In-Company Projects (ICPs)
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12127/6662
2024-03-28T12:11:20ZUnleashing e-commerce’s potential an exploratory study about companies’ drivers and barriers to purchase it-related products and services online
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12127/7235
Unleashing e-commerce’s potential an exploratory study about companies’ drivers and barriers to purchase it-related products and services online
Buckenberger, Jenny; Melis, Mathieu; Zamora, Valeria
Inetum-Realdolmen has helped companies navigate through the challenges of the digital world for over 14 years, by offering a wide range of IT-related products and delivering strategic, operational and tactical solutions. The company is part of the Inetum Group, who aims to conquer new markets and to continue building a culture of positive digital flow for all stakeholders. This resulted in a consolidated turnover of more than €2.219 billion worldwide in 2021. Now, Inetum-Realdolmen is innovating its way of doing business, and with the growing importance of e-commerce activities, the company has set high ambitions for its online channels. By developing an online solution that creates a new unified point of entry to their products, services and people for all clients, it aims at generating €1 billion in revenue by 2027 through e-commerce. Similar to the B2C market, B2B clients are now starting to demand customer centricity and the omnichannel trend is finding its way to more and more companies. THis change in consumer expectations means that the online unified point of entry will have to connect with the client base as a whole, while still engaging with each user in a personal way. The company will also have to find a way to, in addition to their current product web shops: the Cloudstore and Rstore, offer their service range online. Therefore, Inetum-Realdolmen is aiming to align the new solution with its clients preferences and find the right strategy to market the solution. Purpose: The current research seeks to discover how Inetum-Realdolmen can optimise its current web shops and expand the online portfolio with projects, professional services and managed services, to create a one-stop shop. It helps clarify which steps within the purchase process are better done using self-service technologies and provides examples of tools that can be implemented to guide clients when buying online. It also explains the feasibility of expanding the offering portfolio with services and suggests how the company can start its go-to-market strategy. Methodology: Fourteen exploratory customer interviews were conducted to understand clients’ preferences towards self-service technologies and human interaction. Both clients that already used Inetum-Realdolmen’s online solutions and clients that avoid using them were asked to map their current purchase processes, explain their experience with Inetum-Realdolmen’s web shops and elaborate on their need for human interaction. In addition, the clients were asked to state their preferences for bundling and mobile solutions to discover implementation strategies. To complete the findings retrieved from the interviews, the research team also analysed Inetum-Realdolmen’s 3 C’s (Company, Customer and Competitors) and explored future B2B sales trends. Lastly, the feasibility and strategies to market the online solutions were analysed based on internal interviews and the scalability was assessed through two exploratory interviews with teams from the Inetum Group in Spain. Findings: From the interviews, it was retrieved that although some of the processes for product and managed services are similar and thus could be standardised, the process of buying professional services and projects can be very complex and specific. Therefore, clients preferred self-service technologies while buying products or managed services as it would help them save time, but required human interaction when looking for projects or professional services due to the need for advice and coordination when specifying the service. Nevertheless, clients also mentioned there was room for technologies that would enhance their experience before and after the specification step in those cases too. When it came to the current online solutions, comparing them with B2C e-commerce web shops resulted in clients stating it lacked intuitiveness and user friendliness. The web shop was mostly used for lower volume purchases and to look up products. Non-users of the web shops clarified that they preferred direct contact with sales persons as it would give them a higher bargaining power and added a personal touch. Clients from the public sector also mentioned working through the web shop would mean they had to process the order twice, which generated more workload for them. From the interviews, it was also retrieved that clients had mixed feelings about bundling offers. Although some clients acknowledged that discounts and correctly putting offerings together brought value when Inetum-Realdolmen combined hardware, licences and services, most clients needed to maintain IT products with different inventory durations or wanted to do added services in-house and were therefore not convinced. For mobile usage, in the interviews it became clear that purchasing products in a B2B context through a mobile phone was not yet done by clients from Inetum-Realdolmen, and is not something they are eager to do. The only way a mobile solution could still bring value was by assisting them in approving and following up on orders. However, many clients were assessed