Doing business online with consultants - #8

Admittedly, this page on After Sales and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a bit of a rest category, although nevertheless essential. In the earlier page about promotions, we wrote about social outreach as part of the peanut butter brands' drive to foster their products' emotional connections. That also means being there when customers want something from you. Hence, something simple as the proverbial 1-800 number, the customer help desk.

Consulting firms' websites did not have a fixed help desk; they only offered switchboards. Branch office telephone numbers. Partners' contact information (LinkedIn, email, mobile phone). But it would be smart to provide online configurators, filters, and human interaction to guide clients through the maze of services & practices.

The social outreach theme of the promotions should not be confused with the CSR activities. The latter is something in which the peanut butter brands excel. Whether it is about sustainable palm oil (rather than destroying fragile jungle land for palm plantations), about abiding by the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, promoting affirmative action in the peanut growers' community, or rejecting genetically modified ingredients.

However, the consultancy firms were a mixed bag. Many big firms presented exemplary corporate social responsibility reports focusing on donations, supporting the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, pro-bono directorships, and fee waiving. Yet, a website from a big accountancy/advisory house had CSR webpages of just a few sentences with a CSR report that was three years old. Other firms (including some of the strategy houses) underlined how they could help with corporate social responsibility but didn't feel the need to explain what they did themselves in this field.

Fee waivingand pro-bono directorships are excellent ways to get paid, but now in client insights. Provided that a consultancy firm would capture substantive statistics about their projects (so, not just revenue and hours worked), such social outreach projects can pilot projects for new consultancy approaches or test algorithmswith a broader and more diverse audience.