How to Choose a Telecom Consultant - Part 1

The task of selecting a telecommunications consultant can be daunting at best. This step-by-step guide will help you focus on the most important aspects of the job. Follow this formula carefully and you will be successful in your search for the right telecommunications consultant for your company.

What Telecommunications Consultants Can Do

The very nature of consulting implies specialization, and awide variety of telecommunications specialists are available.

You can save time by limiting your search to consultants who regularly do the type of work you want. Consider your need for consulting help from three different perspectives.

WHAT FORM OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS IS INVOLVED IN YOUR COMPANY SITUATION?

The possibilities....

Voice-Data-Video-Radio-Facsimile-Microwave-Paging-Broadcast-Program-Telegraph-Wireless-Voice Messaging-Electronic Mail-Teleconferencing-Remote Metering-Frame Relay-Virtual Private Networks-LANs- WANs-Voice over Internet - and the list goes on!

As you can see, there are A LOT of possibilities! Once you've narrowed down the areas of telecommunications where you need help, answer these questions:

Is your operation small, medium or large? Is the one location, a few, dozens, or hundreds? (thousands?) Are these locations local, national or international? Are telephone operations specialized in your type of business? How sensitive are your operations to telecommunications (i.e. what is the potential ramifications for technical breakdowns?) When to Use a Telecommunications Consultant

Now the question arises: Just when do you need to hire a telecommunications consultant? Below are a list of scenarios to help you determine your need for a professional consultant.

1. When you need experienced temporary help.

This situation is often a case where you know what needs to be done, and your personnel either have the skills or could learn them, but you can't spare the people or time from other tasks.

2. You need specialized skills for a specific project of task.

This scenario results when you know what needs to be accomplished, but you don't have the knowledge or skills available to accomplish the task the way it should be done.

3. You need specialized skills for specific part-time work.

You need and want identified tasks to be performed on a recurring basis, but you don't want to add full-time specialized staff to your payroll. This is a common frustration with companies thinking about engaging a telecommunications consultant.

4. You simply need a different or "outside" perspective on your telecommunications services or needs.

You sense there may be problems needing resolution, but you can't seem to pull the pieces together into a workable plan. Or, maybe you believe you know what should be done, but management feels the potential risk or investment warrants additional analysis and recommendations from an outside expert.

It is not a consultant's role to make your decisions for you.

However, a good consultant can efficiently facilitate inputs, conduct analyses, display and evaluate information in a meaningful way, and reduce related uncertainties so that you can make necessary decisions. Once decisions have been made, it may be cost effective to use a consultant for selected implementation activities.

Karen Thatcher is President and CEO of TelCon Associates, a 37 year old telecom consulting firm

For more information on how to effectively hire a telecom consultant, visit http://www.telecomauditguide.com