Video conferencing has become an everyday occurrence in many companies. But video communication is also increasingly the means of choice for exchanges with customers. However, there are a few points to consider when implementing a video communications platform, explains Ali Murat Gürçay, Senior Business Development Manager at CCR. The international company, headquartered in Turkey with major offices in Zurich and Dubai, provides business communication and exceptional CX solutions to its customers. CCR's customers include Medgate, Medela, Sunrise, WIR Bank, Constellium, Vifor Pharma.

When does video communication make sense?

Technology changes every day. And time is one of the most important things in our lives. So people don't want to spend a lot of time getting information or solving a problem. If they have to wait, it should be worth it. So our mission is to simplify the customer experience and make end users happy with their customer service. So CCR's video communication idea was born out of this realization. We wanted people to save time for themselves instead of going to the bank branch or hospital.

Video communication is becoming a touchstone of digital transformation today. During the pandemic, many companies have turned to us regarding our EasyConnect Video video communications solution. They want to stay connected face-to-face with their customers. For example, whether it's banking for their customers or telemedicine for their patients. In 2017, we launched our first Telemedicine project with Medgate started. This project was nominated and awarded for the category "Customer Orientation".

What needs to be considered during implementation?

First of all, you must have a call center. Our solution currently works on the call center platform. This is the reason why EasyConnect Video brings so much success. When video communication is implemented in the call center, it is easy to retrieve the history or data of all customers. One can also store the new information in the customer record. Technically, the solution can be implemented on virtual servers, which significantly shortens the implementation time and offers cost savings to customers. Our implementations can also be done remotely to provide additional health security to all stakeholders by avoiding to collaborate in the same room.

What additional investments are necessary?

The call center platform should be one of the Genesys products. CCR is a Gold Partner of Genesys. EasyConnect Video works with Genesys Engage and PureConnect. Cloud support in the 2021 roadmap is also easy to integrate. Our customers need simple PCs or laptops with cameras to get started. We also support mobile devices such as phones and tablets so customers can reach the call centers via video call on their mobile devices.

More tips for successful application?

EasyConnect Video could be integrated into any industry with different use cases. This offers convenient interaction with personal online banking or digital on-boarding, a brand-new sales channel in retail, damage assessment of live insurance after an accident, faster access to news of what's happening with live notifications, face-to-face services that make life easier for disabled people, diagnosis through video conferencing in the healthcare sector (telemedicine), and so on. Companies should certainly also consider their corporate image while providing video chat capabilities, as a video is more of a social interaction than a phone call.

More information

For the tenth time since 2004, Trovarit AG in Aachen, together with partners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has investigated user satisfaction with ERP software. The basis is a data collection from mid-March to the beginning of July 2020. 2089 questionnaires were approved for the evaluation after intensive quality checks. 41 systems have a relevant share of the installed base. The Trovarit study is the largest independent user study on ERP use in Europe.

Systems are replaced a little earlier

Among other things, the age of the ERP systems in use was examined. After the average useful life has risen continuously over the last few studies, this year for the first time a slight decline from 11.7 years of operation (2018) to 11.3 years was recorded. This indicates increasing replacement investments in the last two years. Most users adhere to vendor release cycles and ensure that their deployed software is current. On the other hand, 30 % of installations use a release that is three or more years old.

User satisfaction: A question of benefit and economy

There is a significant correlation between user satisfaction and the benefits or cost-effectiveness of the ERP system used. The majority of study participants attest that their systems make a concrete contribution to simplifying and accelerating processes (59 %) and providing information quickly and easily (56 %). However, significantly fewer of the respondents see the often-cited role of the ERP system as the "backbone of the software landscape". It must be pointed out here that the benefit aspects depend on the size of the company. For smaller companies, process efficiency and transparency are more important than for larger companies, which measure their ERP more by the ability to automate processes and reduce process costs.

Customer relationships pay off

The top rankings in the 2020/21 satisfaction survey go to providers that either offer above-average benefits, have low complexity, or maintain a close customer relationship. Open, intensive communication with customers in particular secures many plus points. Providers who can offer development, implementation and support from a single source gain important advantages in the users' favor. This is demonstrated, for example, by providers such as Opacc or oxaion in the "medium weight class". Demanding ERP installations tend to have a harder time due to the high project complexity. For example, Microsoft "Dynamics 365 Finance & SCM" (formerly Dynamics AX/Axapta) and SAP S/4 HANA are noticeably behind Infor ERP LN in the overall score.

