How to deal with the consequences of the corona epidemic

Obviously, a lot has changed over the last couple of months. Instead of bringing lunch to work, you eat at your own kitchen table. Your car is not going anywhere besides a trip to the supermarket. You are unable to visit customers and Microsoft Teams is your primary connection to the outside world. A lot has changed, that’s for sure. So, how do you coop with these changes? How do you handle the uncertainties the corona crisis will bring? And what does this mean for your software solution in your logistics operations?

No time to do nothing

Plans, goals, targets, almost every single one of them can be thrown out the window. The only questions you ask yourself as a logistic service provider are: how do I survive this? And will my company still exist a year from now. However, doing nothing isn’t an option. That will only make the worldwide crisis worse. The logistics sector has never done nothing. It is continuously moving. It is action.

The peloton

I would like to refer to my favorite metaphor: the peloton. Although there are no courses ridden at the moment, you can imagine the sight. The peloton rides with high speed through the narrow streets, completely widened to benefit from the backwind. That is exactly the situation we have been in the last years. The logistic sector maximally benefitted from backwind. Everything moved forward quickly and your volumes grew over the years.

Headwind

Now, the road has taken a turn. The peloton is facing headwind. Everything seems to go south. And what will you do? Will you stop moving? Will you abandon the race? Of course not! You protect yourself from the wind in the peloton. The perfect place for all cyclists to hide from the difficult headwind. Logically, no one wants to be in front, nor in the back of the peloton.

However, the real danger is not in front of the peloton. The danger is to end up in the back. When you cannot stay in the wheel of the cyclist in front of you, you cannot hide from the wind anymore. While battling the headwind alone, you will lose the peloton out of sight, not being able to keep up and return in it again.

Look ahead

Therefore, keeping up is extremely important. Survive. Look ahead. Focus on the next turn. Focus on the moment when the headwind will change to a side wind or – even better – backwind. Try to enjoy this time. While not only the peloton but the entire economy is moving slower, you have the opportunity to look around, take a step back and see what is really important for your business. Obviously, innovation stays important. However, the time of everything flying by at maximum speed is over. Instead, you can focus on the present. This is the time to build a solid foundation for the future.

The Boltrics peloton moves forward

So, what does this mean for Boltrics’ software? For example, do you have to switch to the newest version? Microsoft makes beautiful innovations. Most of these innovations have already been announced long before the corona epidemic. The speed in which the innovations are implemented will be slower than the years before. However, Boltrics, as well as Microsoft, does move forward. A new update is around the corner. This update is not to be feared though. The latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers the possibilities to not only survive the crisis, but to come out stronger. Possibilities like the new web user interface, which is better than you have seen before. So, make sure you keep up. Hide in the center of the peloton, if not stay in front, but make sure you do not lose the wheel.

Keeping up with headwind

Facing the headwind, we still develop our software, so you are ensured of an up-to-date software solution. However, the speed of updating all our customers will be reduced. This offers you the possibility to keep up the pace, comfortably. Going back to the metaphor: find the right cadence. Make sure you find stability in your frequency and heartbeat. In other words, don’t drop your work, but find stability in it: focus on profitable customers, serve them convincingly and adjust when necessary. Go back to the basis of your business, stay in the wheel and the wind will turn before you know it.