to have a rigid mentality that resisted certain technological changes. In combination with the fact that most of them did belong to Generation X or Y, not being in favour of a mobile application was put into perspective. It also stressed the importance of knowing the technological readiness of the client base when going to the market with a new solution. Recommendations: In response to the findings from the client interviews, cost-benefit analysis, market research, future B2B sales trends and the company’s vision, the following actions are suggested: Grow the Customer Experience Portal to serve as a single point of entry to the Cloudstore, Rstore and a newly developed Service Store; and implement a renewed design with easier access to all offers while providing features like a centralised Admin Centre, Support Centre and Monitoring options. Limit the development of a mobile application of the Portal to a tool that allows clients to follow-up on their orders and use it as a stepping stone to future mobile extensions. This way, creating the one-stop solution will not only potentially increase the amount of business done through e-commerce, but it will also drive clients more towards self-servicing their administrative requests; which will allow account managers and customer success managers of Inetum-Realdolmen to focus on more strategic tasks. Use the client feedback and proposals to transform the current Rstore into a consumer-centric web shop. Regarding this point, Inetum-Realdolmen should improve the product information section in the store with less technical explanations and the addition of reviews. Additionally, it should add a chat-bot/box feature to the web shop to automatically answer simple questions and help clients solve more complex problems in person. Furthermore, a bundle page where customers can view and buy combined offers of hardware, licences and managed services with discounts should also be included. With its new design and features, the Rstore should serve as the part of the Portal all clients’ hardware products are bought through. Develop a Service Store that at the same time covers the online purchasing of managed services and lists and informs about all specifications of professional services and projects offered. In addition, add simple e-commerce tools like search filters and extensions, expert profiles and automatic scheduling to the web shop to help clients navigate through the different services and solutions. This will result in clients not only having a clear view on the full service range, but also having the opportunity to easily start the purchase process online in a self-service way. Reorganise the role account managers now have within the company by freeing up time that is spent on administrative workload and redirect their focus to strategic assistance and client onboarding. This way you make sure the e-commerce strategy can be an integral part of the overall sales strategy rather than as a separate business. Analyse if the company possesses not only the design skills but also the technical skills to develop the Service Store in-house as it is the most flexible option without any dependencies on third-parties nor commissions. The same vendor that was used to develop the Rstore should also be used to incorporate the new features as it will bring cost savings and a higher client satisfaction. In addition, bundles should be implemented as cross selling and upselling opportunities will outweigh the overall lower price. Direct new traffic to the Customer Experience Portal by focusing on SEO and SEA, and convince existing customers of the benefits the portal provides by communicating, for example, the time saving it will create and the availability of customer support. For scalability, reach out to other countries with insights and a tangible solution of the Customer Experience Portal. Additionally, communicate it as a powerful tool that combines the 3 web shops for clients and helps employees focus on strategic tasks by lowering administrative workload. By doing so, the portal should get all the chances of not only being adopted by clients but also being implemented in other countries.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the development of a new training- and customer experience offering
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12127/7234
On the development of a new training- and customer experience offering
Kermans, Victor; Van Der Beken, Jeroen; Vluymans, Louise
Yanmar is currently redefining its strategy within the market of construction equipment. Yanmar CE EMEA aspires to focus on delivering the best customer experience. Owing to this, the concept of trainings - sales and technical trainings - as well customer experiences, such as product demonstrations must be defined for the future. The crux of the matter can be formulated as a single question. What is the most efficient, attractive, and convenient way to offer product training, technical training and a customer experience to the dealers and end-customers in a financially sustainable way? To answer this research question, data is gathered from a wide range of sources. The data was gathered by internal- and external interviews, customer surveys, and desk research. Its aim is to understand the competitive landscape, Yanmar’s positioning within this landscape and opportunities for Yanmar’s future training- and customer’s experience. Hence, the 3C framework is adopted as a comprehensive foundation. Four main trends could be identified among competitors. First, there is a clear trend or preference for