Entrepreneurs talking business during the COVID-19 virus
Rolien van Groeningen is the owner and CEO of KSV Facilitair. See has a staff of over a 100 people to look after.
How is she handling business in these uncertain times?
What measures are you currently taking?
At this moment in time we are not eligible for the NOW as we do not (yet) have a loss of turnover of more than 20%.
That changes every day, so we look at the consequences per day and stay on top of the possible actions that we may have to take in the (near) future.
The contact with your customers is of great importance in these times, so I personally contacted all customers who have informed us that this crisis has consequences for them.
We did apply for the tax deferrals. We do not need this measure yet, but in this way we can use it in the future.
You’ll have to pay at some point!
We have spoken to the bank about our current financing and deferred payment thereof. That possibility is not yet needed;
We talked to our landlord about an allowance in our rent. We have not yet received a response from that;
We have made operational agreements per customer and after April 6 we have contact again about the “new situation”;
We are in consultation with staff regarding taking up vacation time or replacement work;
It is an intensive time but I think it is very positive that the ideas change with people. The togetherness is great and this is also the time to meet in the middle and show customers and staff what we stand for as an organization and let them realize that we are in this together and this is a “crisis” that affects us all!
Last week I spoke to a customer who said “I hope everything will return to the old” . I myself actually hope that this crisis makes us realize that we cannot continue in the “old” way and that working in the future will change. We don’t need to be stuck in a traffic jam every day, but we can also work remote. Flexibility is valuable!
Finally, I personally think that the biggest challenge is the concern about the case in combination with 2 to 4 young children at home. So I really hope the kids are just fine after April 6 can go back to school … 🙂
How do you handle your supply chain?
We naturally have a flexible shell of subcontractors. They currently have less work because we give our own people (where possible) the available work. Of course I have good contact with these parties as well and we will get through this together!
What opportunities do you see at the moment?
Customer loyalty is crucial in these times. This is not self-evident in my industry, but by personally looking up the contact and examining with decision-makers how we will get through in the near future, we achieve a lot of goodwill. Of course we offer extra services and sales resources where possible and I personally always see a link to healthcare, but for now I have enough on my own plate.
Positive thought to conclude with:
Every now and then things have to be shaken up a bit and every crisis is a foundation to be able to rebuild firmly. Again the togetherness is very positive and we are all in the same boat. As long as we do things together, join forces then we’ll come out stronger in the end!
