The RPE difference:
Benefits to working with a boutique retail consulting firm
By Scott Welty, Account Executive, RPE
Over my 25-year career as a trusted solution consultant, I have observed and been involved in the ever-evolving process to select and deliver successful projects. The movement to a SaaS modality has dramatically changed the enterprise solution landscape creating ever-increasing expectations and demands from retail consulting firms to successfully deliver projects.
Gone are the days of forward buying software solutions, combined with multi-year deployments delivering value over an extended time frame. Today, retailers demand increased time to value on projects. Furthermore, in today’s SaaS environment, retailers have the power to cancel subscriptions and switch to another provider when ROI is delayed or never delivered.
Large retail consulting firms as well as smaller boutique firms are being challenged to address today’s changing retail. Both styles of consulting have tremendous merit and can provide sound results for their customers. Large and boutique retail consulting firms feature excellent processes and extremely smart, conscientious professionals.
As a boutique retail consulting firm, we believe RPE can offer some additional advantages.
People and Expertise
Often a larger firm’s signature talent will not always be applying their skills directly on your project, running the risk that your project will be staffed with less experienced talent. Smaller firms allow for better access to the most experienced and influential resources within the company.
At RPE, more than half our consultants have been with the company for over 10 years forming successful teams and relationships that continually drive results. This type of longevity and low turnover truly sets RPE apart. Consultant success is always aligned with project success.
Process and Best Practices
An entrepreneurial spirit is what drives smaller firms. This allows for out-of-the box, nimble, disruptive thinking. Creative ideas arise from experience. Our “been there, done that” level of expertise has resulted in the fine tuning of best practices. Seasoned experts bring a vast amount of methodology and innovation to projects obtained from hundreds of engagements. Smaller firms remove the multiple layers of internal “bosses” for quicker and more agile delivery of services.
When you work directly with high level product experts at a boutique consulting firm, there is little doubt they are committed to project success. Our people have retail backgrounds as CIOs and IT executives and have been in your position. Most of all, they understand your challenges and can provide an outside perspective with insider knowledge and experience. Partnering with a big-name firm with a big price tag does not always translate to more expertise and experience.
Added Value and Trust
The foundation of RPE’s business is built around relationships focused on trust, understanding and collaboration. Time after time, CIOs and retail leaders as they move within the industry reach out to RPE to engage with the team based on past successes and trusting relationships. A smaller boutique retail consulting firm can provide consistent experience. While RPE has deep technical and functional expertise, it is the value we bring to every project with technology skills, retail knowledge, systems and applications expertise, and a collaborative approach that helps clients achieve success and reach bottom-line goals.
Below are 5 distinct benefits delivered by RPE Solutions.
The RPE Difference
- Faster time to value
- Access to the best minds and talent
- No OJT resources billing for the “next big project”
- Trusted advisors that offer experience-based recommendations and not afraid to challenge the project strategy based on deep project experience
- Comprehensive project management
- Based on 100s of real-world experienced vs PMP theory
- Managing scope creep
- Understanding project success factors and incorporating these learnings on every project
- Experienced, seasoned trusted advisors
- Seek project success to build trust and long-term relationships
- Realistic expectations to manage time cost and risk
- Executive level commitment to project
- Easy access to C level involvement
- Extensive ecosystem of highly skilled resources
- Resources that are former leaders and practitioners
- Trusted partners
- Access to a robust and talented array of complementary partnerships