Only little change in ranking

Compared to 2018, most systems have confirmed their results. However, there are also some winners and losers. For example, the Swiss provider TOSCA (dynasoft AG) shows a marked increase in the software satisfaction category. On the other hand, Canias, among others, has to accept losses in satisfaction with the provider. The evaluation of IFS Applications appears surprisingly negative, after the solution had achieved quite good results in previous years. Customers criticize the satisfaction with the maintenance partner and service provider around the cloud offering; in most cases this is the manufacturer IFS itself. This led to a veritable crash by half a school grade. Overall, the study shows that the size and complexity of an ERP installation is directly related to user satisfaction. The higher the requirement level, the more critical the customers.

ERP deployment: These are the most important problem areas

Users see the biggest challenge in excessively long vendor support response times (16 % of companies), followed by ERP operations costs (13.4%) and data maintenance efforts (13.1 %). But there is good news, too: One in five companies state for the record that they have no problems in ERP operations. Again, this statement is a matter of size. Only 10 % of the medium-sized companies can underline this in contrast to 24 % among the smaller companies. There are also different problem areas between the large and medium-sized companies. These include adaptability of the software, ergonomics, effort for updates, and interfaces or integration of software applications.

In addition to user satisfaction, the focus is on these topics

Not surprisingly, 60 % of the companies surveyed consider data and information security to be very relevant. This corresponds with second place, adherence to legal requirements and compliance with industry regulations. Here, ERP providers will be even more challenged to meet the requirements in the future. Be it through clear identity management, legally compliant archiving of documents, the use of personal data or the management of product information (GTIN/NTIN/PPN), expiration dates and batch numbers. If one takes a closer look at the evaluated ERP systems, it is not surprising that 45 % of the users make usability and software ergonomics an issue. The topic of mobility also makes it into the top 5. Mobile use is playing an ever greater role in business models, organizational structures and forms of work.

Despite everything: Most of the systems with high user satisfaction

The current Trovarit study shows that most users are largely satisfied with the ERP software they use. Not everything that is currently hype in the media is already resonating in business practice. The Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation or Augmented/Virtual Reality are not really on the agenda yet. The relationship and communication with the customer are and will remain decisive success factors in user satisfaction, in addition to the technology used.

Source: 2BCS INC.

Today, every self-respecting company has a mission statement assuring that the integrity of its actions is one of its highest values. Nevertheless, the limits of legality are often tested in everyday life, "service by the book" is merely provided in the environmental area, although proactive action would be necessary, and inhumane working conditions are made possible again and again with legal tricks.

Practical tools for integrity in leadership

How can this be? Are these one-off lapses by individual managers and thus the exception to an otherwise rule of integrity? In this book, Klaus Leisinger shows that integrity is above all a personal responsibility: Integre leaders look closely, act to the best of their knowledge and conscience, and lead by example. When they make commitments, they keep them; when they make mistakes, they stand up for them and correct them. They motivate the people working in the company through fairness and recognition and convey to them that they are part of something they can proudly stand for. With a minimum of academic theory, the author presents practical insights and tools that help deal with moral dilemmas in everyday business life and develop solutions based on universally valid values.

About the author

Klaus Michael Leisinger is founder and president of the Global Values Alliance Foundation, professor (emeritus) of sociology at the University of Basel and senior advisor to various United Nations institutions. He has held senior positions in a major pharmaceutical company, most recently as CEO and President of the former Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network initiated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and serves the European Commission as an expert in ethics assessments. In addition to his work at the University of Basel, he has taught and lectured as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at the University of Notre Dame and other universities in the United States, China, Singapore, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Title: Integrity in business dealings
Author: Klaus M. Leisinger
ISBN: 978-3-7245-2453-3
432 pages, paperback
Publication date: November 2020 or already published

Rheinhardt Publishing House

98% of the total SME companies in the Swiss economy are Ks (with up to 49 employees). Through BUSINESS-EXPO and the Entrepreneur Award, small businesses can better position themselves in the Swiss market and gain more prestige and recognition in the Swiss economy. The event, which will take place on December 4 at Technopark Brugg, will also serve as a platform for cooperation opportunities between small and medium-sized enterprises.

