answers with your previous research, and weigh your candidates.
“If three people tell you nothing bad,” Weiss says, “then the odds are you have a pretty good guy.”
