I’m the client and I know how I like my coffee

(But I like Caffè Nero to make it for me!)

I love an espresso-based, strong, black coffee – preferably from Caffè Nero or from a little, local Turkish deli. Any barista who has offered me coffee more than once or twice has long since given up persuading me that anything macchi, mocha, frappa, or adding froth, syrup or an extra shot is just not worth the bother of the explanation. I imagine you know how you like yours, too.

The point I’m trying to make is that I’m the client when I go for coffee (I’ve got to drink the thing and pay for it, after all!) and it’s my choice and in my world of work in HR tech consultancy services, the same applies. I would encourage you as clients to stick with your conviction that you have a choice in what you do with your consultants’ advice.

Apply your choices wisely though. I argued in the iTrent Serenity Prayer that in HRIS expert opinion is a very real thing. This article is my expert opinion. Acting as an HR systems consultant, I prefer a decluttering approach to the process, I like flat structures and I quite like fewer, bigger “data dumps” rather than complex reports, doing very specific things. Sometimes I’ll lean in favour of a manual process. Engage an HR systems consultant to apply their expertise and to explain to you the impacts of options and recommendations. This is key. There are “wise questions” that you can ask to help arrive at the best understanding of impact (and see an article coming soon on how to get the best out of the consultancy engagement), but do expect to be offered expert advice, recommendation and an understanding of any alternatives. Which choice will require greater maintenance? Which choice closes more avenues for future configuration? Which choice has greater staying power?

Back to coffee. I am always going to engage a barista to make it for me. I just can’t achieve the same on my own and it’s worth £2.50 every time to get someone better to do it. I need (sometimes very badly!) barista skills to get the best Americano, but when I’ve understood all the menu choices don’t try to tell me which one I like the best. That’s down to me.

James likes a big mug of macchiato, with caramel and an extra shot. For Johan, timing is everything. They are both, by the way, hideously wrong. I’m the client and I know how I like my coffee.

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