Industry

Basics of consulting industry

What is Consulting?

Consulting is a professional service where individuals or teams with specialized knowledge, known as consultants, offer advice, guidance, or solutions to clients across various business functions. Organizations often seek consulting services to address specific challenges, optimize operations, or drive business growth.

In today’s business landscape, companies can engage either external consultants (outsiders) or internal consultants (insiders) depending on the nature of the problem. While internal employees may have the necessary skills, they are often tied up with their day-to-day responsibilities, leaving them with limited bandwidth to focus solely on resolving a particular issue. This is where external consultants add value — bringing in specialized expertise, a fresh perspective and cross-industry experience. Their exposure to similar challenges across different organisations enables them to deliver faster and more effective solutions.

Companies also engage consultants not just to solve problems but to build new capabilities, explore new business areas, or implement innovative practices within the organisation. This is especially relevant in technology-driven areas, process improvements, or when venturing into entirely new markets where internal teams may lack the necessary expertise or external market exposure. Consultants help bridge this gap by offering strategic insights, proven methodologies and industry-specific tools, enabling organisations to stay competitive and future-ready.

Over time, increasing competition and evolving client demands have transformed the traditional role of consulting firms. Earlier seen primarily as advisory service providers, consulting firms have now shifted towards implementation-driven models, where they actively participate in executing the proposed solutions rather than limiting themselves to recommendations. This shift has increased their skin in the game, driving better outcomes and more sustainable delivery models for clients. As a result, consulting has evolved from being just about advice to a hands-on, result-oriented partnership, ensuring measurable business impact.

This shift has increased their skin in the game, driving better outcomes, fostering deeper client collaboration, and ensuring more sustainable delivery models for clients. As a result, consulting has evolved from being just about advice to a hands-on, result-oriented partnership, ensuring measurable business impact and long-term value creation.


Why Companies Hire Consultants

There are several key reasons why companies turn to consultants
Specialized Expertise

Consultants bring deep industry knowledge and cross-functional expertise gained from working across multiple industries.

Speed and Efficiency

Consultants can achieve results more quickly by applying a structured and proven approach to solving business challenges.

Objective Insight

External consultants provide an objective viewpoint, helping businesses see opportunities that internal teams might overlook.

Resource Flexibility

Flexible resource allowing companies to onboard experts for specific projects without long-term commitments

List of Services provided by Consulting firms

Types of consulting services can be broadly categorised into below categories

Strategy

Business Strategy, Corporate Strategy, Growth Strategy, New Product Development,  Operations Strategy, Digital Strategy

Operations & Supply Chain

Demand & Supply Planning, Manufacturing Operations, Logistics and Distribution, Procurement & Sourcing, Industry 4.0

Sales & Marketing

Sales and Channel Management, Marketing Excellence, Branding, Customer Experience, Digital Marketing, Go-To-Market Strategy

People & Organisation

Compensation and Rewards, Retirement and Pension, Employee Benefits, Talent Development, HR Analytics

Finance & Risk

Corporate Finance, Transaction Advisory, Private Equity and Investment Advisory, Financial Risk, Governance and Compliance

IT & Digital

IT and Digital Strategy, Cloud and Infrastructure Services, AI and Automation, Enterprise Solutions, Cybersecurity and Risk Management, Engineering services

ESG & Sustainability

Decarbonisation Strategy, Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Social Impact Consulting, Regulatory Compliance and Reporting, ESG and Sustainability Investing

Data & Analytics

AI and Automation, Data Engineering, Data Science & Advanced Analytics, Data Visualisation & Business Intelligence, Tech Strategy and Digital Transformation

Government & Public Policy

Public Policy Advisory, Digital Transformation, Social Impact and Development, Urban Infrastructure, Government Funding and Investment

Implementation

Pilot Rollout and Full-Scale Deployment of Solutions, On-the-Job Training and Coaching, Standard Operating Procedures, Handover and Sustainability systems