The end of working on site? Management consulting according to Corona
Management consulting - that means working on site and with changing customers. However, since traveling has been virtually impossible during the last few months, consulting firms have had to rethink at short notice: remote working and video conferencing from the home office have proven to be successful strategies - a model that could also offer economic and logistical advantages in the future.
With the gradual easing of the Corona measures, the first traces of the crisis in the Swiss economic area are beginning to show. In order to be able to comply with the exit restriction, many companies have had to restructure their business practices in recent months and adopt new approaches. Wilhelm Heckmann faced a particular challenge as he simultaneously launched the Swiss operations of his SAP consultancy. "To protect our employees and customers, we immediately switched to a 100 percent home office," says Heckmann, explaining CNT Management Consulting AG's approach. Even at the new location in Zurich, all ongoing projects had to be continued via remote working and customer contacts held via digital conferences and meetings. Nevertheless, this extensive change did not dampen the demand for SAP consulting: "The changed conditions were received constructively and calmly by our clients - we were even able to win new customers with whom we now work completely remotely," explains Heckmann. With the gradual return to normality, the question now facing many consulting firms is which of these practices will endure and what new "best practice" models might look like for the future. According to Heckmann, consultants should be prepared for some innovations, but digital working will not completely replace personal contact with clients.
Consulting becomes more digital - and helps save money
During the Corona crisis, many companies switched to digital communications to keep in touch with their employees and customers and greatly increased their skills in using the relevant tools. "We expect that correspondence with customers will take place more frequently via the Internet in the future. Above all, because video conferences can be scheduled flexibly and at short notice," explains Heckmann. Management consultants should therefore familiarize themselves with the most common tools and make spontaneous correspondence possible while on the road. On the operational side, Heckmann sees a similar trend: during the contact restrictions, many companies have had their first positive experiences with remote working, and confidence in working at a distance has risen sharply. Many tasks that previously had to be completed on site can therefore increasingly be handled from the office or home office in the future. For customers, this has the advantage that travel and accommodation costs can be saved at the same time as less time is spent.
No more working on site: then there are virtual coffee breaks
At the same time, it is particularly important in consulting to create trust and find a common human level. "A short personal conversation between two meetings or a shared coffee in the company cafeteria can often have more impact than a two-hour technical lecture," says Heckmann, explaining the main issue of remote working. When working from a home office, on the other hand, many things are different: There are no chance meetings in the hallway, assessing participants' reactions and presenting data in video conferences is significantly more difficult, and the lack of exchange with customers and colleagues impairs the sense of togetherness. For this reason, CNT introduced virtual coffee breaks and after-work sessions, among other things, which were particularly important for employees at the new location in Zurich. To separate private and business matters, Heckmann advises using a separate video service for such meetings. In order to find a personal level on the Internet, consultants should also always switch on their camera during digital conferences and ensure high image quality and transmission rates. Video services that also make it possible to share presentations and digital whiteboards are particularly suitable here.
Why personal contacts are irreplaceable
However, Heckmann believes that digital communication and remote working will not completely replace personal customer contact and on-site work. "If you work entirely from home or remotely, the negative effects will outweigh the negative effects in the long term - it's simply because we are social beings," Heckmann explains. The physical presence of a consultant is irreplaceable, especially when it comes to acquiring new customers and managing change and conflict, when it comes to showing closeness and building trust. In the future, consulting will primarily be about finding a good balance, for example, by using consultants on site who work with remote support from the company center. In CNT's new Swiss office, "The Circle," in Zurich, Heckmann therefore wants to make many work processes agile and implement the learnings from the last few weeks in a meaningful way. Together with his team, he supports customers in the life science, pharmaceutical and medical technology, mechanical and plant engineering, engineering and construction, manufacturing, and equipment and component manufacturing industries.
Source and further information: CNT Management Consulting AG
