Navigating the crisis & looking beyond
The current crisis threatens many aspects of your business. Cost-cutting and financial management might be the first step. But very soon, you’ll need to think about how to position your company for recovery and future growth. Let’s instead transform this moment into a starting point to challenge the status quo and create a new future for your stakeholders. We work with you to address the crisis’ five key challenges.
50% |
50% of companies in Belgium have liquidity issues due to insufficient access to credit or a high volume of account receivables |
87% |
87% of Belgian companies see their revenue negatively affected by Corona. |
60% |
Over 60% of our clients have indicated the need to rebuild their operations |
The 5 business challenges
No magical solution fits all companies. We design a modular approach made for the particular business challenges and timeline of each individual company.
Based on your unique situation and challenges, we select the right tools and strategies to craft an approach tailored for your needs. We help you restore short-term performance—while creating a new future for your people, your company, and your stakeholders.
 | Monitor & optimize liquidity and solvency |
Challenge
The economic impact of Covid-19 will likely extend many months longer, and companies will need to look beyond initial cash and credit lines to find additional liquidity and funding. While not all industries are equally affected, several sectors are especially vulnerable, such as the car industry, retail, and hospitality.
Solution
Being able to quickly develop a plan for cash flow was important at the initial stage of the crisis, now it is equally important in the recovery phase. Managing working capital, restructuring debt, closing any EBITDA gaps through structural cost optimizations and working on receivables and payables will help rebuild operations to secure the future.
Prioritizing measures for rapid recovery
- Cash planning & monitoring
- Cash position optimization
Formulating adaptive plans to increase resilience
- Cash needs assessment
- Assets & capex assessment
- Cost optimization plan
- Debt (re)structuring
Facilitating digitalization & transformation
- Future cash position plan
- Optimize business processes to decrease throughput time
 | Re-engage staff |
Challenge
During Covid-19, organizations have primarily focused on ensuring employee health and safety. You, like most organizations, might have wondered how to re-engage staff as they face new stress and anxieties which demand extra effort, resources—and attention.
Solution
Build short term plans to re-energize employees and ensure staff well-being. Design your ‘New Normal’ by reimagining future work force policies; these will be of the utmost importance when rebuilding employee engagement.
Prioritizing measures for rapid recovery
- Organization restructuring and back to work plan
- Health & safety plan
Creating plans to be resilient and adaptive
- Redesign employee journey
- Leadership capabilities & behavior
Facilitating digitalization & transformation
- Design your New Normal work policies & compliance
- Culture & change management
 | Recover revenue |
Challenge
B2B and B2C customer behavior has dramatically changed in the past few months. Buying online, shifting consumer routines (like not going to restaurants) or searching for less expensive or substitute products might have a long-term impact on purchasing habits.
Solution
Rapidly adapting to changing customer behavior keeps customers on-board. Attracting new customers, however, is key to recovering revenue in the shortest possible time span.
Prioritizing measures for rapid recovery
- Set-up digital/remote channels
- Customer loyalty plan
Creating plans to be resilient and adaptive
- Redefine your customer promise and adapt customer journeys
- Portfolio strategy
Facilitating digitalization & transformation
- Go-to-Market plans (customers, offering, channels)
- Digital touch point strategy
 | Review the business model |
Challenge
Business leaders must work to gain a full understanding of the pandemic’s impact on supply chain and then develop appropriate scenarios for economic recovery. Thinking beyond the crisis, they will need to validate existing solutions’ fit with the new reality.
Solution
Certain industries must re-evaluate the business core and revisit their strategy. Fully embracing digital and incorporating agility into the business model allows companies to develop opportunities faster and react to future crises more swiftly.
Prioritizing measures for rapid recovery
- Measure impact of crisis on supply chain
- Define mitigating initiatives
Creating plans to be resilient and adaptive
- Strategy assessment for fit
- End to end (cross functional) efficiency & effectiveness
Facilitating digitalization & transformation
- Front & back office digitization & automation
- Divestment & investment plans
 | Rebuild operations |
Challenge
It is clear that company productivity has been severely affected by temporary closures, work force absences and/or supply chain disruptions. To restart and return to normal, companies will need to further investigate & rebuild operations in order to adapt and grow for the long run.
Solution
With the acceleration of new ways of working, companies need to revisit their productivity. That includes looking at the efficacy of remote teams, examining the reliability of processes and/or implementing an adaptive capacity.
Prioritizing measures for rapid recovery
- Restart operational plan
- Remote team productivity plan
Creating plans to be resilient and adaptive
- Cost control measures
- Implementation plan for new ways of working
Running transformation & digitalization
- Adaptive capacity plans
- Boost productivity through digital technologies e.g.. AI, RPA, iOT, etc
Industry-specific needs
The crisis has dramatically changed the world of work, but in certain economic sectors some challenges are more acute. Our track record and deep sector understanding has enabled us to develop an industry-specific approach for each of the four areas below:
 | FINANCIAL SERVICES |
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on insurers will be highly dependent on the nature of their investment portfolio and risk appetite with potential risk of additional capital requirements under Solvency II. Health insurers will, logically, experience increasing pressure on their loss ratio. Overall insurance companies will need to respond to the covid-19 crisis by focusing on a positive brand image and ensuring business continuity. Not a run in the park, since they frequently need to tell their customers that claims are uncovered and conditions get more strict.
| MOBILITY |
As a consequence of the Covid lockdown, 46% of people say they will use personal modes of transportation over public means. Overall usage, however, will drop due to will drop due to the mass adoption of teleworking. This will demand the automotive industry to rethink its business model and provide more and more flexible solutions to customers in order to compete with other mobility services companies. The resulting pressure will force the automotive industry to rethink its business model and provide an increased number of flexible solutions to customers in order to remain competitive with the growing number of services offered the mobility space.
| PHARMACEUTICALS |
The COVID-19 crisis poses some unique challenges for the pharmaceutical industry. Many pharmaceutical companies face an increased demand as their products or services may aid in the fight against both virus and disease, requiring to react quickly, reprioritize, and scale their activities accordingly, while facing many disturbances in e.g. their operations or supply chain. Successfully tackling these challenges will give these companies a long term boost.
| HR SERIVCES |
The role of HR & payroll providers has become even more vital throughout the Covid-19 crisis: governments are making short-term changes in employment and tax legislation, employers are facing strong fluctuations in demand and personnel needs, and employees are in urgently need for (financial) certainty. The combination makes for unprecedented challenges times for HR and Payroll professionals, yet offers a tremendous potential to stand out and make a difference.