Consultant Corner: Knowing multiple systems vs expert at one

When deciding on a technology consultant firm for your nonprofit, there are many things to consider. One of them is whether or not the consultant firm is focused on one particular system, like Salesforce, or one that has knowledge working with multiple systems.

Being an expert in one system means the consultant has spent an extraordinary amount of time learning about all the technical features of the system and how business processes can be set up. This can be extremely beneficial if your organization needs help with that particular system, especially for a short term issue.

However, there are setbacks to this specific system expertise. This can mean the consultant has fewer tools in their toolbox for fixing problems, as the consultant most often sees problems and solutions within that one system’s lens.

At Tackle we take pride in being efficient in multiple digital systems. So why is this important?

Most organizations use multiple systems and will likely change to new systems in the future. When a consultant has experience with multiple systems, they can very effectively create solutions using the best tool available.

Similarly, you can create solutions tailored by system depending on who in an organization uses which system. That can be invaluable for minimizing learning curves.

Generally speaking, Tackle’s philosophy is that our skillset should reflect and enhance the technology ecosystems our clients use. Being able to see how our client’s multiple systems intertwine with their business processes helps in many ways, including managing change, developing intuitive solutions, and recommending replacement systems when the time comes.

When we add a new consultant to our services team, we look for people who likely have deep expertise in one system or business area while also having experience with the host of other tools. That means anyone on our team can scope out projects and solutions, and we can bring in a collaborator when highly technical expertise is required.

We’d love to chat with you if your nonprofit needs help with your current digital systems or you are looking for some advice about which software might be the best for your team. Send me an email at [email protected] and let’s chat today.