As a one-stop shop for financial services, Wilink tries to paint an overall picture of each individual client. “Thanks to openthebox, we quickly get an insight into his concrete situation and can provide customized advice.”
Wilink assists individuals, independent entrepreneurs and companies in every phase of their lives. “Our customers can come to us for independent advice in areas such as insurance, investments, pension savings, loans, real estate and succession planning,” says sales manager Rutger Desmet. “With the aim: an optimal structure, expansion, protection and transfer of their private and professional assets.”
In ten years, Wilink grew into a major player with around 350 employees, 23 offices and more than 110,000 customers throughout Belgium. Acquisitions and mergers contributed to business growth. “Being sufficiently large is essential to ensure sufficient independence,” says Rutger. “It also allows you to be critical of certain solutions and products, and to be aware of pitfalls and possible doomsday scenarios.”
“We see ourselves as a total advisor rather than a product broker. Wilink therefore wants to assist its customers on a daily basis in every aspect of their private and professional life. We're not making it easy for ourselves by expanding our scope of action, but it's a deliberate choice to be a one-stop shop for financial services. '
“As an openthebox user, you get quick access to the information you need at that moment.”
Rutger Desmet, sales manager Wilink
Openthebox as the ideal tool
In view of this complete service, Wilink believes it is crucial to paint an overall picture of each client. “In order to provide good and independent advice, we need to know who the customer is, what they value and what their goals are,” explains Rutger Desmet. “In addition, we want to get the most accurate view possible of his entire financial situation. Open the box is the ideal tool for that. '
“I myself am one of the first paying users of this tool. Right from the first meeting, I was convinced of the advantages. Such as: the simplicity of the web module, but also the correctness and performance. Openthebox makes use of all kinds of data that is publicly available. So the amount of data is enormous, but as a user, you get quick access to the information you need at that moment. '
“Now take the company manager with an individual pension commitment,” Rutger illustrates. “The recent corporate tax reform has severely limited the tax deductibility of such an IPT. Openthebox then helps us, based on published financial statements and information about his various companies, to provide comprehensive advice related to his income planning, tax optimization and pension. '
“Another example is the succession planning of a family business. The favourable regime for inheritance within such a company is usually well known, but much less is known about the specific conditions. It is also often wrongly assumed that a holding or management company does not offer options when it comes to inheritance planning. Thanks to openthebox, we quickly get an insight into the concrete situation and any possibilities. '
Spiderweb shows all connections
According to Rutger Desmet, the spider web, which maps all connections around an entrepreneur, is also an extremely useful feature of openthebox. “Actually, everything starts with this,” he says. “Because that's how you immediately get an idea of the overarching holdings, the operating companies, the management companies,... The clear and simple visual representation of the whole thing is an important basis for us. Once you have a good view of that, you can go and see everything in depth. '
“It's possible with open the box undoubtedly much more is being done than what we use this tool for. For example, looking for leads or identifying strategic opportunities. But at Wilink, the focus is therefore mainly on getting an overall picture of our clients with a view to providing optimal service. The link of all information and its visual representation are the most important added value for us. '
The advantages of opentebox according to Wilink:
- The simplicity and accessibility of the web module.
- The link to all available information.
- The correctness of the data
- The spider web that shows all connections.
- The visual representation of the whole.
- The performance of the underlying technology.
