What is the difference between hiring an IT consultant on a percentage basis or hiring on an hourly basis and which is more benficial?

Answer 1

Okay. The real question here should be: "What will my IT consultant be doing for me?" IT, for those passers-by who don't know, stands for Information Technology, and can run the gamut from PCs to telephony to program writing, and everything in between. Now, there are two main reasons for needing an IT consultant, and the answer to the original question can be either one. 1. YOU'RE INSTALLING SOMETHING. You need some new servers installed, your PBX phone system needs to be replaced, or you have some new PCs to be installed. In this case, you might want to hire on a PERCENTAGE basis, because you want the job done QUICKLY. Due to the fact that your IT Pro gets paid the same whether it takes an hour or a month, it is not only in the Pro's best interest to do it quickly, but also to do it right the first time, because they won't get paid extra to fix any foul-ups (though you'll want to make sure that is included in any contract). 2. YOU CAN'T RUN YOUR I.T. YOURSELF. Don't know a router from a firewall, or the internet from an interstate? Then you need to hire an IT guy on an HOURLY or MONTHLY CONTRACT basis. Hourly hiring means that you'll always have someone to call when Windows won't boot, but you might pay dearly for it. Many small companies will choose to retain a consultant on a contractual basis, making it easier to budget for such issues. Let's face it. When more than three WinPCs try to talk to one another, you'll need a pro somewhere to make it happen. Might as well plan for it. So, to review: Need something installed ONCE or REINSTALLED? Use a percentage basis. Need someone to help on an ONGOING basis? Find a really good IT guy, hire him hourly, and consider giving him a retainer. ~pS!~