Gymna, as a wholesaler, needs an IT partner to rely on. They were looking for a proactive collaboration where direct communication was central. That is exactly what the Tricore team excels at. We are diving into practice together with Gymna.
Simon from Mast Agency sought out Tricore & Gymna to learn the story behind this collaboration.
The Limburg family business Gymna established itself last year in a brand new headquarters in Diepenbeek. Is their collaboration with Tricore as impressive as this new building? You can read about it here.👇
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How Tricore transformed Gymna:
- Installation and management of the new IT infrastructure
- From reactive to proactive IT management
- Decisive support helpdesk
Hello Frank and Liesbet. Tell me, what does Gymna do?
Frank: “Gymna is a wholesaler with all the necessities for physiotherapists. In addition, we also serve other medical target groups such as general practitioners, nurses, and bandagers. For that, we work with our sister brands. Barthels (general practitioners and nurses) and Vitamed (bandagers).
In this way, we want to be a one stop shop for these medical practices. They can really come to us for everything: from massage tables or training equipment to a simple disinfectant spray.”
“When you call Tricore, you always get someone on the line who actually helps you.”
Are there actually many parties in Belgium that do this?
Frank: “No, in Belgium we are virtually the only ones who are 100% focused on that target group. We go far in this, because in addition to selling all the necessary items, we also do the installation on-site and the maintenance afterwards.
And for those starting from an empty space, we also help with the setup. We know how to set up such a practice conveniently while still keeping it spacious. We do this through our sister company Architime. Our offering is therefore very broad; everything that our target group needs.”
Are you a ‘premium’ player then?
Frank: “No, not that. Everyone can come to us, including starters or those with smaller budgets. However, we know very well where the quality lies and when it’s better to invest a little more. We know our trade, you will always be 100% helped by us.”
What is each of your roles at Gymna?
Frank: “I have been the managing director of Gymna together with my father for about seven years now, since 2014.”
Liesbet: “I am the team leader of customer service and I also coordinate our IT. I make sure that any IT problems get resolved. I don't solve anything myself, because I don't have that knowledge (laughs).”
When was the name Tricore first mentioned?
Liesbet: “That must have been in the summer two years ago. I remember that day very well (laughs). We picked up the phone and called Tricore. They came by the same day.”
“Tricore is a big step forward for us.”
How did your first contact with Tricore go?
Liesbet: “Actually, it was a very nice conversation. Everything went smoothly. Earlier that day, we had already had a conversation with Jonas on the phone. He had given us a very clear explanation of how Tricore works."
Frank: “What I liked was that they came with two people right away and both were very driven. They had a clear vision of how it should go. We were sympathetic to that.”
What convinced you to work together?
Liesbet: “Mainly the direct contact and the proactive approach. With the previous partner, that didn't go so well. I had to regularly bring up the problems myself and keep following up. And then you often end up at a helpdesk with many people but few answers.
With Tricore, that's a big burden that is lifted off my shoulders. So we actually chose the smaller, more driven player on purpose.”
“Tricore? A driven team with a clear vision.”
What has Tricore ultimately installed at Gymna?
Stijn (Tricore): “You might as well ask what we haven't done (laughs). The old server from Gymna wasn't powerful enough to run SAP properly, for example.
That, combined with the new construction, has ensured that we have installed a whole new IT infrastructure: server, backup, network, wi-fi, the workstations of the people, ... everything actually.”
Do you at Gymna really notice a difference after the renewal?
Frank: “Absolutely, it is really a big step forward. This new system is much faster, much more efficient. Also, if something were to crash here now, it only takes a few minutes for it to be restored.”
Liesbet: “That's right. Everything is much more efficient. Much faster. And Tricore has also installed extra wide ‘curved monitors’ at our workstations. It's really a luxury to work with. And it impresses clients when they come in here.
And on top of that, support runs much smoother now. If there is a problem, I can rely not just on one person but on the entire team from Tricore.”
“You are always helped immediately at Tricore”
Has there been a little fire since the new setup?
Frank: “No, very little. One time our SAP software caused problems on the internal server. That was a bit stressful for our team. Tricore was able to start the intervention before the workweek began, which kept the damage limited. But it was a bit exciting when that happens :-)”
Have there been any other exciting moments?
Frank: “No, not really. We are very satisfied with Tricore.”
Liesbet: “That's right, we are very satisfied. When I call them, I immediately get someone on the line who actually helps you. That's how we wanted it.”
How would you describe the Tricore team?
Liesbet: “Very driven. And also very complementary. They have agreed on a clear division of roles.
This is how Robin and Steven installed our new workspaces: those are the desks of all our employees.
In addition, Stijn and Pieter set up everything related to the network: the server, the backup, our remote desktop, and so on.”
💡 Did you know: Pieter from Tricore set up an RDS cluster for Gymna. This allows employees to log in from anywhere to a kind of central Gymna computer, ensuring the fast operation of the business applications.
What are you most satisfied with in the collaboration?
Liesbet: “I think the workspaces. The workspaces they create are all in perfect order. The cables are nicely concealed. It's all so neat and nice. We really love that.”
Frank: “What they pay a lot of attention to are, for example, the colors of the cables. The wifi has one color and another installation has a different color. They make it as clean as possible. That gives a good feeling. The customers see that too.”
Stijn and Robin, weren't you going to order a workout bike from Gymna for your office :-) ?
Robin: “Haha, that's being subtly postponed. We did buy our face masks and hand gel here (laughs). But indeed, that fitness room will have to come at some point.”
Is there anything you would like to pass on to Stijn and Robin?
Frank: “If they continue to put the same drive and energy into Tricore, I believe they will go far. And then it is important to be able to maintain the quality level they currently have.
Liesbet: “That's right. Because when you grow, you inevitably run into walls. We have also experienced those growing pains at Gymna.”
Frank: “If they continue to surround themselves with the right colleagues, the quality can remain high. And then there may be a bright future for Tricore :-)”
Ok! Thank you Frank and Liesbet for the conversation.
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3 core characteristics of Tricore:
- Ambitious and dedicated team of IT professionals.
- Their mission? To provide every SME with a strong IT infrastructure.
- Proactive approach: solving problems before they arise 👌.
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Want to know more about Tricore?
Email to info@tricore.be.
Want to know more about Gymna?
Visit www.gymna.be