Virtualization of consulting : benefits, risks and a suggested decision process

Virtualization is a promising approach for consultancies to optimize their consulting processes and thereby an innovative option to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. Using state-of-the-art ICT enables consultancies to deliver customized solutions anytime and anywhere while the individual work load of every consultant can be optimized. The downside of the virtualization is the reduced direct interaction of clients and consultants and thus the risk of weaker client-consultant-relationships. Whether virtualization is the right approach for a specific client or project should be clarified within a sound decision process. We have designed a virtualization decision process based on insights from two Delphi studies with one client panel and one consultancy panel.