Who are you? What is your job and how long have you worked at NSI?
My name’s Pierre and I’ve worked at NSI for nearly 3 years as a Business Consultant for Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP for Finance and Operations.
What does the position of Business Consultant comprise?
In general, the role consists of implementing the integrated management solution within the company, according to the customer’s needs. It can cover many fields: finance and accounting, production, logistics, purchasing, stock management and quality... As consultants, we support the customer from day one when we organise analysis and workshop sessions, right up to the deliverable plus final training.
Throughout the project, we help the company’s key figures to make decisions on how to transform their processes.
Could you describe a typical day?
In our job, there is no typical day. One day, we could be giving a training course to the customer, another day, we might be providing support remotely (😊) or on site. We might spend some days prototyping and configuring a solution or testing the developments that we’ve implemented for a customer. As the product progresses quickly, we also have to stay up-to-date on functional features. Often, I might even do all these things in one day.
What do you like most about this position?
Firstly, the diversity of the work: as you can see, we don’t have time to get bored. Particularly with the new projects kicking off right now, there’s always something to do and it’s quite dynamic.
Secondly, the numerous customer business sectors: we might be working with customers in entertainment, engineering, pharmaceuticals, agro-food, distribution,... It’s really interesting to see how each business works. Obviously, it’s even better to see them make good progress after implementing the new ERP.
Describe your daily work at NSI in 3 words
Flexibility, empathy and challenges.
What’s the working atmosphere like in your team?
I was fortunate to be invited to NSI’s 25th anniversary party before I even joined the company. It was a good way to find out about them (well before the pandemic)! Then, I came on board with two other new employees. We were given a great welcome and supported within the team and on the projects. The BU is very open, and we were fully included straight away. When it was still possible, we ate out every Friday lunchtime together; I don’t think you see that everywhere 😊
Why did you apply to be a Business Consultant?
I applied to be a Business Consultant because it involved several different activities and I understood that it would not be a monotonous job. In fact, consultancy combines many intellectual and personal skills as we have to come up with the best solution for a customer, while communicating quite frequently with the teams.
And why NSI?
Having always lived in Liège, I love my town, and I wanted to stay in the region for my professional career and my personal life. I was also looking for a growing company, with a certain reputation in Wallonia, plus a family feel. As Liège is a small world, I soon heard via word-of-mouth that NSI was the place for me.
Did your studies prepare you for this role?
Not at all at first, as I took a degree in European Studies at Maastricht University. Then I got a masters in Business and Management from KU Leuven, which introduced me to fields such as management and business processes. In my personal experience, nothing really prepares you to be a consultant and you learn your job in the field. I think that the soft skills required are essentially listening, understanding, energy, resourcefulness and curiosity.
What would you say to an applicant about
- Your profession?
It’s a great job because you learn a huge amount about different aspects of our customers’ business and about yourself, considering the quantity, frequency and diversity of the contacts. It’s a fully-rounded profession which means I wear different hats, depending on the project phase.
- NSI?
NSI is a growing company working on really interesting projects. It’s a company that trusts us and offers us many benefits.
- Your team in particular?
It’s a young team who get on really well. We can always count on a team-mate to help us with a project; we try to share a lot, and there’s a collaborative, agile mindset.
