Learning the ABCs of hiring a computer consultant

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 8, 1996 by Robert Grimes

Having provided computer consulting services for foodservice operations, I have, found this to be both an enjoyable experience as well as a real challenge -- that of course from the consultant's point of view. From the operator's point of view, I am sure that the experience is also the same but with the added concerns over the relative cost of using a consultant vs. doing it yourself. I am not a full-time consultant and in fact have been the purchaser of consulting services in one of my "lives" as a food-service operator.

Obviously, the place to start is to define the need. I always have believed that there are things that are within our 'core' business and those that are not. From my standpoint, if the knowledge needed is not, I go outside and find myself an expert: a consultant. Sure it may cost a little more, but I find that in "real" terms, the cost in time of having to do the research myself as well as the potential for mistakes, which may result in buying the wrong thing or going in the wrong direction, can be even more costly in actual dollars. Fortunately, to date, my mistakes have not put me out of business.

Once the need for a consultant is determined, and usually technology is a good one for most foodservice operators, who probably would not fancy themselves as foodservice technology experts, the next step is to figure out whom to use. The foodservice world has many individuals and organizations offering consulting services. You need to define the type of services you are looking for and then find someone who has experience in those areas.

In technology if you are interested in point-of-sales systems consulting, why would you use a menu development or facilities design consultant? There are specialists in any area of technology you are interested in; generally a person's track record should speak for itself. For instance, has he worked for companies such as your own? Has he successfully consulted and had his recommendations used? Has he ever worked in operations?

The last point can be a critical one to your selection of a foodservice technology consultant. While there are many consultants who pride themselves on being experts in computer systems, they may not understand the intricacies of the foodservice industry. I have always found that it is easier to teach a foodservice person the computer industry than to teach a computer person foodservice. That principle would hold true for foodservice technology consultants as well; there are many who are great in that area but do not have technical computer degrees. Instead, many of them are more "functional analysts," who understand how to apply computer applications to the way you do business.

From the consultant's point of view, there is one danger in taking on a foodservice client -- the danger of the sacred cow. Many times consultants are chosen for the wrong reasons. Many operators feel the need to make some changes or they have been told to do so, but they are really unwilling to make changes or take the advice of others. There are things that the operator won't change. For instance, a number of years ago I spoke with a consultant who worked with a restaurateur who said they wanted to go to the latest and greatest POS, back-office and dining-room management systems available. When a strategic direction was outlined, it turned out that they were unwilling to leave their existing vendor, who was a "friend" of the owner and did not have any products that met the direction recommended. Changing their vendor was the sacred cow that could not be sacrificed. Therefore, the operator made no changes and today is in the same place where he was before they started the process.

The outcome in the example above is that the operator was left with little perceived value for his money, and the consultant, who is only as good as the recommendations that are implemented, felt he was a failure.

Sacred cows aside, if there is a genuine need to hire a consultant and the operator is careful to select the right one and listens to the advice, there is a good chance for overall project success.

So why then do consulting projects not work out? Well, besides the issues already raised, many times consultants do not provide follow-through on their recommendations. For instance, a consultant who merely gives a recommendation and then walks away is likely to blame the operator for not implementing his recommendations properly. In choosing a consultant, unless you really have the strong internal resources to carry out a project, it is good to get his agreement that he will be there to help you to test and implement the systems. In addition, the consultant also can help with contract negotiations to ensure that the vendors deliver the systems, functions, features and support that they promised during the review and selection processes.

Cost is always a consideration when one is using any consultant. As I started this article by saying, there has to be a price-value relationship between hiring a consultant and doing it yourself. I am not saying that it is not all right to do it yourself, just that the time involved might be great and the base of information provided might not be as much.