It can be a little hard to know where to start when it comes to looking to engage the services of a SharePoint consultant. With so many options available to you, what criteria should you be using to help decide which SharePoint consultant is right for your organisation?
Finding an external consultant, whether you have your own in-house team of experts or are completely starting from scratch, need not be impossible with these handy tips.
Experience
When considering the different options available to you for SharePoint consulting, it’s important to take into account an organisation’s or individual’s work history and experience. An organisation that has been in operation for 10+ years with an experienced team of SharePoint consultants, will be far more likely to solve your SharePoint problems (particularly, if they’re complex) than a graduate fresh out of university. You’ll also likely find that a more experienced consultant will be able to help with other complementary areas like the wider Microsoft 365 ecosystem and delivering value through other technologies like the Microsoft Power Platform. Why unnecessarily work with multiple consultants when you can direct your focus through one. While engaging with more experienced consultants may be more expensive in the short term, experienced SharePoint consultants will ensure your project gets done correctly and will likely save you time and money in the long run.
Location
In today’s hybrid work environment, it’s now possible to do business with someone from nearly any corner of the globe. However, there are benefits to working with a consultant in the same or similar location and time zone. This can make meetings far easier to schedule and can ensure that work gets actioned when urgent. In addition, a SharePoint consultant that’s located nearby can meet you for some needed face to face time, or even become a physical extension of your technical team.
Responsiveness
Once you’ve started engaging with a SharePoint consultant, how long are they taking to get back to you? Are you just another cog in a giant corporate wheel? It’s important that you work with consultants that are available and responsive as this will ensure that the work that you need is prioritised and completed in a timely manner. Consultants that are flexible and attentive to your business needs will be far more likely to deliver a positive and successful project.
Transparency
Ensure the consultant you engage is willing to supply a breakdown and timesheets for any work being completed. This provides full transparency around the project work and the time that it is taking to finish. Don’t settle for confusing timesheets and hard to decipher spreadsheets – make sure you can understand what you’re looking at. You might find you have some additional time left to allocate to your next SharePoint project.
Flexibility
Choose a SharePoint consultant that gives you a range of pricing options to suit your business needs. At WebVine, we offer our clients the option to scope out a piece of work and quote for the total project cost (often at a discount) or to purchase pay-as-you-go or prepaid hours. This flexibility in pricing ensures that business teams can budget accordingly and potentially allocate remaining annual budget into prepaid hours for the next annual or financial year.
Qualifications
There’s no doubt that SharePoint is a niche technical expertise. Hey, that’s why you’re most likely looking externally for some added support. Whether you’re dealing with migrating to SharePoint online, looking to undertake some SharePoint development work, or want to set up a new integration, dealing with an individual or team with the right qualifications will lead you down a path to success. Microsoft regularly offers added training and development courses with which your consultant should be up to date. If you’re looking at a SharePoint consultancy, check and see whether they’re a Microsoft Gold partner. This is a useful indicator that can highlight whether they’ve been completing a minimum level of training and upskilling.
Reputation
Reviewing testimonials from previous clients is a great way to gauge what your project might be like with a potential SharePoint consultant. Find out about the types of organisations that your consultant has worked with and see whether they’d be willing to put you in touch with any. At WebVine, we stand behind the work that we do and are happy to connect any potential clients with existing clients to instil confidence and alleviate any concerns. Take a look at some of our client work to see what we’ve been able to achieve.
Why waste time looking for a SharePoint consultant when we’re right here to help with your next project. At WebVine, we have a team of experienced SharePoint consultants ready to assist you. We offer a personalised and flexible approach designed to deliver you the best results.
Get in touch for a friendly chat.