Guaranteed implementation

Despite the current circumstances, BUSINESS-EXPO 2020 will be held with the Entrepreneur Award, online. The concept includes an expo with 60 exhibition spaces, keynote speeches as well as workshops. Starting December 1, all exhibitors will be listed. The workshops will take place online, and tickets are available now. The workshops will focus on practical and current issues facing small businesses, such as crisis management, marketing via social media, investing, online marketing and more. However, an originally scheduled keynote address had to be canceled.

Entrepreneur Award 2020: voting is underway

The highlight is the presentation of the Entrepreneur Award, which was awarded for the first time last year. The pitching and award ceremony for the "Entrepreneur of the Year 2020" award will also take place online. Awards are given to micro and small enterprises in two categories: Sole proprietorships with no employees and small businesses with 2 to 49 employees. Small businesses can register for nomination in these two categories until November 13, where they can collect votes from the community. A top 10 list then emerges for each category. An independent jury will also determine a top 10 list. These two lists will then be combined to create the shortlist with 3 finalists per category. The 3 finalists of the two categories will give a 3-minute pitch in front of the jury at BUSINESS-EXPO. The jury will then vote on the spot and choose the Entrepreneur of the Year 2020.

www.business-expo.ch

Rochester-Bern's new continuing education program is specifically geared to the needs of SMEs and equips participants for the "new normal". Entrepreneurial thinking is strengthened and supports SME specialists and managers to actively steer their company by promoting innovation and the ability to change at an early stage. Key topics such as (digital) transformation, change management and sustainability are addressed on an ongoing basis.

Focus on current challenges, exchange of experience and applicability

The hands-on course lasts 13 days and covers the following topics in 6 interactive modules:

• To start with, current developments and challenges in the economic and technological environment are addressed. Participants will examine trends and their influence on products, services and customer relationships.
• The subsequent course is dedicated to the professional handling of SME-relevant financial ratios, financial stakeholder participation as well as the basics of investment appraisal and corporate financing.
• The importance of organizational development and leadership in an increasingly dynamic environment characterized by change will then be addressed. Central to the success of transformation processes is implementation, including its complex leadership tasks.
• In the context of modern customer needs, flexibility and speed are becoming increasingly important. Therefore, in the follow-up module, participants deal with the relevant logistical processes along the value chain.
• The next step deals with the interaction between marketing and sales from a strategic and operational perspective. For example, the development of long-term (digital) customer relationships and new possibilities for individualization and interaction in digital marketing will be covered.
• Finally, attention is paid to the promotion of innovation. In this context, strategies are outlined which determine the targeted market positions and competitive advantages in the medium and long term and thus ultimately also the company's success.

Further training support for SME specialists and managers

In addition to the balanced mix of theory and practice and the direct application of what is learned, the focus is above all on interactivity in the classroom. In addition, the intensive cross-industry exchange creates valuable professional networks and opens up new perspectives.

www.rochester-bern.ch/kmu
COVID-19 continuing education grant to support SMEs: The first 19 registrations will receive a discount of CHF 1,900.

Self-organized work is becoming increasingly important in everyday working life. Companies are increasingly moving away from hierarchical structures and relying more and more on self-organization and agile forms of working. In the process, employees and teams are challenged to lead themselves. The fact that many people are currently working in home offices due to the Corona pandemic reinforces this trend. How do people experience themselves in self-organized work contexts? How do they lead themselves? What opportunities do they recognize and take advantage of? What challenges do they face? What competencies are helpful in leading themselves well?

Self-leadership is demanding

At the individual level, it is evident that employees appreciate the extended scope for creativity and the increased influence they can exert through their own decisions. This strengthens their self-efficacy and increases their sense of purpose. This is reflected in the increase in motivation and commitment. However, self-leadership requires a continuous willingness to develop and change, the ability to reflect, self-initiative and a high sense of responsibility.

