Recognition of Client Collaboration Challenges at Odds with Slow Adoption of New Technologies to Streamline the Process
SAN CARLOS, Calif., May 9, 2017 -- A recent survey of more than 160 management consultants conducted by software firm Bluescape (www.bluescape.com) reveals surprising statistics: while it’s to be expected that landing new business is seen as a major challenge (cited by 66% of respondents), receiving necessary information from clients was cited by nearly half of all respondents as the second biggest challenge for consulting firms.
Other top challenges for consultants include developing innovative and impactful recommendations (37%) and keeping project scope in line (33%).
While it’s evident collaboration is a top priority in consulting (97% of respondents cited it as extremely important or very important) very few report implementing new techniques to improve collaboration. Physical meetings and conference calls are cited by 48% of respondents as the most common forms of collaboration, while 20% rely on email.
“We work closely with consultants and recognize that competition is fierce, and the need to stand out from the pack is greater than ever,” said Scott Poulton, CEO of Bluescape, the makers of a visual collaboration platform used by consulting agencies. “The pressure is on to differentiate, compete, and innovate. At the end of the day, the priority is delivering the best results possible. It’s all about making the client happy, and there are many new approaches to help consultants achieve their goals more efficiently; it’s simply a matter of being willing to change.”
Sharing ideas through constant dialogue and discussion is cited as the top method of collaborating, yet decades old, two-dimensional products are still relied on to connect. PowerPoint remains king in the consulting world, in use by a full 87% of respondents, while word processing, spreadsheets, and PDF’s were also cited by more than 70%. This data clearly shows the need among consultants for new, more innovative collaborative technologies to support the consulting process, from start to finish.
With Bluescape, consultants are able to collaborate with their teams and their clients in one, persistent, visual, and entirely digital workspace. A cloud-based solution with an intuitive interface, Bluescape allows users to see the whole picture as they create, develop, and refine, resulting in better solutions, faster. The technology is used by some of the most respected firms in the industry.
The Consulting Survey was commissioned by Bluescape and conducted online between December 12, 2016 – January 12, 2017, with more than 160 respondents. For more information, please download the eBook here: http://create.bluescape.com/how-consultants-can-collaborate-to-succeed.
About Bluescape Bluescape helps companies create better. Its visual collaboration software gives teams a virtual workspace to meet, share, and develop ideas. Accessible wherever you are, Bluescape lets you see the whole picture as you ideate, design, and refine concepts. Founded in 2012, Bluescape is a wholly owned subsidiary of Haworth and headquartered in San Carlos, California. Visit bluescape.com.
Media Contact Sarah Mees smees@tieronepr.com 978-409-2519