customer centers to provide trainings and organize customer experiences of different types. The centers are situated at accessible locations. Simultaneously, they are often close to plants. The practice is most often supported by a strong online training platform that offers sales training and technical training, among other features. The customer survey revealed that communication is the main reason why dealers are currently not joining. When their view on the important parameters for training was questioned, three parameters stood out. The physical access to machines, the opportunity to share expertise and, for product trainings, the opportunity to benchmark with competitors. For customer experience, the overall experience grew immensely in importance, yet the access to machines and demo remained the most important parameter by far. The company interviews highlighted different hurdles and opportunities. An urgent demand for systematic product trainings came to light which could provide additional homogeneity. The technical training consists of elements which require physical training, yet digital solutions are currently developed and can be expanded in the future. The importance of customer experience was highlighted by the connection of it through the whole customer journey. From sales to after-sales, there is always a customer behind. Delivering the best customer experience constitutes an influential goal with implications for all activities. The key recommendations are presented as five scenarios in which product training, technical training and the customer experience are envisioned with an extensive business plan. There are three categories, i.e., one online scenario is introduced, two local scenarios and two center scenarios. The online scenario focus on the development of online capabilities by launching a digital platform. The platform aims to establish three features, namely connectivity, e-learning and on-demand learning. The on-demand learning serve as physical back-up that support the digital content. The first center scenario proposes to build a center near a production site. This leaves two options, either close to Saint-Dizier or close to Crailsheim. The financial analysis confirms the feasibility. The quality of trainings, the low HR implications and low operational complexity are the main benefits of this scenario. Minor changes are required compared with the current way of working. Nonetheless, synergies would be created by concentrating efforts on a single center instead of two independent locations. The new customer center could include promising customer experience options if incorporated in the building’s design. The second center scenario considers a new accessible location. This aims to boost the overall experience with a more attractive location or more neutral location in between the existing premises. Different locations come with different advantages. Some focus on the customer experience aspect, while other prioritize the potential strain on Yanmar’s workforce due to relocation. In general, the same considerations of the former scenario are applicable here as well. The first local scenario aspires to optimize the currently held local trainings by clustering dealers based on, among others, distance and size. This clustering ensures close relations within the cluster and with a market specific training team. Scheduled trainings would be offered, but the improved proximity could empower two-way communication on demand. Next to trainings, demo fleets and the customer experience can be localized too. The scenario would require a highly mobile training team that is willing to work remotely. Lastly, the second local scenario is based on the cluster scenario. The concept of the Yanmar Tour as organized in 2021 is added mainly to the core markets to boost the customer experience and local product training with an additional brand injection. This could truly realize the vision of customer intimacy and delivering the best customer experience. However, this introduces a considerable added operational cost which has to be overcome to make this scenario feasible. The scenarios are evaluated using 16 KPIs that cover the interests of Yanmar, the dealer networks and compare the solution with the competition. Weights are assigned to the KPIs using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Using a decision matrix, a quantitative evaluation of all scenarios is made. The resulting decision matrix prefers the center scenario near a production site, i.e., to build a center at Rothenburg/Crailsheim or at Saint-Dizier. There is a small favour for Rothenburg/Crailsheim. Next, the online scenario ranks third due to the estimated low upfront investments and operational costs. Building center in a new accessible location would imply a relatively higher operational cost, more HR implications and more overall risk; this causes this scenario to be valued fourth. Finally, the local scenarios come in last. While they score great on dealer and competitor related KPIs, the financial strain for Yanmar significantly lowers the score of the scenarios. In short, a center scenario near a production site or a focus on online capabilities is recommended considering the evaluation of the decision matrix.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZGo-to-market strategy and partnership assessment for a company supplying smart metering and cloud solutions to mini-grids in SSA
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12127/7233
Go-to-market strategy and partnership assessment for a company supplying smart metering and cloud solutions to mini-grids in SSA