Openness and willingness to change are required

In general, high intrapersonal and interpersonal skills as well as professional skills are rated as important. Professionally, employees should be able to structure and process complex content. Openness to new things and a high, continuous willingness to learn are required. Self-leadership requires stamina, discipline, self-confidence and mental strength in dealing with pressure situations. Since many agreements are necessary to organize together and yet independently, a high level of social competence as well as a distinct ability to deal with conflict is central.

Cooperation at eye level

At the team level, the self-organized colleagues notice an increased exchange among each other and a high level of motivation. The general readiness for self-responsibility and the definition of clear goals and responsibilities promote successful cooperation within the team. A pronounced appreciation was also noted due to working at eye level. Trust and psychological security in the team are of high importance. On the other hand, a lack of communication and prioritization or a lack of transparency in the distribution of tasks hinder cooperation. Conflicts in self-organized teams are often negotiated dialogically and independently, with specific roles for conflict management.

More freedom versus excessive demands

At the organizational level, transparency, clear definitions of roles and goals, and a working climate conducive to learning are perceived as supportive framework conditions. Overly sanctioning corporate cultures and micromanagement make self-leadership more difficult. Self-leadership requires more communication. Furthermore, the organization must be aware that increased self-leadership also poses the risk of overstraining and overtaxing employees. Appropriate framework conditions and the existence of a good error culture and psychological security can counteract this. Companies can thus actively promote a self-leading way of working.

Source and further information: www.zhaw.ch/psychologie

Every year, the auditing and consulting firm EY presents the "Entrepreneur Of The Year" award in five categories to entrepreneurs who have rendered outstanding services. Traditionally, the award ceremony takes place at a festive gala. Due to the current situation, EY decided at an early stage to hold this year's award ceremony in the form of a hybrid gala. Thus, this year's award show - in compliance with a strict protection concept - was streamed live from the studio of Swiss Television in Zurich on October 30, 2020. The jury, finalists and the organizers were present on site. The invited guests, including the families and friends of the award winners, were able to virtually participate in the ceremony and interact with each other thanks to the live stream. In total, over 1,000 viewers from 20 countries took part in this digital premiere.

Entrepreneur of the Year 2020: The Winners

In 2020, an eleven-member jury was responsible for evaluating the candidates and awarding the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. It examined the candidates independently of EY. The following entrepreneurs have now been chosen from the finalists:

• Patrick Firmenich, Chairman of the Board of Directors Firmenich, Geneva
  The winner in the "Family Business" category is Patrick Firmenich, because he has held the tradition of the family-owned company together so successfully for many years that it is one of the top companies in the world. Patrick Firmenich is the family delegate and chairman of a traditional family business that was founded back in 1895. Today, the largest privately owned fragrance and aroma company is present in over 100 markets. More than 10,000 people work for the Swiss company worldwide.
• Marek Dutkiewicz, Founder and CEO HR Campus, Dübendorf (ZH)
  The resume of the winner in the "Services/Trade" category shows that true entrepreneurship is borderless. Marek Dutkiewicz came to Switzerland as a Polish refugee and started his company HR Campus in 1998 as a technology provider for HR departments. Today, with more than 160 employees, the company is the leading service and IT provider dedicated to HR excellence. Its tools, solutions and platforms cover the entire employee lifecycle for HR professionals.
• Avni Orllati, Founder and Board Delegate Groupe Orllati, Bioley-Orjulaz (VD)
  The winner in the "Industry/High-Tech/Life Sciences" category receives recognition for his hard work that led to an inspiring start-up story. In 1997, at the age of 21, Avni and his twin brother started their own business by renting a machine that breaks up concrete. Today, Orllati is a leader in the field of "green building" and employs over 850 people in western Switzerland. The company specializes in all areas of preparatory construction work, such as demolition, earthworks, wastewater disposal, and drilling.
• Michael Born and Karim Nemr, Co-Founder and CEO respectively Chief Business Officer PXL Vision AG, Zurich
  The winners in the "Emerging Entrepreneurs" category are honored for having developed an absolutely convincing future technology. Michael Born and Karim Nemr met at 3D scanning specialist Dacuda (2012 EOY winner) and decided to develop this technology further. Today, PXL Vision provides a technology platform for secure identity verification and trusted digital identities. The platform is a scalable business model that is only at the beginning of a large and global application area.

