'This is what we do – there are no distractions'

It's not necessarily a narrow focus; but certainly, when you look at the sectors targeted by Teleplan - - and those that are left aside – the company seems to have a very clear focus. We're of course talking about Teleplan's business model, operating “only” in what the company has labelled the 3Cs, computers, communications and consumer electronics. But that answer makes the scope seem less focused, doesn't it? Sven Boddington, Vice President Global Marketing & Client Solutions at Teleplan International, told me during a conversation that: “Any company that's been in business for 30 years is obviously doing something right. I think one aspect is that we are very much a pure play provider, this is our core business and core focus.” And I have to agree with him on that one, something is most definitely done right. But what interests me is the fact that our industry is a living industry with rapid changes; and to be able to keep the pace, a company needs to be equally versatile. “This is where the engineering community and the product specialists need to keep up to date with these developments and make sure that we try to anticipate where we can and make sure that we keep on top of the changes. Sometimes notable changes can have an impact, not just for repairing the device but also the kind of adjacent services that are part of customer solution.” After a while we get into talking about the importance of having a solid business foundation to last in the long run and Sven told me that a strong R&D department is another way of keeping at the top of the evolving market and all the movement within it. The company does recognise that customers continue to evolve and they expect ever better service, solutions and efficiency, so investments in R&D are important. “Along the years, we have certainly continually improved our engineering resources. But it doesn't stop there, there's also IT development and areas such as logistics. Everything helps you come up with the best solution, and helps you bring more value to your service. “But at the end of the day we're a service business and we do depend on people, and here people are not just people, they're 'Teleplanners'. And we encourage each other to really have a customer focused mindset, and to always be thinking which is the best solution for the client.” And according to Mr. Boddington, it's exactly that aspect that sets Teleplan apart from its competition. “I do think that our approach is somewhat different. We really try to understand everything in detail and not just on a surface level to get a grasp of the current situation.” ----- Infographic: © Evertiq