10 August, 2021 – Last month, Planon had the pleasure of welcoming the Benelux sales team from IFM service provider Atalian, which is a new customer of the Planon solution for Service Providers. The Atalian delegates visited the recently opened Planon Innovation Campus to experience Planon’s workplace technology and to meet face-to-face with the Planon team to catch up and exchange thoughts on the IFM outsourcing business.
Atalian is not only seen as a customer of Planon, as both parties are currently undertaking serious steps to form a long-lasting partnership. More specifically, Atalian is investigating the integration of Planon’s workplace technologies into its own services offering, in order to provide its customers with better, technology-driven services.
‘What really stands out to me is the enthusiasm of the Planon people about their Innovation Campus’.
‘As well as great responsiveness, I also notice a great amount of proactivity from Planon.’
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During the visit, our Product Marketeer Derrek Clarke had a brief talk in our biophilic greenhouse with Peter Deroover, Sales Director of Atalian Benelux, accompanied by our International Sales Director Nush Cekdemir and Business Development Manager Tom Ryckaert. Together, they evaluated the Atalian-Planon partnership so far and shared opinions on the Planon Innovation Campus:
Derrek Clarke: ‘Welcome to Planon and thank you for coming here, Peter. To start off, can you explain why you decided to work with Planon?’
Peter Deroover: ‘Well, the main driver is that Planon offers an open system. With this we aren’t bound to one supplier brand, which is a fantastic characteristic of your platform.’
Derrek Clarke: ‘When you look at the partnership that is being established between Atalian and Planon, what are all three of you most excited about?’
Peter Deroover: ‘What I’ve experienced so far is that there is a good line of communication between us. We really work together. As well as high responsiveness, I also notice a great amount of proactivity from Planon, which in my opinion is very important in maintaining a customer relationship as well as a partnership.’
Nush Cekdemir: ‘To me, Atalian’s large installed base is of course very interesting. But I am especially excited to work with Atalian because it is very innovative in its digitalisation strategy.’
‘Atalian is embracing the opportunity of becoming a multiservice provider, moving away from a gravity of 80% on cleaning services to diversifying its services into – for instance – maintenance management. This makes it a growing player in the IFM market.’
‘We also have the same state of mind when it comes to the importance of engaging customers in the process to become more visible. That’s why I enjoy days like these, in which we can extensively exchange ideas. I am looking forward to continuing this journey with Atalian.’
Tom Ryckaert: ‘There are many interesting facets to this collaboration, but from a business development perspective I am most excited about Atalian’s diversification of its service offering in the Benelux region. It is really taking on the current challenges in the facility management market. I am also very much looking forward to collaborating with Atalian colleagues in other countries as well.’
Derrek Clarke: ‘Peter, you just had a tour around the new Planon Innovation Campus, which was recently opened. What are your thoughts about it? Do you like it?’
Peter Deroover: ‘Yes, I do! It’s very, very interesting. I’ve been discussing the campus with Nush and Tom before, and the many things that are going on here. What really stands out to me is the enthusiasm with which the Planon people are carrying this concept. Everywhere around the building you can notice that your colleagues are very pleased with how the campus has turned out. I think that’s great!’
Tom Ryckaert: ‘Both Atalian and Planon are aware of the fact that it is all about the customer experience nowadays, and how to use IoT and sensoring to optimise that. The Planon Innovation Campus is a great example of this.’
‘In the end we will all have to deal with more and more volatile occupancy rates of buildings due to the new and hybrid way of working. But when people do come to the office, we want to offer them a work environment that makes them happier, healthier, and more motivated. A service provider can contribute to this by making the services more accessible through a user-friendly end-user app.’
Derrek Clarke: ‘It sounds like we’re headed towards a great partnership. I'd like to welcome you again, Peter. I hope that you have a great time during your visit. Thank you so much, and of course Nush and Tom as well.’