Stefan Rösch-Rütsche, Country Managing Partner of EY Switzerland, comments: "This year's implementation of our "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year" election has once again shown that Switzerland has a very large potential of innovative entrepreneurial personalities. I am also pleased to see that a wide variety of professional and private paths can lead to successful entrepreneurship in Switzerland."

Logitech founder honored for lifetime professional achievement

At the same time today with Daniel Borel a long-standing, successful and deserving Swiss entrepreneurial personality was also honored. He received this year's "Master Entrepreneur" award from the jury for his professional life's work. Daniel Borel co-founded Logitech in 1981 and led the computer mouse manufacturer as CEO from 1992 to 1998. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1988 to 2007 and subsequently as a member of the Board of Directors until 2015. In 1988, Daniel Borel led Logitech to the Swiss stock exchange SIX and in 1997 also to the US technology exchange Nasdaq. Jury member Prof. Dr. Thomas Zellweger says: "With Logitech, Daniel Borel and his comrades-in-arms have written a Swiss success story that has attracted international attention. Today, Logitech is headquartered in Switzerland, engineers and researchers work in America, and products are manufactured in Asia. There are few companies from Switzerland that have achieved a listing on Nasdaq. At the same time, Borel also mastered entrepreneurial crises, such as when the company had to lay off half of its workforce in 1994."

Source and further information: EY

A representative study has examined the state of mobile, flexible working. For this purpose, 2000 people in German- and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed in mid-August. At a time, therefore, when the daily infection figures were low and there was no longer any advice against returning to the office. "The survey was therefore conducted under the impression of the pandemic, and yet the timing allows certain conclusions to be drawn about how the situation might develop after this situation," explains study leader Dr. Johann Weichbrodt, a research associate at the School of Applied Psychology at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland.

A small proportion of companies refuse to accept home office & co.

As recently as 2016, 38 percent said they used mobile-flexible working at least occasionally. In February 2020, 41 percent of the study participants said they had regularly used mobile-flexible working - i.e., they had worked part of the time in their home office or at another location outside the company premises. During the lockdown from the end of March, this proportion rose to 58 percent and then fell again - but only to 48 percent. Johann Weichbrodt considers these to be high figures, which can be explained to a large extent by greater potential. For example, the proportion of employed persons who state that they cannot work in a mobile-flexible manner due to their job has dropped significantly: from 45 to 37 percent. "On the one hand, this has to do with economic structural change, but it probably also reflects a change in perception."

What has not changed, however, is the value of those who could use it because of their job description - but are not allowed to: As before, 7 percent of employees are denied mobile-flexible working. Surprisingly, this figure did not fall below 3 percent even during the lockdown in March/April.

SMEs catching up with flexible forms of work

The study also sheds light on the differences between employer structures. The study looked at those that could enable flexible working on the basis of job descriptions. And here, striking differences emerge, especially between employers from the public and private sectors, respectively depending on the size of the organization. To illustrate this, the study works with a phase model that shows the development from completely location-bound working (phase 1) to completely flexible working in terms of time and location (phase 5). In phase 2, for example, flexible working is only the exception, but in phase 4 it is almost the rule.

In 2020, the 100 largest companies are on average consistently in phase 3 in many areas - work model, office architecture, organizational structure - and even in phase 4 for technology. Significant changes are visible in all areas compared with 2016. The difference between larger companies and SMEs has also narrowed: The latter have caught up considerably and have significantly reduced their gap to the large companies compared to 2016.

Public administration is struggling

Public administration, on the other hand, is consistently in phase 2 on average, which also represents a significant development compared with 2016. However, the differences between the individual administrations are still large: A certain proportion of administrations are still in phase 1 - i.e. working completely from a fixed location without exception. "This is where the pandemic is likely to trigger discussions," explains Johann Weichbrodt. "During the spring lockdown, these administrative units also had to comply and often had positive experiences. Overnight, the proof of the pudding was that it just does work - especially technologically."

