Greeks tend to work even more, more with centralized management models, therefore we have not fully developed the culture of outsourcing, says Mr. Panagiotis Koronaios, CEO of Synergy, who among other things states that the company aims to invest in four key areas for its development.
– In a highly competitive sector with increased demand and investment in recent years and especially since the pandemic and beyond, what does your investment plan for the near future include?
Synergy aims to invest in four key areas for its growth: technology, green economy, human resources and customer service.
Despite the difficulties and the intense competition, we have managed to maintain and increase our strength by investing in our customer-centric system, through technology and innovation. The digital transformation of the Company has started more than 2 years ago with the complete reorganization of customer service and the digitization of services, after we invested in Business Intelligence tools, analyzing specialized KPIs that monitor the performance of Customer Support. Our methodology, which serves the goal of Continuous Improvement, has brought us substantial results, giving Synergy very high success rates, such as the Customer Hit Rate which reaches 98.6% and the Customer Retention Rate which amounts to 94.2%. At the same time, we invest and will continue to invest in the training of human resources, but also in executives with different skills & competencies.
The next step is to create an online custom platform with real-time analytics, so that the customer enjoys through his mobile phone the benefits of complete management, communication and information in real time. In this way we achieve absolute transparency in the management of data by the customer and build even stronger bonds of trust.
At the same time, Synergy in the coming years will invest in the further modernization of distribution centers, smart intralogistics and the automation of processes that will lead to increased yields and reduced costs.
Finally, as sustainability and compliance with ESG principles are at the core of our philosophy, we are planning “green” investments to renew our privately owned electric car fleet, as the era of electrification will come faster due to the prohibitive oil prices . It is a fact that the obsolete fleet of vehicles on the market, the lack of drivers and the energy costs today create a “mixture” of serious problems in freight transport and handling of goods.
– What is the reason for the current picture in Greece related to the limited displacement of outsourcing logistics services?
Personally and having been nurtured in the culture of abroad, I absolutely believe in the doctrine “Do what you know well and outsource everything else”.
In Greece, unfortunately, we have not fully developed the culture of outsourcing in relation to Europe, because Greeks tend to work even more, with centralized management models. In the 22 years I have been involved in the field of logistics I have often heard from my customers the phrase “my own products are special, they can not be outsourced”. Well, let me inform you that to date there has not been a customer who has not successfully managed his “special” needs for storage and transportation. Every peculiarity can be standardized and the Greek companies 3pl have made spectacular steps of evolution, especially in the last years when the pandemic led them to a faster evolutionary process.
– What is the role of the CEO in retaining and developing his / her executives and who in attracting new executives from the market?
The CEO has the role of leader not through words and fear, but through actions and inspiration. A good CEO who exercises effective leadership, does not actually tell you what to do, but shows you how to do it. He knows the path you have to follow, he goes through it himself first and then he shows you how to cross it or he is next to you on the unprecedented paths to walk together.
The new executives, with the difficulties they face in the labor market, are looking for a company that they can respect and in which they can work freely and creatively, in order to develop their ideas, put them into practice and be recognized for it, no only financially, but substantially.
– A new executive who has the ambition to become CEO, what would you advise?
To love leadership and not power. To want to inspire others by his example and not to impose his views. That is why I would advise him to start first from the low positions, to first experience the daily life and the needs of the people that at some point he will need to manage, in order to be successful.
The labor market does not need people and leaders who follow the market, but people who change and improve the market, people who have a vision and defend it to the end. And the world needs companies that follow not only the path of money, but the path of innovation, change and optimization. These are the people who inspire their interlocutors, their customers, the whole world.
At Synergy, our vision is to make our customer’s life easier, to become the most customer-centric company. And we have achieved this through building real human relationships, taking care to solve problems quickly, to always be by his side, to be his man. To be real businesspartners, we will offer the security they are looking for.
– What skills and abilities do you think the new and promising executives will be required to possess in the future?
Organizational, responsibility and flexibility-adaptability to the changes that are coming, while from skills, ie acquired skills, certainly training in technology and information systems, as the future, especially in logistics, is automation. Emotional intelligence and creativity are also skills that characterize and distinguish an up-and-coming executive.
– What are the basic principles that you consider should govern a CEO’s relationship with his / her organization’s associates and suppliers and what has changed in this area since the pandemic?
It is true that in our industry everyone talks about the end customer, forgetting one of the most important links in the chain. For us at Synergy, suppliers are a very important part of our job. Especially this year we have prepared a new evaluation plan of our suppliers that includes more criteria of quality and holistic perception of the customer experience, new ways to integrate and engage them in the large family of Synergy and its customers and of course new and more targeted KPIs aimed at continuous development and the quality we want to offer to our customers.
Source: Capital
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