3 Ways to Get the Most for Your Communications Consultant Buck

September 30, 2016

With the budget pressures on today’s communications departments, the daily challenge for many communications leaders is how to create the greatest value in return for their organization’s budget dollar. If you have room in your communications budget for support from an outside consultancy, consider yourself lucky—and also consider how you can work with your consulting partner in a way that delivers an ROI (return on investment) that keeps the budget gods in your company satisfied.

Here are three ways you can make the most of those precious budget dollars when partnering with a communications consultant or consulting firm:

Make the right match. Choosing the right consulting partner out of the gate is crucial to reaping the most value from your engagement. Does your company need creative ideas, or just extra pairs of arms and legs to get things done? Do you need a partner who can deliver quick-turn deliverables, or one who can progress long-term projects at a slower pace? Does the person or team click with your personality, or that of your team? Consider your needs carefully and evaluate several firms to choose the right partner who best fits your needs and style.

Selecting a partner with a proven track record is a must; don’t be shy about asking for references and case studies to ensure that the firm can deliver high value for your budget dollar. Also look for a provider with a broad range of services. That way, you’ll have a single source for many different types of project—from PowerPoint to portal projects and everything in between—without the costly learning curve of bringing a new firm up to speed every time.

Outsource the right services and projects. You can’t outsource everything—nor would you want to. Be strategic about which services and projects you hand over to your consultant. Choosing wisely can boost the value of your department, not to mention the organization’s perception of the value you deliver personally. Consider outsourcing the following:
- Capabilities you don’t have in house, like graphic design, video or multimedia production, so you can deliver cool and powerful communications vehicles you couldn’t create on your own.
- Projects that need doing, but aren’t core to the value you and your department bring to the company. Bogged down reformatting PowerPoint slides day after day? Don’t want to be known as the company meeting planners? Consider whether there are non-strategic tasks like these that you could outsource while you and your team focus on high-value and high-visibility projects.
- Things you flat-out don’t enjoy doing. The fact is, no one likes every aspect of their job—and we’re all better at the things we enjoy. Hate to proofread? Love writing portal stories but can’t stand drafting video scripts? Chances are, your consulting partner would approach these tasks with a fresh set of eyes and take them on with gusto, allowing you to allocate your time to tasks you enjoy and excel at.

Build the right relationship: To gain value from a consulting engagement, you’ll have to invest time as well as money. Establish and maintain an open line of communication with your firm. Assuming your partner is under nondisclosure, share as much as you see fit about your organization, its priorities and its culture. Getting to know your organization will position your consulting partner to add value by making connections and offering recommendations that are in tune with your environment and business needs.

Keep these guidelines in mind, and you just might find that a consulting partnership is a whole new way to add value to your career and your business.

Author: Kate Tomasco.

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources. Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

Author: Erin Alderfer