How do you stay up-to-date with consulting tools and software?

Since all the newsletters and blogs are overwhelming, we have one team member read them all every day and then send 1 email to all of us with the subject line and a link to read more if we want. The daily email segregates those articles behind a paywall from those that are not, and we encourage our team members to subscribe if they want the info behind the paywall because that is the ethical thing to do. We stay very informed this way. In fact, we are thinking about offering our clients to receive the email as well if they want.

I connect to feeds that focus on core technology as this is what clients want to talk about. Having an opinion about ‘take up’ timelines is appreciated. Obviously it’s hard to tune out hype marketing noise

There's a false sense of value involved here. Tools are built to meet business needs. There are so many tools that are continually being developed and entering the market - the question isn't HOW you stay up to date, but WHY you SHOULD? If your consulting engagements are short-term deliverables, you'll have plenty of opportunities to assess available tools when you start a new engagement. If you're in longer term engagements, it might make sense to occasionally review the market to determine what tools could make life easier, but don't get distracted by the marketing materials. Focus on building your business and only invest in tools that serve your needs.

This may not provide to the point information, but can work as a pointer towards new technological advancement. This may work as an indicator for someone to find further data on the topic of interest.

Newsletters and blogs are great ways to find relevant topics; but get close with your partners. One of the aspects of my job that I love is meeting new people and learning about their business and how they conduct it; get in the trenches to uncover what are hot button issues and the many creative ways people are coming up with to stay ahead.

This, as per my view can be a good way to stay updated and learn new advancements in the existing setup. Communities and forums also work best in getting more info by posting questions.

I find that online communities and websites like Quora, Reddit, and Stack Overflow host a wealth of information on various topics, including consulting tools and software. By joining these communities, you can learn from the experiences of others, ask for advice, and even contribute your own insights.

live events by far best as it’s possible to ask novel questions and get people on the stage thinking in real time about the issues. less pitch more dialogue

This is a good way to be up to date. The webinars or events may provide a lot of insights on the current as well as future planned developments. I find this to be more useful as this also helps enhance the professional network.

I find webinars to be a more effective approach than live events for my needs. Time is a precious commodity, and spending it traveling to and from software events is not the most efficient use of my time, unless of course there is also the opportunity to prospect for new clients:)

I find webinars to be a more effective approach than live events for my needs. Time is a precious commodity, and spending it traveling to and from software events is not the most efficient use of my time, unless of course there is also the opportunity to prospect for new clients:)

If you are interested in a tool join an online demo, there’s nothing better than seeing the tool being used. How it can help you in your projects and can you sell it on to your client base.

Thia one can be more helpful than webinars, as this is the actual onjob work that we can do probably in some test environment. But these are typically available for very limited time and may ask for money if needs to be extended.

Learning from customers is the simplest way to learn. Spend time with customers & you will always learn faster than anyone .

This is one of the primary ways I select software tools-good old trial and error. Most software companies offer free trials or demos of their products. This is an excellent opportunity to test the software and see if it meets your needs before making a purchase. Experimenting with different tools can help you understand their capabilities and limitations, enabling you to make an informed decision.

The exploding landscape of tools and technologies can be overwhelming. Short pithy use cases are always good so youb can get practical insights. Then I like to focus on one tool at a time to see if it will help me or my clients. I'm experimenting with the ai note taking tools--very useful if you are giving a coaching call on Zoom and immediately after the call you can send your client a summary--saves hours of typing and organization!

Ask other people how the tools benefitted them. Reach out to community groups, user groups and best practice groups. Also FAQ sections on website and video platforms like YouTube.

recommendations from a credible independent peer is very valuable. i always ask sales people for real industry case studies.

The most important thing is to be willing to learn. If you don’t put forth the effort to expand your knowledge you will never stay up to date.

1) Go to conferences and talk to exhibitors. There are a number of great conferences that host dozens of software vendors who are eager to talk with you. You can also attend conferences put on by the vendors themselves and see a wide array of solutions and use-cases. 2) Ask for demos Representatives are eager to connect with companies that are looking for solutions. They'll give you their time and their demos. 3) Join networking groups. They grant access to smart senior-level people and give the opportunity to hear more about what they're doing. 4) Read up on developments. It's worthwhile to stay abreast of developments by reading new white papers, attending monthly webinars, and listening to podcasts where experts are interviewed.

market intelligence is one of the more valuable things you can share with a client. enables trust and adds phenomenal value to any discussion or pitch

I am a lifelong member of the school of lifelong learning. The most important thing is to have a learning mindset. I graduated from engineering 25 years ago and have kept myself abreast on the latest and greatest in the ever evolving space of science and technology. I'm constantly attending trainings, attending seminars, doing certifications, being a part of forums, collaborating with peers, associations, founders, taking on projects that stretched my capability and pushed me to learn, contributing to research and case studies, and being a thought leader on an array of topics. My brand is Intellect and I have worked hard to amass knowledge.

Staying up to date on consulting tools and software is a never ending process. I try and read reviews as often as possible but best success has come from asking questionst peers and community groups. Market intelligence is a value add from consultants to clients which does require staying current.

Speak to practitioners and customers on which tool they are using and what all competition have they evaluated with the pros cons TCO ROI