College Survey: Consulting Questionnaire

[Rhosfelt]

Hey guys I am writing a research paper on starting and maintaining a successful consulting business and if you guys could give me some quick answers to these questions that would be awesome. I don't need a long paragraph but a little more than a "yes" or "no" please

Also just so you know my first suggestion for computers are always a mac so do not worry about that.

Survey:

1) If you were a company with a workforce that uses computers frequently would you hire an outside company to suggest computer options?

2) Would you trust the same company to suggest software options included in the package?

3) Had you accepted both of these terms would you ask the company to teach you the new computers/software's features? Also, would you want them to teach your employees the features as well?

4) As a consumer do you often feel overwhelmed when buying a new desktop or laptop?

5) Would you consider seeing a person to help pick out the right computer for you, even if you were charged an amount? If not explain why not.


Thanks again!

 

[pac-a-mac]

You can get double glazing for computers?...wow

 

[7on]

Survey:

1) If you were a company with a workforce that uses computers frequently would you hire an outside company to suggest computer options?
Yes
2) Would you trust the same company to suggest software options included in the package?
Yes
3) Had you accepted both of these terms would you ask the company to teach you the new computers/software's features? Also, would you want them to teach your employees the features as well?
Yes
4) As a consumer do you often feel overwhelmed when buying a new desktop or laptop?
No
5) Would you consider seeing a person to help pick out the right computer for you, even if you were charged an amount? If not explain why not.
No, I know computers

 

[NightGeometry]

1 - No. Having worked in companies large and small that do both, in my personal experience the ones that did the pre-work in house always made 'better' decisions (overall cost was less, fit to organisation tended to be better).

2 - If i were paying a company to make recommendations then it would be for a whole system, so yes.

3 - Harder. I would expect the consultants to source training. If they offered training then my immediate question would be to ask what happens if the system was not something they were trained in? This goes far more in depth - offering training implies that the consultancy is a specialist in one system, and thus they have a bias in what they are going to recommend from the outset, and if they have a bias from the outset why don't I just go straight to the original vendor, who will give me a better deal overall, in most cases. I know this bias isn't always the case, but I would be very wary as (again, personal experience, so maybe I have just experienced 'bad' consultancies).

As to the last part - I would not necessarily care that much about me being taught, I would be interested in my employees, or any specific primary user being taught - if the consultancy offered to train me before the primary users then I would think that was mighty strange.

4 - Not at all. Computers are relatively straightforward, and easy to get information on compared to a lot of other relatively major purchases (I find it far harder to work out what a good washing machine, sofa and TV are, for example, at least in part because it seems to me harder to compare features).

5 - Most likely not. See above.

Question not asked, but possibly important. 'Would you expect this system to have a guaranteed minimum life time, and to actually offer the benefits the consultancy touted, backed with monetary guarantees?' Yes, and I would expect the contract to specify exactly what the benefits of system a over system b were, with defined benefits to my company, and with the monetary guarantee held in escrow for a period of time. Without clearly defined benefits, and a guarantee past the cost of the system, then I am not going to let a consultancy define what I should buy. Unfortunately and to my cost I know how that works out. I suspect that this is becoming more and more the case as companies pay consultancies and get burned time and again...

(Sorry, I possibly come across as quite bitter from the above, if so it is most likely due to having worked in a lot of consultancies - the ones that were 'good' and did do things you would expect to be defined as right all went bankrupt, or were purchased and 'redefined' by larger less scrupulous outfits)

 

[Rhosfelt]

You can get double glazing for computers?...wow

Survey:

1) If you were a company with a workforce that uses computers frequently would you hire an outside company to suggest computer options?
Yes
2) Would you trust the same company to suggest software options included in the package?
Yes
3) Had you accepted both of these terms would you ask the company to teach you the new computers/software's features? Also, would you want them to teach your employees the features as well?
Yes
4) As a consumer do you often feel overwhelmed when buying a new desktop or laptop?
No
5) Would you consider seeing a person to help pick out the right computer for you, even if you were charged an amount? If not explain why not.
No, I know computers

Thank you for wasting your time.

1 - No. Having worked in companies large and small that do both, in my personal experience the ones that did the pre-work in house always made 'better' decisions (overall cost was less, fit to organisation tended to be better).

2 - If i were paying a company to make recommendations then it would be for a whole system, so yes.

3 - Harder. I would expect the consultants to source training. If they offered training then my immediate question would be to ask what happens if the system was not something they were trained in? This goes far more in depth - offering training implies that the consultancy is a specialist in one system, and thus they have a bias in what they are going to recommend from the outset, and if they have a bias from the outset why don't I just go straight to the original vendor, who will give me a better deal overall, in most cases. I know this bias isn't always the case, but I would be very wary as (again, personal experience, so maybe I have just experienced 'bad' consultancies).

As to the last part - I would not necessarily care that much about me being taught, I would be interested in my employees, or any specific primary user being taught - if the consultancy offered to train me before the primary users then I would think that was mighty strange.

4 - Not at all. Computers are relatively straightforward, and easy to get information on compared to a lot of other relatively major purchases (I find it far harder to work out what a good washing machine, sofa and TV are, for example, at least in part because it seems to me harder to compare features).

5 - Most likely not. See above.

Question not asked, but possibly important. 'Would you expect this system to have a guaranteed minimum life time, and to actually offer the benefits the consultancy touted, backed with monetary guarantees?' Yes, and I would expect the contract to specify exactly what the benefits of system a over system b were, with defined benefits to my company, and with the monetary guarantee held in escrow for a period of time. Without clearly defined benefits, and a guarantee past the cost of the system, then I am not going to let a consultancy define what I should buy. Unfortunately and to my cost I know how that works out. I suspect that this is becoming more and more the case as companies pay consultancies and get burned time and again...

(Sorry, I possibly come across as quite bitter from the above, if so it is most likely due to having worked in a lot of consultancies - the ones that were 'good' and did do things you would expect to be defined as right all went bankrupt, or were purchased and 'redefined' by larger less scrupulous outfits)

Night I give you sincere thanks, I have noted your bias and right now I am a bit busy but I could explain what my friend and I are trying to do with consulting if you'd like. But thanks again for the answers!

To anyone else if I could just get nine more responses that would be really helpful they don't have to be as in depth as night's but don't pull a 7on as his is useless without a small explanation.

 

[shecky]

nice attitude. i can't wait to not help you.

 

[odinsride]

I am employeed by a very large and well known US-based consulting firm, here are my answers:


1) If you were a company with a workforce that uses computers frequently would you hire an outside company to suggest computer options?
No, especially if you're talking about having an outside company design the company's entire infrastructure.


2) Would you trust the same company to suggest software options included in the package?
No

3) Had you accepted both of these terms would you ask the company to teach you the new computers/software's features? Also, would you want them to teach your employees the features as well?
No

4) As a consumer do you often feel overwhelmed when buying a new desktop or laptop?
No, but I could see how someone not familiar with computers at all could be overwhelmed by the options.

5) Would you consider seeing a person to help pick out the right computer for you, even if you were charged an amount? If not explain why not.
No, but if I had no idea about computers I might consider it.