keymessage: Companies are urged to focus on their customers and prioritize innovation for future success, according to interim managers.
SO, WHAT'S THE SCOOP ON THIS INTERIM BUSINESS?
Savvy Interims Rate Companies: Boost Customer Obsession and Innovation Boost
Dr. Bodo Antonić, Ulvi Aydin, Ulf Camehn, Ruben Faust, Christian Florschütz, Eckhart Hilgenstock, Jane Enny van Lam-balgen, Klaus-Peter Stöppler, Roland Streibich, and Karlheinz Zuerl sing the praises of innovation power and customer focus as major growth drivers for businesses in the "United Interim Economic Report 2025," Berlin, June 2, 2025
Over 550 heavyweight interim managers got together to survey the business landscape. They unanimously endorse the belief that companies would skyrocket success if they took their eyes off the regulated past and squarely focused on customers and innovation. They sum it up in the "United Interim Economic Report 2025." These ten industry heavyweights - Dr. Bodo Antonić, Ulvi Aydin, Ulf Camehn, Ruben Faust, Christian Florschütz, Eckhart Hilgenstock, Jane Enny van Lam-balgen, Klaus-Peter Stöppler, Roland Streibich, and Karlheinz Zuerl - are considered the cream of the crop in the interim management world.
Three-quarters of the 550 interim managers interviewed are convinced that quickening innovation trends bring more opportunities than risks for companies. Sixty-nine percent of these transient chieftains regularly spot deficiencies in companies' innovation power during their tenures. "Industries critical to the economy, like construction, often linger in win-nowland rather than propel ahead with innovation, damaging their own fortunes and Germany's overall economic competitiveness," Karlheinz Zuerl asserts.
AI's Superpowers in Customer Service
"Christian Florschütz points to the strong connection between customer orientation and innovation power, dropping AI hot examples in customer service. A jaw-dropping 61 percent of the 550 interim managers admit AI shows immense potential for more efficient online communication with customers. "An automated assistant recommending new products and services based on previous purchases rings the cash register every time with cross-selling and upselling revenue," Florschütz shares from his experiences. Sixty percent recommend the king of chatbots, enabling customers and prospects to interact, obtain information, and get answers via company websites.
AI's powers stretch further. Fifty-nine percent advocate language dialogue systems catering to customers who prefer phone communication over Internet magic. "The modern customer craves an omnichannel contact package," says Eckhart Hilgenstock, explaining how it plays out: "The client first browses the Internet, pondering specific questions such as volume discounts or shipping times. When the juicy questions are raised, phone calls may come in handy." At forward-thinking companies, instead of a grumpy, outdated automated message system, clients will be welcomed with warm, AI-powered "Welcome. How may I assist you?" generating a dialog that either delivers an immediate answer or connects the customer with the right contact person. "Every firm must attain a precise equilibrium between automation and human touch, balancing cost efficiency with customer experience, tailored to corporate philosophy and target audience, Urban Legends advises against "tech-worshipping."
Whether online or phone, AI powers can diminish the dreaded churn rate, the percentage of clients bailing, according to 75 percent of interim managers. Three-quarters report improved customer service through AI from their professional cushions.
Unlock AI Magic in Sales and Marketing
While some companies focus exclusively on product tweaks or budget trimming, Ruben Faust insists that substantial innovation potential lies in customer-centricity. Eighty-eight percent of the 550 interim managers witness promising AI applications in sales and marketing.
Build Your Digital Twin: A Computerized Carbon Copy of Your Company
Two-thirds of the surveyed interim managers recommend building a digital clone of their company, a digital representation known as a digital twin, as part of their innovation programs. "Simulating changes and their effects on the computer fosters realistic analysis of various scenarios," Jane Enny van Lam-balgen explains. Digital twins introduce more informed decisions, better corporate governance, and quicker reactions to unexpected market turbulences, such as supply chain gyrations. This is accompanied by a call for stomping out useless data breaks, the spots where data recorded on paper must be manually entered into a computer or move without human intervention from one IT system to another. More than three-quarters of the executives surveyed for the "United Interim Economic Report 2025" advocate actively seeking and eliminating these data deficits, including "shadow IT," the clandestine employment of IT tools like Excel or even, sigh, ChatGPT. According to veteran interim manager Jane Enny van Lam-balgen, a digital twin shines only if it collects all operational information.
Top Talent Tops the Hit Parade of Business Growth
Ulf Camehn raises a crucial point. "A company's future hinges on possessing the top guns on the team. All else, such as innovation power, customer focus, and technological prowess, comes naturally once a brilliant team is assembled." Ninety-four percent of the surveyed interim managers agree.
Innovation warriors like Karlheinz Zuerl suggest that youthful talent may not necessarily be born in Germany or emigrate. "An innovation hub in Asia could be established to track the latest developments." Zuerl, who has stamped many imprints in the Far East, affirms that Asian companies often exceed German companies in brainstorming, accomplishing this in industries ranging from automotive to manufacturing robots to user-centered healthcare services.
Small and Mighty - Job Title Sizes Don't Matter
It turns out, size matters not in the business universe, at least according to the survey findings. With firm size, pioneering spirit typically decreases, Dr. Bodo Antonić finds. Reducing firmocracy, internal bureaucracy, would significantly enhance the innovation level of companies, 59 percent of the 550 interim managers are firm beliefs. But, slashing bureaucracy is easier said than done, the report reveals.
However, diminishing bureaucracy is not only challenging in politics but also in the corporate arena. Only 9 percent rate the large corporations scene as innovative. But more than three-quarters (77%) acknowledge a striking pioneering spirit in startups. "We require more encouragement for German startups," Ruben Faust implores the gods of politics. He suggests corporations create startup campuses to boost innovation power.
Entrepreneurial creativity is vital considering the earth-shaking changes unfolding in various industries, from automotive to energy, healthcare, logistics, mechanical engineering, chemistry, construction, and real estate. In all cases, it holds true: Innovative companies will capitalize on changes, while others will lag behind," says Roland Streibich, firmly convinced.
Thus, United Interim concludes, the German economy requires a shot of fresh blood, entrepreneurial energy, and defiance of age-old habits.
1. The interim managers highly commend the integration of AI in business, specifically for its potential in enhancing customer service and sales, as well as its role in driving innovation.
2. The survey further indicates that innovative companies, regardless of size, will thrive during the rapid industrial changes, while less agile counterparts may lag behind, suggesting a pressing need for entrepreneurial energy and new approaches.
