Points to Consider Before Hiring for SharePoint Consulting Services
When a company embarks on a significant expansion, the leadership team needs to enhance both customer and employee experiences. This is easy to done with the SharePoint consulting Services experts.
As every project progresses, it requires the right maintenance and a track of every new phase. In such a scenario the importance of software systems that can help with project tracking becomes important. This is where services of SharePoint consulting company come into use.
However, searching and finalizing the services of a Microsoft SharePoint consultant company can only be successful when you are sure about the services of the chosen company. The blog will further describe how to get ensured with the status of the company with questions that we will later describe in this article. Now, let’s start by looking at the kind of SharePoint services available.
What kind of SharePoint services are available?
Depending upon the business requirement, SharePoint services can be hired. Here are the kinds of services that can be taken into considerations.
- SharePoint Consultant / Technical Advisor
- SharePoint consulting services company
- SharePoint product/consulting services company
Top Questions: Before Hiring SharePoint Consulting Services
There are more such services available that you can ask for when making contact to
1. What kind of solution do they provide?
Some consultancies provide ready-made solutions, such as SharePoint implementations built on pre-existing templates. These options are ideal if you have a tight budget or schedule. However, these ready-made solutions may not suit everyone. If your business has specific requirements that an out-of-the-box solution cannot address, you should consider partnering with a consulting company that specializes in custom solutions. This approach involves collaborating with consultants to design and build a system tailored to the precise needs of your business.
2. How the company gathers the requirement?
Even when opting for a ready-made solution, SharePoint is never a one-size-fits-all system. Your SharePoint consultant must invest ample time to understand your unique needs, gather detailed requirements, map out the site structure, and guide you toward an implementation that truly supports your business objectives. Therefore, it is crucial to discuss how your consultant intends to approach this process. Additionally, you should have a conversation about the project management methodologies they will employ to ensure a smooth and successful implementation.
3. Do they take user experience in consideration?
Sometimes businesses invest heavily in new systems, only to discover that users are dissatisfied with them. This type of failure is inexcusable, especially with SharePoint, which boasts a sleek and highly customizable user experience (UX). Low user engagement often indicates that the UX design does not meet the needs of its users. To avoid this pitfall, it is crucial to have consultants who are experts in UX and SharePoint design, ensuring that the system is tailored to provide a user-friendly and efficient experience.
4. Do they offer support and hosting services?
Whether your SharePoint implementation will be on-premises or in Office 365, it is crucial to address key questions about system hosting and its impact on your existing IT infrastructure. Not every SharePoint consulting company offer the same level of support; some may only provide basic network setups, while others offer comprehensive hosting solutions. It’s essential to thoroughly understand your options and determine what is best for your organization. Find a SharePoint consulting company capable of delivering the specific support you require to ensure a seamless and effective implementation.
5. Can they deliver service you require?
Before hiring a SharePoint consulting company, your primary and final question should be: Do I believe this company can deliver what I need, on time and within budget? The real test lies in their track record, so request details of previous projects they’ve completed to gauge their SharePoint development experience and expertise. Additionally, ensure that your SharePoint consultant is a certified Microsoft Partner, as this certification signifies a high level of proficiency and reliability. This thorough vetting process will help you choose a partner capable of meeting your expectations and achieving your project goals.
Now let’s have a look at the concerns that you must consider when hiring SharePoint consultants!
When choosing the right company look at the following concerns
Is the company visionary enough to help you define your SharePoint vision?
Do you have a clear understanding of why you’re implementing SharePoint or SharePoint Online? Are there specific business processes you want to enhance or particular pain points you aim to address? Maybe you’re focused on improving project management or document management strategies.
Without clear answers to these questions, you might not fully utilize the potential of your SharePoint solution. A Microsoft SharePoint consultant can assist you during the initial design and planning stages. During this phase, you’ll evaluate the basic features included with the standard installation and decide if custom development is necessary to achieve your objectives.
A consultant can guide you through this process, ensuring all critical aspects are covered.
Helps to extend functionality
SharePoint comes with a plethora of standard features that provide sufficient functionality for many businesses. However, you might discover that you need it to do a bit more to meet your specific needs.
In such cases, your SharePoint consultant can utilize third-party tools, web parts, and custom SharePoint development to enhance these features to better serve your purposes.
For example, you can make your Community Sites more engaging by integrating micro-blogging, tagging, news feeds, and other interactive elements.
This approach allows you to find new ways to connect with the platform, extending its functionality in a straightforward and cost-effective manner.
Creating custom workflows
SharePoint becomes truly valuable to your organization when it enhances workforce productivity.
To achieve this, your consultant can design tailored workflows that improve communication and collaboration among your employees. For example, if users are frustrated by the need to frequently check SharePoint sites for new assignments, a consultant can create a workflow that sends instant notifications as soon as new tasks are posted, ensuring they stay informed.
Similarly, custom workflows for document approvals can be implemented, detailing the exact steps to follow when content is ready for review. This customization ensures that SharePoint supports your team’s efficiency and keeps everyone aligned with the process.
Helps to improve ROI or return on investment
SharePoint can quickly pay for itself through the productivity gains it delivers. However, it’s important to recognize that SharePoint represents a significant investment for your organization. This is where the expertise of a consultant becomes invaluable. A consultant can help you maximize your return on investment by reducing overall deployment costs and enhancing the system’s effectiveness. They will also seek opportunities to save you additional money.
For instance, did you know that SharePoint can be integrated with many of your other enterprise applications, such as your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system? Combining these deployments can help minimize unnecessary expenses and streamline your operations, further boosting the value of your SharePoint investment.
Relevant updates and developments
SharePoint is more than just a tool; it’s a crucial technology that’s continuously evolving. The pace of updates and changes can be overwhelming for the average business owner, yet staying current is essential to maintaining your organization’s competitive edge.
This is where your SharePoint consultant proves invaluable. They manage the ongoing monitoring and adaptation required to keep your SharePoint environment up-to-date. By ensuring that your version is always the latest, a consultant helps your organization stay in sync with the latest advancements, allowing you to leverage SharePoint’s full potential and remain at the forefront of technology.
Partnering with a professional SharePoint Consultant
Deciding to partner with a SharePoint consulting company requires you to consider all the pointers that have been mentioned above. Also, it is a good practice to get into a discussion with your chosen company to let them know about your requirements. Companies having good years of experience can do justice when it comes to offering SharePoint consulting services.