Few businesses can afford to have under-utilised staff. Per capita returns are a key measurement. And when it comes to professional services firms, having staff 'benched' has long term implications on efficiency and profitability measurements.
There is a dilemma though: due to the very nature of services industries, and particularly consulting assignments, the consultant on the bench can very quickly be needed to respond to new pitches and engagements. Any utilisation modelling has to account for the balance between the overhead of non-chargeable staff and the cost of hiring and onboarding new staff. Keeping ready-to-go consultants suddenly has very strong appeal.
What if there were an alternative? Where there was a pool of ready to go consultants, with the right skills, who could just slot in? But who weren't on payroll, so no need to assign to 'special projects' when client teamsare already fully resourced.
At Talmix we've created the idea of elastic sourcing, especially for consultancy firms. Stretching your teams to the size that's needed to fulfil new work, but bouncing back to normal size when those assignments aren't active.
We can do this because we've the largest global network of vetted business talent, totalling over 60,000 today. Consultants who have grown up in the world's most well-known firms and with the skills and background to make them a great resource in any firm.
It means that at any time, a consultancy firm can call on its alumni, or consultants from any firm with the required skillset, and build up its teams. Instantly. It's why firms from all around the world are starting to look at the Talmix network as an extension of their own alumni networks - and thanks to Talmix technology, with far easier ways to manage and access the talent they want.
And it's not just about the 'ready to go' scenario. In that network of 60,000 lies knowledge that can drill down to the most specialised requirement. Which becomes invaluable in the consultancy scenario when deep expertise is required, but not on an always-on basis. Some of this specialist expertise comes direct from senior roles in industry, making the consultancy's position even more invaluable to its end clients.
Talmix is a valuable partner for consultancies across the world. Get started today.
About the Author
More Content by Dorothy Mead
