Boutique consulting firms are small, specialized and flexible consultancies. Although they stand in the opposite to big full-service corporations, each type has its own advantages.
The table below presents the basic differences between the two types of consultancies.
Boutique consultancies
- Limited number of services in selected industries
- Small team
- Owner is a key contact point for a customer service
- Lower operating costs, likely more affordable prices
- Lesser-known
- More informal and flat culture
- Flexibility to adapt quickly and move faster
- Fewer resources stimulating efficiency
Full-service consultancies
- Wide scope of full-range services in multiple industries
- Big team
- Account Manager is a key point of contact
- Higher overheads, generally much higher fees
- Well-established reputation
- Usually formal culture
- May encounter organisational barriers
- More resources enabling business development
Since we already have a comparison between the two types of consultancies, let’s move on and figure out why is it worth considering cooperation with a boutique consulting firm? Here are 3 advantages that I think are the most beneficial to the Customer.
1. Clear specialisations and differentiate features
Compared to some full-service consulting firms, boutique consultancies don’t offer ‘general consulting’. They don’t try to be all things to all men and they avoid promising that they can resolve any issue. The offer is tailored to one or more groups. Boutique consultancies are not ‘universal’, and therefore they usually have a unique definition of their identity. When choosing a boutique company, the Client can check if the style of work corresponds to Clients’ values and expectations.
2. Long-lasting relations
A boutique consulting company is much more focused on a single project. This gives an opportunity for fair, long-term relationships based on trust. Projects are run predominantly by small, experienced and committed team. Working with a smaller consultancy also means the availability of the owner and team members selected for a specific project. In many cases, the consultant becomes a part of the Clients team and creates long-lasting relations.
3. Flexible cooperation
The offer is tailored to the capabilities and needs of the Clients’ company. Boutique companies have small teams and sometimes use experienced freelancers. The Client only pay for an actual work and deliverable. Small and dedicated team generally work faster and more efficiently than big consulting groups.
Full-service consulting firms has advantages too. These include a wider range of services, more diverse teams, well-established brand or bigger portfolio. It is worth mentioning that although both – boutique consulting companies and full-service consulting companies – operates within the same sector (consulting), they are focusing on different customer types. Knowing the differences between the two types of consultancies may help you, as a Client, to choose the most beneficial option for yourself and your specific project.
Ph.D. Beata Paliwoda
Founder and Owner of EQM. Environmental and quality consultant and auditor. Professional career built in Quality Assurance departments in various companies from the automotive, aerospace, railway industries, as well as a management systems consultant. Successfully completed many complex projects related to the implementation of management systems, process improvements and business transformation. Auditor of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS 9100, project manager of APM, lecturer at the Poznan University of Business and Economics, researcher on the effectiveness of EMS and QMS in organisations.
