Recently, a prospect who was interested in conducting a business review encountered pushback from their board when they presented the idea. They reached out to me and asked if I could put together some reasons why using an outside consultant to conduct a business review is preferable to using internal staff.

Rationale for hiring a consultant

I spent some time pondering and researching this and came up with five reasons why hiring an outside consultant to review your business processes can bring significant benefits. Below is a list of those reasons:

Expertise and best practices

Good consultants have expertise across many utilities. They are familiar with best practices and can help identify inefficiencies or gaps that internal teams might overlook. They have the ability to recommend innovative ideas or strategies from other utilities that may not have been considered internally.

Objective perspective

An external consultant provides an unbiased view of your operations, free from internal politics, assumptions, or departmental biases. They can offer fresh insights and challenge the status quo.

Time and resource savings

A qualified consultant can complete a business review more quickly and thoroughly than an internal team. Internal teams are often busy with day-to-day tasks, making it difficult to step back and critically assess processes. A consultant can focus entirely on analyzing and optimizing your business processes without these distractions.

Cost reduction and efficiency gains

By identifying inefficiencies, redundant processes, or areas ripe for automation, a consultant can help streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency.

Change management

Implementing process improvements can be challenging, particularly if they disrupt existing workflows. Consultants can help manage change effectively, ensuring buy-in from key stakeholders and guiding the transition smoothly.

In summary

By hiring an outside consultant to review your business processes, you can achieve a more streamlined, cost-effective, and strategic operation, with insights that might not be attainable using internal resources alone.

When I conduct a business review, I prepare a written report with recommendations and an action plan. In addition, I also offer to present my findings to your board or management, either in-person or online, providing them with an opportunity to ask questions.

Are you ready for a business review?

Is your utility ready to conduct a business review? If so, please give me a call at 919-673-4050 or email me at gary@utilityinformationpipeline.com to learn how we can set up a business review for your utility.

© 2024 Gary Sanders