Home office monitoring: no systematic approach

For the first time, the study also looked at the question of monitoring in the home office. Here, 13 percent said they were monitored. In terms of the type of monitoring, 9 percent of those in gainful employment said they felt monitored via the status display in programs such as "Skype" or "Teams. "That's fewer than the public discussions would suggest," Weichbrodt said in assessing the numbers. "Surveillance of work in the home office does not seem to be the problem. The vast majority of employees can do their own work from home." Only 4 percent said that their employer uses special software for monitoring.

Massively more women work mobile-flexible

One of the most significant increases across the study is in gender differences: significantly more men (2014: 40 %, 2016: 47 %) than women (2014: 27 %, 2016: 28 %) worked mobile-flexibly in 2014 and 2016. In 2020, women caught up massively: The proportion rose to 43 percent for them and 52 percent for men.

The biggest obstacles and problems

Those who frequently work mobile-flexibly perceive a lack of identification with the team (60 %) and emotional isolation (53 %) as the biggest problem, followed by the feeling of working all the time (41 %) and work-life balance (36 %). Rather less problematic are rated health aspects or the potential for abusive use of the fewer opportunities for control by superiors. Among the obstacles, the argument that the job requires proximity to the team (44 %) is put forward by a wide margin, followed by the lack of support from the corporate culture (29 %) and the lack of opportunities to process sensitive data on the road or in the home office. The lack of technology was rated as the smallest obstacle (15 %).

Home office & Co. becomes the norm - pure presence the exception

The Work Smart Initiative has been monitoring the acceptance, introduction and establishment of mobile-flexible working for five years. This year's evaluation marks a turning point, as for the first time a large majority of those for whom the job description allows home office & co. can also use this. Nevertheless, Johann Weichbrodt still sees a lot of potential for development: "In the beginning, there was the commitment, sometimes also the symbolism, but now mobile-flexible working is becoming part of everyday life, the norm. This not only has consequences for those who continue to refuse it - it also challenges those who already apply it. That's because structures and management models need to be adapted to it, and aspects perceived as negative by users need to be addressed." The pandemic will accelerate both, it's clear: 49 percent of respondents said Corona has led to culture change at their employer. But 39 percent, on the other hand, said that skeptical attitudes remain in their company and that they want to go back to the old if possible. Johann Weichbrodt: "In the summer, it became apparent that a flattening of the infection figures already leads to an increased return to the office. But it will hardly be possible to turn back the clock to the level of February."

Source: work-smart-initiative.ch

SMEs that have successfully ensured their succession and thus their preservation over such a long period of time have already had to overcome several crises such as world wars and economic crises and rise anew like the "Phoenix from the ashes". The focus as potential award winners is therefore on Swiss SMEs that have been entered in the commercial register for 100 years this year. From these companies, an expert jury and a jury advisory board with representatives from science, entrepreneurship and the media selected the Phoenix Award winners in the categories "Innovation/Disruption/Renewal Capability" and "Impact and Performance as a Team". The award was launched in 2018 by the initiative Successor bus.chan information campaign for SME entrepreneurs on the topic of business succession that is unique in this form. ORGANISATOR accompanies this initiative as a media partner.

Distillerie Morand: Honored for team performance and social responsibility

In the category "Impact and Performance as a Team," the jury and jury advisory board voted for the family-owned company founded in 1889 by Louis Morand in the Lower Valais, among other things because of its social responsibility, with which it was ahead of the times for a long time and continues to fulfill this comprehensively today. This includes the pension fund set up by André Morand for his employees in the first decades of the 20th century. Since 2015, the company has employed people with intellectual disabilities. In collaboration with FOVAHM (Fondation valaisanne en faveur des personnes handicapées mentales), 16 jobs were created in an integrated workshop in the areas of labeling and packaging.

Further essential for the approval of the award by the jury and the jury advisory board were the more than 100 years of consistency in the product portfolio with parallel constant development of convincing product innovations. "We are proud of this unexpected award, which honors our entire team. A really nice recognition and confirmation for our work, the family business and our strategy - and an inspiring motivation to keep at it," said a delighted Fabrice Haenni at the award ceremony on October 20, 2020.

