**Onafhankelijk Adviesplatform (OAP) was the first Belgian organisation to use Salesdock. Entrepreneur Andy de Bondt began his mission to provide independent energy advice to Flemish customers about 10 years ago. After years of growth and expanding his network, he started looking for a platform from which he could collaborate efficiently and scalably. With Salesdock, he found the desired solution to accelerate the professionalization of his organization. More and more customers benefit from independent advice and OAP's offering is rapidly expanding to include solar panels and charging stations. Meanwhile, OAP's wings are also spreading beyond Flanders and the first French-speaking Belgians are reaping the benefits of the independent energy advice.

Andy de Bondt has a busy life as an entrepreneur and father of five children. During his years as an account manager in the energy market, Andy saw what he calls "hit and run practices" around him. "Many energy salesmen were driven by commissions. Not the best solution for the customer, but the most lucrative deal for the salesperson was presented as the best solution." After closing the contract, there was no more contact with the customers. This way of working bothered him, so Andy developed his own platform from his attic room. This is how OAP was born. We are now almost ten years further and can speak of a resounding success. Where Andy initially did everything himself, he now has a complete team and works with numerous partners to achieve his ideals.

OAP customers receive independent advice on the offerings of different suppliers. "Our starting point is always: would I sign this contract myself? We pay attention not only to the price, but also to the supplier's performance and service." If problems do arise, OAP advisors are always willing to help, so "hit and run" practices are not an issue. Every year customers receive energy advice, so they are always on the right path. Contacts were made from a call center, from where appointments were made for an account manager to visit for advice and contracting. Due to the increase in scale and the expansion of the range to include smart energy meters, it became increasingly difficult for Andy to maintain an overview and manage the processes. In his search for a solution to meet these challenges, he came in contact with Salesdock. In late 2020, Andy saw a demo of Salesdock. "I was impressed, it all worked so simple!" A few minor adjustments were needed to make Salesdock suitable for the Belgian energy market as well. Soon everything was set up and Andy was enjoying the benefits. At that time, Dutch sales parties appeared on the Belgian energy market, driven out by the tightened telecom law. "The Dutch outbound parties were already used to working with Salesdock and could hook up right away," says Andy. OAP's sales network expanded tremendously as a result, and Andy was delighted with how easy everything worked. "I can now adjust and monitor everything myself with 'al la minute' insight. Thanks to the api's, Salesdock works crosswise," Andy is referring to integrations with systems like Steam and his CRM. By using Salesdock, OAP has made quite a professionalization. "Account manager visits are no longer necessary; all processes are now digital. This makes direct sales possible and in addition, follow-up is now also going via the same platform." With this, Andy has not only made the processes more efficient and insightful, it also offers him new opportunities. "We are now connecting more and more sales channels and all from the same system." In addition to telephone sales, Andy is also working hard on online sales to make things even easier for his customers. In addition, OAP's offering continues to expand with products that further reduce customers' energy costs. "We already had smart meters that allowed our customers to see how to save energy, but now we are also working with partners for solar panels." We may conclude that OAP's professionalization has gained the desired momentum. Andy does not plan to sit back quietly now that he has more control over the processes, quite the contrary. "We continue to expand our network with new partners and add new products, such as charging stations." Behind the scenes we are also working hard to expand OAP's target market. "Salesdock also offers the possibility to switch between different languages. We are busy translating proposals and contracts." OAP remains committed to automating, scaling up and expanding. But, for Andy, one thing always stands out: "the customer is central."