When it comes to hiring a professional such as an Ivalua consultant many businesses hesitate to spend the extra money because they feel as if they have the situation covered. However, in most situations, it ends up costing more to not hire a professional for help than it does if they do.

The time, energy, and money wasted on failed learning attempts can add up very quickly. In the end, the majority of the businesses that declined to hire professional help, end up doing so anyway.

Why Hire a Professional?

There are many reasons to hire a professional consultant to come in and show the right way to do things. Some of the most important reasons are:

• They know what they are doing
• They save time, money, and resources
• They show the right way to get things done
• They are an asset to the company

A great example of why it is better to hire a consultant to help with an aspect of the business that is foreign to the owner and the rest of the workforce is the same reason why a homeowner would hire a roofer to replace the roof instead of trying to replace it themselves.

Of course, you could always ask the wife or the children of the homeowner to help rebuild the roof, but the odds are that unless anybody in the home is an experienced roofer the entire project would be a complete fiasco. Not to mention the county would not be happy with the new roof either when they inspected it for quality and safety.

Just because a business is teeming with professionals, does not mean that the professionals know anything about another industry than the one they are experienced in.

In House Tech Support

The companies that have one of those guys that “wears many hats” around are just asking for problems. This is where the manager/tech support/procurement department/trainer/supervisor and so on takes on the responsibilities of factors that they have no idea about. It’s kind of like asking the sales rep to do the budget.

Just because a person has a little bit of familiarity with computers does not mean they are capable of tech support. If Maryanne is having an issue with connectivity to the server and the helper has no idea of what connectivity means, the odds of the situation getting fixed are pretty slim.

As it is with more crucial factors that a business uses to function. The procurement process of every company has to be done in a way that ultimately uses spending practices as an advantage instead of as a detriment. In other words, it is important that a company spends a lot less money than it brings in, or it will cease to exist.

When a business tasks an employee to take care of spending and purchasing and the employee has no clue about what they are doing, there could be some pretty ugly problems in the near future. Strategic spending and planning are a requirement for the health of the business.

The Professional Bookkeeper

Although it is very tempting for a business to task an employee with keeping the books in tip-top shape, it is not a good idea to allow a person that is not a professional to do it. Each year tax laws change and if a business does not stay on top of the current regulations from the IRS they are in jeopardy of being audited. Of course, if a business is doing everything it is supposed to be doing an audit from the IRS should not be a problem, however, the whole process can take a long time and cause many problems along the way.

If the uneducated in-house bookkeeper makes a mistake there could be crippling consequences for the company. When a professional bookkeeper handles the finances, they are less likely to make catastrophic mistakes and more likely going to know how to handle issues if they come up.

The Software Administrator

If the company has powerful software, such as Ivalua, the worst idea that they could have is to let a “smart” employee figure out how to administer the platform. Of course, there are many avenues that could contribute to a successful installation and administration of complex software, however, the amount of time it would take for a person with no knowledge to figure out how to set the software up and implement it into the daily life of the business.

Software applications are not like they used to be. Many of them are housed in clouds and can be accessed through the internet and a desktop app.

When a person that does not know how to implement and administrate software jumps into the role without any training and tries to figure it all out, they cause more harm than good. The initial setup of the application will allow users and other parties to log in a do business, or have access to portals that they need in order to conduct various tasks within the platform.

If it is not created correctly, there will be the chance of the loss of data, the exposure of personal or business data that is not supposed to be seen, and other issues.

This is one circumstance where a business could end up losing more money by not hiring an expert to help in the first place.

Knowledge is Power

The best way to ensure a successful endeavor that includes a new way of doing business is to hire a consultant that understands the situation more than you do to get it done right. Of course, as with any other new implementation the employees will have to be trained on how to use the system or do the thing, or whatever. However, the consultant will show the company how to use the new setup, and teach key people the fundamentals of the equipment so that they can continue on and teach other employees how to operate the system as well.

All of us are born ignorant of the world around us but we get help from our parents and other humans as we learn the ways of our world. And so it is with implementing a new type of procedure or software to a company. We gain knowledge from the people who have knowledge about it to share with us.

Doctors and Lawyers

What kind of business would allow regular employees to perform medical examinations on its employees or allow them to represent them in a legal battle? Although it may save a lot of money to allow a factory worker that is paid $20 an hour to be the company physician, it is not practical. Where the savings in cost would be great, the odds of the appointed physician being able to correctly diagnose and treat illnesses would be pretty slim.

And so it is with hiring a professional. When a company reaches out to a professional to teach them the ropes about a new software application, or a new piece of machinery they are doing themselves a favor by being proactive and ensuring the safety and health of the entire company. Always allow a pro, with experience to lead the way and show the rest of the company how to do things. It pays off in the long run.