Convincing in "Innovation, Disruption and Renewability": H. Rüetschi AG

H. Rüetschi AG in Aarau also received a Phoenix Award. This company has been in existence since 1367, i.e. for more than 650 years, making it one of the five oldest companies still in existence in Switzerland. The jury therefore considers H. Rüetschi AG to be a special example of sustainable entrepreneurship, as the focus here is not primarily on growth. Rather, thanks to successful diversification, innovation and market development, the niche player has managed to preserve an old craft over more than six centuries and to transform it into a modern SME. The willingness to disrupt and innovate has been ingrained in the company's DNA for more than six centuries. What began as a bell foundry in 1367 is now a company diversified into art and industrial casting, church tower and bell ringing technology, church and building automation, and research and development, with 45 employees from 14 different professional groups.

René Spielmann, owner and managing director of H. Rüetschi AG: "We are proud of this unexpected award, which honors our entire team. The award is an extraordinary recognition of our consistently future-oriented approach, our spirit of research and the close cooperation between different generations and professions. Personally, I am very pleased that the Phoenix Award is dedicated to successful company succession, as this is a particular concern of mine."

Phoenix Award as another highlight of a necessary initiative

The award, which is being presented for the first time this year, is seen as a further component of a necessary initiative on the subject of succession planning. Every day, 14 SMEs close in Switzerland due to a lack of a succession solution. Carla Kaufmann, an experienced expert in the field of business succession, has observed this negative development over the past eight years. Since it is well known that watching does not change anything, she initiated the succession bus. Together with 15 experienced experts, the owner of the Companymarket AG in 2018 for the first time across German-speaking Switzerland and offered SME entrepreneurs free qualified talks on all aspects of the entire succession process. In total, the Nachfolgebus made stops in 14 cities in German-speaking Switzerland in 2018 and 2019, and 300 hours of personal discussions were held by the Nachfolgebus "experts" with SME entrepreneurs. After two years "on tour", the initiative Nachfolgebus has reached a first milestone: the urgently needed awareness for business succession is growing. Now it is time to keep at it in order to achieve the appropriate social, economic and political relevance for succession. That's why the Succession Bus Tour 2020 has various innovations on board: digital expert talks, the succession magazine produced together with ORGANISATOR, the Succession Day, and the Phoenix Award.

More information: www.nachfolgebus.ch

This idea - born in the Corona emergency - turned out to be a stroke of luck: More than 400 participants at dozens of customers of the software manufacturer from central Switzerland had the innovations of OpaccConnect2020 presented live in their own offices. What in other years was done with a large customer event with a marquee or other function rooms, was now staged with decentralized events. More than 25 MyConnect arrangements were booked, where at least five customer representatives followed the live stream in their own offices and were personally accompanied by a project manager. Daniel Preisig, IT manager at Möbel Pfister, was enthusiastic on behalf of many other Opacc customers: "A really great live session, very professional and competent, that makes you want more!

OpaccConnect2020: Live with Sascha Ruefer

The four-hour live session was moderated by TV man Sascha Ruefer in an entertaining and humorous way. Prof. Ralf Wölfle presented the latest Commerce Report and explained trends in digital commerce. CEO Beat Bussmann and the responsible project managers were in constant action to bring as many of the numerous highlights as possible closer to the customers via the live session.

SmartCloud makes OpaccOXAS even more flexible for third-party applications

Opacc refers to the increasing merging of internal and external resources into a homogeneous whole as SmartCloud. These cloud integration services are available to Opacc customers at the push of a button without any initialization effort. For example, Opacc customers can immediately use third-party providers or external services, such as Moneyhouse (HR data on companies and individuals), deepl (translations), SMS messaging and much more.

In the latest version, OpaccOXAS remains the backend of Opacc applications, but at the same time is expanded to become the actual platform. Beat Bussmann, CEO Opacc Software AG: "As the backbone of digital marketing, the upcoming version also supports the seamless recording of all contacts with prospects and business partners. For this purpose, OpaccOXAS provides a powerful data container for recording these contacts, so-called touchpoints."

EnterpriseShop benefits from platform architecture

Opacc assumes that the next generation of WebShops will offer more customer group and customer-specific services and data. All sales and interaction channels must be represented. The latest EnterpriseShop version already masters the handling of this paradigm shift. At Connect - as an example - a simple application for the recognition and processing of address duplicates, which can arise in the context of self-registration processes, was presented.

