An entrepreneur who locks horns with time

Gunilla von Platen, CEO of Xzakt Kundrelation, is determined to erase the image of the entrepreneur as a disorganised genius. "Time is our scarcest and most valuable commodity," she says. "If you want to succeed in today's world, it's extremely important that you plan, set goals and communicate with your employees."

When I phoned von Platen at her Stockholm flat, a child was shrieking in the background. She asked me to hold on, and I assumed that she was going to calm down her 4-month-old infant. "Now, where were we?" she asked a little while later. "There was an e-mail I just had to answer."

Multitasking is one of von Platen's skills. That should come as no surprise. It's probably among the qualities that makes her one of Sweden's most successful and well-known entrepreneurs. Since starting up seven years ago, Xzakt Kundrelation has grown to 200 employees and annual sales of SEK 70 million without accepting a cent of subsidies or venture capital. The feat won her the 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Northern Region and the 2007 Company of the Year Award from the Municipality of Skellefteå. And Sweden's P1 public radio station chose her to host one of its prestigious Sommar shows in 2007. "Being an entrepreneur is my passion, my life," says von Platen.

Adding value to customer relationships
Xzakt Kundrelation is an agency that manages the customer service, sales or call centre operations of small, medium-sized and big companies . Von Platen developed her business concept after having managed customer service operations at the Skandia insurance company and Kalix Tele24, a call centre company.

"What I noticed," she says, "is that customer service operations always focused on answering as many calls as possible rather than providing quality. Not only that, but they weren't very good at helping the customers they already had - they were always trying to chase down new ones. That was my chance to carve out my own niche in the market – adding value to customer relationships."

So von Platen decided to start her own business even though it was the middle of a recession. She sold everything she owned – including her jewellery, furniture and flat in Göteborg – and moved to Stockholm All the money went into her new company. Xzakt Kundrelation worked hard to hand pick the right employees and train its supervisors to become thoroughly familiar with the ins and outs of each client's business.

“Putting more emphasis on quality allows you to keep the customers you have and add value to your relationships with them,” says von Platen. "Today's consumers are more and more discriminating. "You can't simply grab the phone when you hear it ring. You have to be quick on your feet, pleasant, skilled and able to make customers feel as though they are unique. That creates a sense of loyalty and respect."

Being a businessperson means that you are always locking horns with time. You have to make instant decisions, and a discussion of every detail is often out of the question. "We're living in real time," says von Platen. "If one of our clients has an acute problem, they'll lose faith in us unless we can deal with it right away."

An effective project management tool
The value of an application that would help her manage projects efficiently was evident to von Platen very early on. Xzakt Kundrelation used Projectplace as a means of support right from the very beginning. "A system that keeps all communication and information in one place is invaluable," says von Platen. "Relying entirely on e-mail can be risky.

 "The same thing is true of how we manage meetings. You need to have a strict agenda and avoid bringing up irrelevant topics. More than anything else, you have to follow through on what you decided. Otherwise you're just wasting your time."

The day starts the night before
A day in von Platen's life starts the night before when she jots down notes about the previous day "so I don't have to lie awake thinking about it." When the next day rolls around, she sticks to a schedule of activities, people to meet and places to go – usually her head office in Stockholm or production centre in Skellefteå.

“Lots of people think that an entrepreneur is some kind of disorganised genius,” says von Platen. "But that's exactly what you can't be. There's no way to overemphasise the value of being structured and planning your time. “I hate getting places late. I always make appointments and see to it that everyone has plenty of time. If a client asks for an offer in a month, I send it in a week."

During her years as an executive, von Platen has developed a highly unconventional corporate culture. Besides making sure to hire both committed people ("they must be motivated and feel that they are part of the company"), she awards bonuses for both specific accomplishments and character traits.

"Some of my bonuses are for personal qualities such as cooperation, a positive attitude and helpfulness," von Platen says. "Just because you get up on the wrong side of the bed one morning doesn't mean that other people have to suffer." During the first years of Xzakt Kundrelation, von Platen worked 70-80 hour weeks. Now that she has children, it's closer to a less hectic 40 hours – or so she claims.

"But I won't deny that the company is always in the back of my mind," she says, "even though I've got better at relaxing and focusing on my family." With such a tight schedule, it's easy to be overwhelmed by day-to-day worries and lose sight of the big picture. To avoid that, von Platen takes the time to wind down and think along new lines.

"At the beginning, I worked non-stop," she says. "Believe it or not, I would find myself typing away on my laptop as I walked from my office to the airport bus. Now I force myself to mellow out and think about other things than the details of my job. That usually happens when I'm on the road or exercising. You wouldn't believe all the great ideas that come out of nowhere when you're swimming laps." Even her leisure activities revolve around her job - something that von Platen doesn't see as a bad thing.

“That's the way it is when you're an entrepreneur," she says. "Remember, it's my passion in life. But the funny thing is that I'm more active than my friends, have the most leisure activities and arrange dinners."

A goal-oriented philosophy
The more you do, the more you can accomplish. Von Platen's philosophy of life is undeniably goal-oriented. "Setting clear goals is extremely important," she says. "When I started Xzakt Kundrelation, the idea was that I would keep at it for five years. Now I'm having such a good time that I want to expand, perhaps even buy out some of my competitors.

“But my next goal is to work with orphans, something that I am really enthusiastic about and have wanted to do for a long time. “With that kind of objective in mind, I have become even more structured and focused on my job. You've got to keep thinking, 'That's where I'm headed.'”