Kasteel, Alexia; Surny, Harold; Van der Elst, Augustin
Lack of access to modern electricity solutions is not only a barrier to basic human rights, but it also impedes economic progress, as well as reaching health and environmental objectives. Luckily, progress towards electrification is improving, thanks to the growing number of mini-grid actors, among others. FlexGrid is one of them. The company provides electricity to remote villages through the development and installation of solar mini-grids. Unfortunately, a significant number of hurdles exist for mini-grid developers and operators to become profitable and to scale up. As such, FlexGrid’s founders decided it was time to diversify and find a new revenue streams to grow. More precisely, they want to enter the market of smart metering and cloud solutions providers and become a supplier themselves. In addition, FlexGrid was not satisfied with its previous suppliers it had experienced in the past and know other operators feel the same way, which means there could be a gap in the market. This report will thus outline a business plan for becoming a supplier, as well as evaluate whether FlexGrid should undertake this project alone or in partnership with another company, namely Solergie, a Solar Home System developer and operator. The business plan highlights the whole project of the new company being launched by FlexGrid, as well as the expected evolution of the company and its activity during the first 10 years of its existence. The new company will target two groups of customers: mini-grid operators and developers in sub-Saharan Africa (such as FlexGrid themselves), as well as governmental organisations with a stake in rural electrification. These customers need reliable solutions, that are easy to use and do not come at an exaggerated price. The three most important competitors (SparkMeter, SteamaCo, and CalinMeter) claim their solution is reliable, yet multiple of their customers experienced otherwise. The new company created by FlexGrid will thus position itself as an incumbent providing reliable solutions, at a lower price than the main actors in the market. The pricing strategy of penetration, i.e., lower prices than competition, aims at grasping as much market share as possible from the very beginning of the company’s existence. Forecasts show that the company will only become profitable from year 5 (2027). However, as from the launch, the new company has in its portfolio the AMADER organisation in Mali, to whom it will already provide 3 500 smart meters through a grant program (FinExpo). The grant that the company will obtain will cover the losses generated during the first 4 years, as well as allow investments to improve and expand the offering. This report also assesses the possibility of launching the new company in association with another organisation, Solergie, active in the development and installation of Solar Home Systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Three scenarios are analysed. Firstly, a Joint Venture partnership for both the smart meters & gateways as well as the cloud solution. As a result, the company would supply a solution that includes components from both FlexGrid and Solergie. Secondly, a Joint Venture for only the cloud side of the business. This cloud solution would combine elements of both platforms, as to create one management platform able to support mini-grid and solar home systems operators. Both platforms are different but present non-negligible similarities that when combined would create an attractive platform, cost synergies, and target a broader range of customers. Finally, a third scenario is depicted in which Solergie would become the hardware (smart meter & gateway) provider of the new company. In fact, the hardware of Solergie is significantly less expensive and is proven to be reliable. The platform would still be the one of FlexGrid. The strategic analysis performed by our team brings the conclusion that a combination of the scenario described in the business plan and the JV for the software solution would be the best way to go. Eastron would thus be the company’s hardware supplier, whilst the software would be created from the combined platforms of both Solergie and FlexGrid. On the contrary, the scenario of a JV for both hardware and software, is not recommended for two main reasons: both partners are misaligned in terms of objectives for the company and the two business models are different, which makes the two metering solutions technically incompatible. Finally, whether the company is launched by FlexGrid alone or in partnership with Solergie, the global strategy will remain the same in both cases: the prices should be kept at a low level, and the strategic positioning should emphasise reliability and a fully integrated service offering. In the first years of the company’s existence, investments should be focused on the improvement of the smart meters and cloud solution. It is crucial that its first customers positively experience the products, as to recommend it to other operators and developers. In addition, R&D investments should be made to develop a new technology aimed at providing analytics services to national utilities which often experience reliability issues. If research about competition is proven to be correct and forecasts are approximately accurate, the new company should be able to grasp market share relatively quickly. Ultimately, becoming a leader in the smart metering and cloud solution market should be a viable and realisable target.
