Gexpertise, a surveyors company, operates in France and Tunisia with 220 employees for a turnover of 13 million euros. Its customers are construction industry players (project managers, promoters, architects), communities, property companies, notaries ... Containment resulted in the loss of 90% of its orders.
At Cojean, turnover (not communicated) fell by 100%. Its 33 restaurants in the Ile-de-France region and its central Parisian kitchen closed, nearly 500 employees have been placed on partial unemployment. During the confinement, the management worked on the reception of the customers, which it hopes to seduce with a new application of online orders.
Here is the diary of their first week after confinement.
MONDAY. "Happy to see you again"
GEXPERTISE. "I'm here to transmit energy," says Eric Malenfer, the president of Gexpertise, who arrived at the head office in Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine) at 8 am to welcome the 18 employees expected. On the program, distribution of washable fabric masks ordered from an embroidery and reunion company. "The first reflex was to shake their hands," said the 55-year-old manager. It is not natural to speak more than a meter away but we will get used to it. The atmosphere is good, we are happy to meet again. "
This May 11, the company has been preparing it for three weeks for all five French sites (Blendecques, Bordeaux, Lille, Sèvres and Toulon), Tunisia having been officially deconfigured since the 4th but pending Ramadan time. Their activity consisting of taking readings on construction sites, buildings, the bulk of the field teams had already had to resume work, with their own vehicle and their own equipment. This Monday, between 80 and 90% of the workforce is operational, between telework, field or office.
COJEAN. "For this recovery day, we want to test the market and welcome customers," said Thomas Pluchart, the director of operations, with enthusiasm. Unlike the order preparers and cashiers whom he supervises, the 34-year-old manager has not been idle since mid-March: “I redesigned the customer journey, reviewed the markings on the ground, distributed the masks and the hydroalcoholic gel. "
For the moment, only 15% of employees are mobilized. "We left the most experienced short-time workers, not the students who have Cojean as food work," he admits. This results in the reopening of 15 restaurants out of 33, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., only for take-away, one in two cases condemned in the name of social distancing ... "We were all missing pace, but we were happy to come. Customers too. "
TUESDAY. "The commercial phase is complicated"
GEXPERTISE. First feedback from field teams. “We receive very bizarre requests, such as that from a central administration. Its protocol requires everyone to come with their own roll of toilet paper! "Says the president, distressed. "I will ask my employees to give me expense reports, to be stored in the office supplies box ..."
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That's not all. An email from a mission manager alerted him: taking the temperature before arriving at a site wastes between 1 hour and 1.5 hours per day and per team member because of the queue that this causes. “We are a service company, I sell time. I'm going to negotiate with my client to invoice him for that, ”explains the president. Another group, which Eric Malenfer prefers not to mention, demands a health declaration from each of the employees. "It's totally forbidden," he indignantly.
All these requests and sanitary measures translate for Gexpertise by 20 to 25% of additional costs. It is high time to find new customers. “The commercial phase is complicated. That doesn't answer much, admits the boss. We are not among the priorities. "
COJEAN. A trend is already confirmed. Establishments "opposite a company in a tower that does not reopen" are less frequented than those in "residential areas with law firms", analyzes Thomas Pluchart, who navigates from restaurant to restaurant. The company did well to open only one in three at La Défense (Hauts-de-Seine), where telework remains the rule.
Another teaching, the obligation to wear a mask does not cool the barge. If one customer in ten is not equipped when entering the door, he takes it out of his jacket after reading the instructions at the entrance. "We are at 22% of normal turnover, but we have increased by 30% compared to yesterday," notes vice-president Jean-Philippe Christol. "The restart will be slow, hence this choice to reduce the range, for example six salads instead of twelve, to limit losses."