Noticeable corona effect

According to Beat Bussmann, the effects of the Corona pandemic are also being felt at Opacc. For example, the digitalization push has triggered more e-business projects. "Things are going better than ever in this respect," he stated. The company is happy to take the associated growth as a "reward," because it does not have an actual growth strategy, but rather primarily pursues qualitative goals - which in turn lead to Opacc continuing to grow.

Opacc is also known for its outstanding working conditions as an employer. The company recently received the Best Workplace Award in the SME category. Among the privileges that Opacc employees enjoy is the use of mobile devices, which make it easy to work from home - of crucial importance in Corona times, of course. Nevertheless, Beat Bussmann relies on the high level of personal responsibility of the employees. And despite everything, personal exchange remains important.

Source and further information: Opacc

Although the Swiss SME Day 2020 was moved, but the annual KMU-Tag study by the Swiss Institute for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (KMU-HSG) was nevertheless conducted and has now been published. Over 200 managers took part in the survey.

Need for action in the Swiss SME landscape

According to the survey, 52% of the respondents see a high need for action to align their company in an agile(er) way. The number of reports of economic instability has increased in recent years. Political surprises have occurred at ever shorter intervals, causing uncertainty. The most recent three major events alone pose existential challenges for many SMEs: The lifting of the exchange rate floor by the Swiss National Bank, the Brexit decision in the UK and, above all, the Corona pandemic. Thus, 54% of the respondents state that uncertainty is higher or significantly higher today than it was five years ago. SMEs were also naturally surprised by the impact of the Corona pandemic. Over 60% of respondents rate the impact of Covid-19 as negative or even very negative for their business. In addition, just under 10% of respondents consider the likelihood that they will experience financial difficulties in the next twelve months to be great or very great.

High resilience and confidence

However, the results also show that SMEs have a high level of resilience and also prove themselves in times of crisis. Compared with large companies in Switzerland, SMEs have significantly higher scores for flexibility, agility and willingness to adapt and change. Despite all the uncertainty and surprises, 87% of SMEs rate their competitive position as good to very good. 44% of the companies continue to focus on growth and want to further expand their market shares. 30% of the respondents even want to penetrate new markets and business areas.

Pandemic drives digitization

Even the current pandemic is not leaving only negative traces in the Swiss SME landscape. Many SME managers praise the motivation and solidarity of their employees. For many SMEs, the pandemic seems to have triggered a new sense of unity. In addition, many respondents see a positive influence on digitization in their company. It is also frequently mentioned that the crisis has helped to question processes and structures and to align them consistently (more) with the needs of customers.

Source: SME-HSG

Every year, the Switzerland Global Enterprise Export Award recognizes a company that has successfully established a foothold abroad. A total of three finalists were nominated for the Export Award 2020: Berlinger & Co. AG from Ganterschwil, Sensirion AG from Stäfa and Storz Medical AG from Tägerwilen.

Berlinger & Co. AG chosen as winner

The winner was chosen by the independent Jury of business, science and media representatives, finally Berlinger & Co. AG from Toggenburg. The jury was impressed by the company's internationalization strategy, which is based on careful market analyses, the cultivation of global partnerships and a clever growth strategy.

Award ceremony by Ruth Metzler-Arnold

The Export Award 2020 trophy has been presented by Ruth Metzler-Arnold, Chairman of the Board of Directors of S-GE. "International business has been becoming more uncertain and volatile for years," said Ruth Metzler-Arnold. "Berlinger & Co. AG has managed to prove itself in this difficult environment and become a world market leader with a remarkable internationalization strategy and excellent risk management."

Innovation meets tradition

The high-tech products of Berlinger & Co. AG are used for the temperature monitoring of pharmaceutical and medical products as well as for the safe transport and storage of doping samples in elite sports. Thanks to personal contacts with international pharmaceutical companies and humanitarian organizations as well as sports federations and organizers of major sporting events, the hardware and software solutions from Toggenburg are in demand in over 180 countries. "Feel safe" is the slogan of the 155-year-old family-owned company, which trumps with continuity and innovation and plays an important role worldwide in terms of patient safety and in its commitment to clean sports.

Source: Switzerland Global Enterprise