4 Computer Consulting Contract Essentials

When you create a computer consulting contract for your clients, you need to ensure that it meets their requirements, but at the same time, lays out realistic and achievable expectations.

Here are some key points and essentials to keep in mind regarding what to include in a consulting contract to ensure everyone is kept happy.

Provide Clarity on Exactly What is Covered

If you intend to provide your clients with support on every facet of their infrastructure, then say so in the contract.

But if you feel unable to support a particular client’s poorly written bespoke database (custom) or troublesome CRM system, be sure to make this very clear.

What is NOT covered is arguably more important at this point than what IS covered!

Clearly State Your Operating Hours

Set clear boundaries for your clients. If you only ever plan to be available during the working week, make sure every computer consulting contract you issue states this clearly.

If you do not do this, you can count on phone calls interrupting your weekend at the beach.

Although many clients will ignore these boundaries, stating them clearly in the contract means that you can politely remind customers when they are overstepping the mark.

Agree on SLAs

Although official service level agreements (SLAs) may seem rather corporate, even the smallest IT businesses can benefit from agreeing to and formalizing them.

Ensure you include response and resolution times that your firm can consistently meet.

Include Detailed Terms and Conditions

Although producing a detailed list of terms and conditions is laborious, you only need to do it once and you can then include it in every computer consulting contract you issue.

Items to think about include stating that you are unwilling to work with unlicensed software and take no responsibility for problems caused by system changes made internally. There are likely to be legal implications specific to your country of business, so seek legal advice if necessary.

Including these items in every contract will give you peace of mind, and ensure that the service you provide is in line with your client’s expectations.

What do you include in a computer consulting contract? Please share your strategies in the comments box below.

And to follow through on many of the ideas introduced in this post, especially if you also support SaaS and Iaas, be sure to enroll now in our free 7-day eCourse: Go-to-Market Strategy 101 for B2B SaaS Startups and Scaleups.