So you intend to migrate to Microsoft Office 365. This is a relatively new office package that is not well known to many. Nonetheless, it is packed with tons of awesome features that exceed the expectations and the limits of ordinary office packages.
You definitely need a great office 365 consulting firm or professional to help you with the migration. To get this consultant, there are things and issues you must just have right. Chief of these is the traits of the consultant that may guarantee smoother support in the course of migration or when familiarizing yourself with the package.
Things to Consider
We draft this article to highlight and showcase the things you may have to consider before hiring such an office 365 consulting firm. Below are the traits to look up to.
Long-term reliability
Unlike your ordinary Microsoft office packages, 365 is not static. Instead, its features are constantly updated and altered. You have to find someone who is reliable in the long run to guarantee the support you need for the foreseeable future. Check it out with the person before signing up.
Security and confidentiality
The office 365 consulting firm working for you can usually leak your data and other confidential pieces of information. If and when this happens, he may make your company vulnerable to attacks and other problems that come along with security breaches. Insist on one who is both secure and confidential.
Unparalleled work experience
Microsoft Office 365 is very complicated. Moreover, its features, as has already been noted, do get altered and updated every now and then. To be guaranteed exceptional services, you need to work with someone who is experienced in the field. Such a person is more likely to navigate you smoothly along the way.
Past track record
It is not enough for the office 365 consulting expert to have the necessary experience. The person concerned should also possess an excellent track record. That has to be evidenced by the awesome ratings and reviews that the past clients leave behind. Take time to scrutinize the past track record before hiring the personnel hence.
Greatly knowledgeable
It is definitely impossible for one to have the necessary experience without first of all being knowledgeable in the field. You, therefore, want to find out whether the person has the training and the educational background necessary to tackle this chore well. This may demand some testing and practical evaluations too!
Conversance with the ecosystem
This wonderful piece of software does not just come along. It comes out as a complete packaging. For this reason, it is important that your consultant be conversant with the entire ecosystem as well. Anything short of this might mean you having to employ many people to help you out. That of course is very costly.
Able to migrate your company
It is not enough for the consultant to know about the software package. The consultant you work with has to be capable of migrating you from the present platform to the Microsoft 365 one. Working with only one office 365 consultingprofessional or firm is a sure way of minimizing losses and also ensuring excellent facilitation of the process on the whole.
Reasonable cost and pricing regime
You need not dog too deep into your pocket to afford a consultant. That is not when you can compare the prices of many people and narrow to the cheapest. Take time therefore to receive bids from many consultants and weigh them against the costs before determining the one to work with.
Excellent communication skills
In the course of working with you, the consultant will no doubt have to communicate his stand on various issues with the members of your workforce. It is important that such a professional possess strong communication skills to ensure smoother transmission of ideas and concepts to the workforce.
Teamwork
A typical office setting comprises many members who jointly constitute a team. The consultant you choose to do business with must have great teamwork skills. That is to ensure harmony when dealing with the team members and instill all the knowledge smoothly when working for you.
Deep commitments to projects
Migrating or indoctrinating people to projects is never really easy. They both require a deeper level of commitment that is only achievable if the consultant you hire is similarly deeply committed to the projects. You may have to study the past working trends well to ascertain whether this is achievable or not.
Speedy operations
Projects generally have to be concluded within the shortest realistic times possible. The longer a project takes the more expensive it generally becomes. Furthermore, longer delays are naturally bound to bring about confusion along the way. Insist on a consultant who takes up as little time as possible to conclude a project.
Extra values
To accrue the highest returns on investments, you need to work with a consultant who is able to bring about more value for money. That is only achievable if the consultant in question is more knowledgeable and experienced in other matters of IT besides Microsoft Office 365.
Effective follow-up
Rounding them all up is the need for an effective follow-up regime. A good office 365 consulting expert has to put place an effective follow-up regime in place that will be on standby to provide the backend support you need to work well. He must of necessity be ready to act when called upon without any delays at all.
Conclusion
Finding a great consultant might never be easy given the complicated nature of Microsoft Office 365 and the fact that the field is relatively new. You will have to spend a great deal of your time and effort to scour the many firms that be before finally narrowing to one.
We recommend that you work with fully-fledged firms that have already been in business for quite some time. They are more likely to do a better job not to mention of course being equipped with all the tools necessary for the attainment of great end results.
