What’s a Digital Consultant & How Can They Help Your Business?
Digital consultants specialize in the implementation of business strategies related to digital channels, platforms, and tools.
CONSIDERING HIRING ONE? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Modern businesses have more innovation at their fingertips than ever before. Digital technology is constantly evolving, offering up new ways for businesses to improve their offerings and operate more efficiently.
The complete integration of these new developments, a process often referred to as “Digital Transformation,” is key to ensuring a company continues to grow over time. Despite its ultimate goal being to make it easier to run a business, the digital transformation itself is often less than smooth.
ENTER THE DIGITAL CONSULTANT
A digital consultant acts as a trusted guide on a company’s digital transformation journey. They can provide expert advice across a wide range of topics related to the digital world and make navigating the path to optimization easier and more efficient.
Here are just some of the vital areas a digital consultant can transform within a business:
|
|
|
|
|
|
AN INDUSTRY BOOM
Digital consulting is proving to be a fast-growing industry. One market research report predicted the digital transformation segment alone will more than double its market share between 2020 and 2026, growing from 5 billion to 11 billion.1
Though some of this growth is a predictable consequence of advancing technology, the global pandemic (and its subsequent effects on the way we live and work) has also had an undeniable impact on the rising demand for digital consulting services.
In 2020, seemingly overnight, companies found themselves scrambling to serve their customers in a new, remote world. If their business’s digital transformation wasn’t already high on their list of priorities, global events put it there.
HOW DIGITAL CONSULTANTS WORK
Since it’s still in its emergent stage, digital consulting has yet to establish a cohesive identity as an industry. Those who’ve worked with digital consultants (and of course the digital consultants themselves) may fully understand what they do and how they do it. But to anyone less familiar, the term “digital consulting services” can seem vague or even confusing.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer that will clear up that confusion. There isn’t one right way to be a digital consultant. Despite making the industry itself harder to quantify, this wide range of offerings ultimately benefits those seeking these services by allowing them to select the solution that best suits their business.
Differentiators in digital consulting include everything from size and structure to offerings and approach.
Digital consultants may operate independently or as part of a consultancy. Every business can benefit from operating more efficiently, so they can cater to clients both big and small.
Some may like to have boots on the ground, working on-site so they can see a business running at every level. Others might provide their services remotely.
Some may focus on a specific niche or platform, while others take a more general approach, ready to tackle any problem thrown their way.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
How a company chooses to engage with a digital consultant also varies. Depending on the specific struggles and budget of a business, its leadership may opt to bring in an expert for a complete overhaul of operational strategy or they could prefer a more focused approach that targets one or two specific problems at a time.
The variety of available options means business owners can find the consulting services that best fit their needs. From big-name consultancies like Deloitte to independent contractors, there’s something for everyone.
As businesses everywhere hustle to adopt the latest technology and provide innovative solutions for their customers, the need for digital consultants has never been greater.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED HIRING A DIGITAL CONSULTANT?
Like many investments, the ROI for improving efficiency in your operations compounds over time. That’s why the best time to start optimizing your business is today.