Across most industries, clients are the backbone of our businesses, and it’s important that in order to retain and go the extra mile for them, the services we offer are aligned with changes in the workplace such as technology, compliance and complex processes.

At BrightHR, we wanted to find out exactly why and how consultants are increasing their service offerings for clients, so we conducted an independent survey of 100 consultants who told us they were under pressure to do exactly this.

According to our ‘A Future that Works’ research report, this pressure is coming from both the demands of clients and the need to stay ahead of the competition. Interestingly, just 21 per cent believed this pressure came from their clients and 19 per cent said the pressure came from the need to increase revenue streams.

The top things that consultants were looking to offer to clients were recruitment services, followed by HR services or tools to help effectively manage their businesses better. Keeping ahead of the curve, more than two thirds of consultants surveyed felt it would be ‘beneficial’ to their clients if they could confidently offer a business related software solution, with 39 per cent believing they would recommend ‘on the go’ tech to boost client revenue.

Within our ‘A Future that Works’ report, futurologist David A.Smith revealed that organisations who integrate digital technology and offer additional services can typically increase revenue and productivity by nine per cent and lower talent and HR costs by seven per cent.

Absenteeism, employment law and HR issues are something businesses shouldn’t overlook as they can have a direct impact on engagement, productivity and ultimately, the bottom line. We were pleased to see that nearly half all of consultants we spoke to believed more efficient internal HR systems would help improve their clients profit and boost their own business, with 47 per cent agreeing with this.

With the intention to improve their client’s business, our research also pointed to the fact that consultants want to increase the knowledge their clients have on grey areas such as HR, with nearly a quarter admitting their clients struggle with HR and 21 per cent arguing their clients could have a ‘firmer grasp’ on the subject within the workplace.

There is clearly a demand for services that simplify, explain and apply day to day business tasks that will benefit the business of clients and of management consultants themselves.

Consultants are looking to become more pro-active in their roles and be seen as trusted advisors to their clients. The future workplace is one where consultants are listening to what their clients need and nurturing those all-important professional relationships, whilst building on their own professional service offering.

At BrightHR, we offer a partner programme for consultants to help build relationships with clients and extend their service portfolio. The programme allows our partners to strengthen client relationships by recommending an additional service. This not only helps consultants to stand out from the crowd, but also generates an additional income stream by recommending BrightHR.

To find out more about this visit www.brighthr.com/partners