An interview with Jouri Goos, Business Consulting Division Manager. He explains why and how we strive for such a total experience.
Why is it important to be a trusted business partner?
"The post-digital transformation era has arrived. In this ever-changing world, every business has to constantly adapt to the persistent digital flow that generates new economic, managerial and social opportunities," Jouri interjects. "A trusted business partner provides guidance in this world by setting the right course within the predefined strategy. It's all about looking for the magic that occurs when you cross the boundaries between customers, employees and technology. Technology is not just an operational engine to automate processes; in this world it is the differentiator and driving force behind a solid business model."
What will our new Business Consulting Division do for our customers in concrete terms?
"The focus is on the real-life business challenges of our customers. This is not only about current challenges, but also and especially about future ones," Jouri says. "We dig into the customer's context to achieve a thorough understanding of it. To understand the whole picture, we zoom out further each time: to the sector where they operate and the broader ecosystem that influences them. We take all this information and get together around the drawing board. What is the right course of action? What solutions could the organization formulate for each challenge? And how can digital solutions help achieve the goals? We inspire and enable customers with our combined business knowledge and digital strengths. This is also a great opportunity for our own employees. Based on this fresh trust our customers give us, our people can dive into new challenging assignments and develop their full potential."
How does this add value on top of our current services?
"Inetum-Realdolmen has long-standing experience and vast expertise in the implementation of ICT-related projects and services. That is our strength and our foundation. Our aim with consulting is to expand this service and offer customers a total experience. We look to the future together with them and help them navigate from their current situation to the envisioned future," Jouri says. "The term agility reflects our guiding principle. This means we iterate from one situation to the next with a focus on speed. We work in layers on three different fronts: adapting and optimizing business processes (business), guiding employees in this transition (change), and migrating to digital solutions (digital). In a world of rapid change, it is not always easy for organizations to stay focused on their evolution. More often than not, they fall back into everyday activities."
How do we differentiate ourselves from other experts in the market?
"What makes our approach unique is that we do everything with an evolutionary approach: we act with agility, concentrate on working iteratively, focus on speed, try things, adjust, and stop if necessary. All this in a controlled manner, and always with the right digital reflex," says Jouri. "We also think proactively and forward-looking. Based on our innovative approach, we develop specific use cases that fit perfectly into the customer's environment. We translate the potential of new digital technologies, such as AI or robotics, into business value."
"In addition, we are strongly committed to diversity among our experts. Not only in terms of ethnic background or gender, but also in terms of perspective, life experience and knowledge domain. It is precisely because we focus on a sector approach that a nurse or a commercial engineer, for example, can fit perfectly in our team. They have a perfect understanding of the needs of their sector and inspire our IT people with a fresh perspective", Jouri points out.
What expertise is already represented in the team?
"We have a multidisciplinary team in our Consulting Division. It includes all the disciplines needed to gain a solid understanding of the customer's challenges, to help them focus through inspiration, and to help them get set up on the three fronts I mentioned earlier," Jouri answers. "Our business consultants, business analysts, architects, etc. work in sector-oriented teams. We also offer services that are more sector-agnostic, such as coaching CIOs or setting up an enterprise architecture. Some business issues do not actually require a sector-specific approach. This is why we also have senior staff who can provide advice and guidance on general topics. Once the route is clear, our digital consulting experts provide independent advice on the best digital solutions. Of course, we support our customers throughout the entire process, from selection and implementation to ongoing optimization."
"Since we work with customers on issues related to change, it is essential that enough attention is given to our customers'' employees," Jouri continues. "They are the ones who have to make it happen. Support and coaching, and where necessary training them in new digital skills, are therefore very important to make change processes successful. Our change managers provide our customers with the necessary support in this regard."