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZCost-Benefit Analysis of Heart failure clinic implementation: The case of Belgian healthcare providers
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12127/7229
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Heart failure clinic implementation: The case of Belgian healthcare providers
Pius, Tekpor; Ochoa, Josue
Heart failure (HF) is a major worldwide epidemic associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The prevalence of HF is approximately 1–2% of the adult population in developed countries, rising to over 10% amongst people over the age of 65(81). In Belgium, over 200,000 people live with heart failure and there are 15,000 new cases yearly diagnosed. This has created a significant burden on the regional and national healthcare system, social costs, and impact on HF patients' and families' quality of life. The total cost of heart failure was projected to be around EUR 781 million, devouring an estimated 2% of the Belgian national healthcare budget. Traditionally, HF patients are diagnosed and treated in the cardiology department of most hospitals; however, it is believed that this approach is not reducing mortality rates, rehospitalizations, and poor quality of life. This results in an excessive cost burden on the patient and the healthcare system as the HF patients are not followed up in optimal care. Cardiologists believe that HF clinics offer more improved care management pathways for HF patients with a positive impact on treatment outcomes, they claim that the implementation of Heart Failure clinics leads to improvement in the quality of life of HF patients, reduces mortality rates, decreases readmissions or rehospitalization, and reduces the social cost of the disease. Some studies support the assertion of the cardiologist that heart failure patients treated in a Heart Failure (HF) clinic have better clinical outcomes. Even with the significant evidence of the impact of Heart Failure clinics clinicians are struggling to implement the HF clinic at their hospitals. The guidelines issued by the European Society of Cardiology in support of the implementation of integrated multidisciplinary Heart Failure clinics for managing Heart Failure are broad and do not specify a definite approach to the implementation of the HF clinic. There is no formal recognition of HF specialism for healthcare professionals in Belgium(1). And, the lack of HF nurse training and employment reimbursement further impedes the efforts of clinicians to build the HF clinic with an adequate HF healthcare workforce in their hospitals. The ESC guidelines do not specify the exact approach to implementing the HF clinic, therefore there is a diverse interpretation of what HF clinics are, what services they should provide, and the patient pathway, leading to a situation where different providers are implementing or viewing HF clinics from a diverse perspective. Clinicians willing to set up the HF clinic in their hospital run into the problem of not being able to present a strong case from a business plan perspective to support the need to implement the HF clinic. This report seeks to assist the clinicians in defining what an HF clinic is, the patient pathways, and implementing an HF clinic from a cost-benefit point of view that fits into the existing healthcare system. The report identified that healthcare providers seeking to develop an HF clinic need to look at the clinic from a value-based healthcare approach with an integrated multidisciplinary model to organize the clinic, where the value proposition for the patients' outcomes is compared with the cost of establishing the clinic. HF clinics can be implemented at incremental levels, with the HF specialist cardiologist and HF specialist nurse as the critical resources at the center of the clinic's performance. The implementation model has clearly defined KPIs for HF clinics to measure and report the impacts of the clinic from a healthcare provider and patient perspective to justify and highlight the value-driven approach. These measurements are defined to support the evidence of HF clinic's treatment improvement and follow-up reduction in all-cause mortality, readmission rate, and improved quality of life compared with usual cardiology care. The cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that the HF clinic creates opportunities for the hospital, even at the first level of implementation with the HF specialist and the HF nurse. The HF clinic benefits from cost and capacity offload (from the specialist cardiologist to the HF nurse) to see more HF patients in the clinics and, as a result, generate incremental value from additional services and treatments of following up the HF patient in a proactive preventive approach. When implementing the HF clinic, there is a need to consider the cost-benefit analysis in terms of the capacity and resource implications of setting up the clinic. Given the variety of conditions of the hospitals in terms of resources and readiness, it is possible to start implementation from a segregated consultation (specific time allocation from a shared resource to the clinic) and grow in terms of complexity and services provided for the patients. Following the proposed incremental building block implementation approach will minimize the impact of the additional resources and increase capacity, delivering additional value for the healthcare provider at each step due to the incremental number of patients attended and services provided by the clinic. In conclusion, the cost-benefit analysis supports the transition from the traditional HF care management approach to a clearly defined value-based integrated multidisciplinary HF clinic because of the cost minimization of consultation without diminishing the quality of consultation, the potential incremental revenue stream from additional patients and services provided, and the cost avoidance in patient rehospitalization freeing up bed occupancy. At the same time, it provides a customizable approach for healthcare providers to start the implementation according to their specific conditions taking advantage of the incremental value creation without making an impact on their operational costs.
2022-01-01T00:00:00Z