WEDNESDAY. "We feel alone in our premises"
GEXPERTISE. "Economic activity is still very timid," regrets Eric Malenfer. "There is inertia as on the return from the long holidays," say his salespeople. The recovery of traffic jams is however faster, according to some employees. That said, few suffered from it to come to the head office since two employees, in addition to the management, came. We are far from the 18 of the first day. "They returned to telework or to the field," explains the president of Gexpertise. “We feel alone in our 1600 m2 premises but at least, no problem of distancing! "
The bad news therefore comes from outside. In this case the Bordeaux antenna. “A project manager has just announced to me that a couple of individuals, who asked us for measurements at their home, were affected by Covid-19 during our intervention ten days ago. They knew it but did not report it to us, ”plague Eric Malenfer. Put in the fortnight, the two employees concerned have no symptoms yet. “If they fall ill, I reserve the right to take action against these clients. It is a question of responsibility. "
COJEAN. Confined, he accelerated the digitalization of his employer. Yoan Laigle, Director of Information Systems (DSI), has set up Cojean's first mobile app to order online and have your bag delivered or picked up with bulgur salad, chocolate mousse and pomegranate juice. “It was a project since December, for a launch planned for May. It seemed relevant to us to go faster because online ordering makes it possible to limit the waiting time in the restaurant. An Irish publisher helped us achieve this feat in a month and a half. "
Downloadable on IOS (Apple) since Monday, the app is finally visible on Android, since this morning. “Google’s verification times are longer due to the crisis. Normally, it takes half a day, ”he says. From his computer, the CIO observes the first steps of his baby. “I have a portal for orders, their change of status, and another to follow geolocated bicycle deliverers. In two days, the number of orders was multiplied by four, thanks to communication on social networks on Monday evening. "
THURSDAY. "The hardest part is logistics"
GEXPERTISE. Direction Tunisia, in the subsidiary, where 15% of the 70 employees resumed face-to-face work. There, social protection much less than in France and the drop in activity during confinement further weakens employees. "Employees in France have decided to launch a solidarity kitty for their Tunisian colleagues", rejoices Eric Malenfer.
With one of his clients, a social landlord, he developed an intervention protocol until further notice, according to four levels of risk. The higher applies for premises with people crossing. Make an appointment before the arrival of the team, display, delimit the area with a ribbon, insurance to be alone while taking readings, etc. In addition, all the teams in the field, in addition to wearing a mask, must change their clothes when leaving their site, put them in a garbage bag and wash them at 60 degrees.
COJEAN. "This week, the most difficult is the logistics," comments Jean-Philippe Christol, the purchasing and supply manager. To save time because they have fewer drivers, our partners deliver our central kitchen. It's up to us to redistribute everything in the restaurants. "
In this uncertain context, the company wants to set up a rotation, every two weeks, to "put people back to work and place others in partial activity", explains Stéphane Jitiaux, its president. The goal is to reach 60% of assets by the end of the year. "On condition that we continue to benefit from partial unemployment," he insists.
FRIDAY. "No social plan in mind"
GEXPERTISE. "Today, there are 15 of us," said Eric Malenfer, some of whom returned for the first time. “There are a lot of exchanges and I encourage them. They are convalescent, I let them rebuild a social bond ”. Their lives confined? It is in question but they quickly move on to something else, share their ideas, wonder about new processes ... "My challenge is to listen to these proposals," continues the business manager, very happily surprised. I have noted 25 and I will select 5, with the innovation manager, to implement them as soon as possible. "
For his part, Eric Malenfer has in particular planned to add a line to his quotes, labeled "additional cost related to Covid intervention rules", renegotiate existing contracts and attract the attention of field managers to negotiate any new customer request.
COJEAN. Stéphane Jitiaux, President of Cojean, recalls his priority objective: to avoid layoffs. “I don't have a social plan in mind. There will be natural departures, which will not be replaced. Recruitments, like investments, for works or openings, are stopped. "
If the activity remained “very weak” this week (30% compared to pre-containment), the boss is betting on two new features: delivery and “click and collect”, via the app or the website, which already weigh 12% of turnover: “Our Instagram communication, whose account gained thousands of subscribers during containment, worked well. Hence the idea of agreeing a small communication budget in June and September, during the real start of the school year. "
