ABSTRACT
Telecommunications consultants first provided assistance to Bell System users in determining if they were being properly billed for equipment and services. Consultants then began to provide new services designed to assist companies in sorting out everything necessary to arrive at the best and most cost-efficient telecommunications purchase and management decisions. The telecommunications and network staff has usually met contemporaries through membership in professional associations and by attending educational programs and user groups. Consultants are powerful tools that can be utilized by companies to accomplish their goals. They bring technical knowledge, experience, and understanding to the project that may be missing or in short supply at the client company. In fact, consultants are used quite frequently by some companies to accomplish various tasks and jobs. The network manager can, in the proper circumstances, utilize the consultant's insights and recommendations to support a position.
