A technical consultant is someone who has specialized knowledge in the design, implementation, or operation of technical solutions. Some technical consultants may work with clients as instructors, training end users. Others may work as a technical support person in a production capacity, assisting product engineers or performing other tasks in manufacturing operations. Members of a design team working on a large project may work as technical consultants. A technical consultant may be hired by a company or a research lab to help with one aspect of an operation.
In most cases, technical consultants who work as developers are hired to come up with a specific solution to a technical problem that arises during the development of a product or device. Technical solutions are used in process consulting to improve manufacturing operations. A technical consultant might work as a technology designer, creating new solutions. Engineers or members of a team with engineering expertise are the most common candidates for this position.
An engineering technical consultant might be hired to come up with a technical solution to a problem that needs to be solved. He or she would then collaborate with the client to collect all pertinent information and assist the company in developing a technical solution. A manager of an assembly line, for example, might conclude that one step in the process bogs down on a regular basis, causing other workers to idle. An engineering technical consultant would look into the problem and make a recommendation. This could entail bringing in a process engineer to create the actual solution.
Some consultants work in technical support, assisting users in comprehending and using hardware and software. As a product support tech, a computer or software technical consultant may, for example, demonstrate how to use the features of a product in a retail setting. The consultant may train the user or troubleshoot technical issues in this type of technical consulting. Assistance is available over the phone or in person. Front-line salespeople may be trained in how to use the solution and what specific benefits it provides by technical consultants who work for a sales operation.
Technical consultants are frequently hired as independent contractors by businesses. The goal of this arrangement is for the company to have access to highly specialized technical expertise tailored to the problem at hand without having to pay for a full-time expert. As a result, the company avoids paying an in-house consultant’s ongoing overhead.