There is not doubt that the future of consulting has changed permanently. In a seismic shift clients have recognised that consulting online is a far more effective way of engaging with a professional. Whether it is an accountant, lawyers, insurance broker or any other consultant. Even post Covid-19, clients will be loathe to travel to see a professional, they would much rather dial into a video conference and get an immediate outcome. Gone are the days of scheduling a consultation a week out, travelling through traffic and wasting a lot of time.

Of course professional services businesses that have infra-structure built around a customer experience that includes big fancy offices and swanky capuchins will have serious challenges in adapting. I am thinking of those fancy offices in Sandton and Cape Town. However, from small businesses to large businesses, the impact will be the same. When you want to chat to your accountant about tax, or engage with a contract lawyer about a particular transaction, clients have shifted and consulting businesses will need to shift fast to keep up with the pace.

Bill Gates has made the observation that the Coronavirus will change life forever and we are inclined to agree.

So the question is, as a consultant, how will you adapt. You will need to re-focus your business so that online video consulting is an integral part of the business. Instead of focusing on expensive boardroom furniture, you will need to focus a lot more time on your internet presence and how you engage with your clients in the new post coronavirus era. Fortunately, there are a range of technologies that are available. The most notable beneficiaries are Zoom and Skype, but these technologies are not 100% geared toward the full digital consulting experience. This new world experience need to provide for online bookings, online payments, recorded consultations and the like. Of course you can start developing a plan for a development team, but you will be many many months away from a solution. Yando offers all of these functions and is available as a personalised portal for online consultants within days. We set up your online presence and you simply add the link to your site and you are live.