Ready for this month’s Employee in the Spotlight? Last month we introduced you to one of our content marketers, Mi-choe Emanuelson. This month, however, we’re switching gears and want to focus on a rather new member of the team, our Customer Success Manager Saskia Clappers. Normally we would be sitting down face-to-face with a cup of coffee for this interview, but seeing as how that wasn’t possible due to the circumstances, we had to get creative and set up a virtual interview with Google Hangouts… Don’t worry though, there was still coffee involved!
Meet Saskia. Despite being a German native, Saskia loves the Dutch way of living. Not surprising, seeing as how she’s been living in Holland as a semi-expat (her father is Dutch!) for four years. At Mopinion, Saskia is our Customer Success Manager. She makes sure our customers enjoy all the benefits Mopinion software has to offer. When she’s off the clock, Saskia is exploring the neighbourhood on her bike and just ‘living in the moment’.
So here’s what we learned about our colleague, Saskia…Check it out!
What does your position at Mopinion entail?
“As a Customer Success Manager, I am responsible for making sure all of our customers are satisfied with Mopinion and are able to get the most out of our software. I keep close contact with customers, make sure I am up-to-date with what they need and I also advise them on how Mopinion can support them best.”
Saskia has also taken on the big challenge of creating a more concrete set of procedures for a better customer experience, i.e. onboarding steps or important moments of contact. She is our go-to girl for contractual questions and renewals.
What initially drew you to Mopinion?
“Probably the ‘young and free’ vibe. You are given a lot of freedom within the company, especially because it is a smaller company, where the lines are short and the dynamic is strong. I also like that the vision I have when it comes to customer contact and building good client relationships is shared by the founders.”
Saskia has also a unique opportunity in her position to give structure to the Customer Success program as Mopinion further professionalises its operations.
“Another advantage is the location. The Mopinion headquarters is located close to where I live, which allows me to bike to the office.”
What does a typical work day look like for you?
“Hmm the answer depends. Do you mean now or back when we were still able to go into the office?”
“I’m the volunteer nomad at the office so every day I sit at another table, or wherever there is a free spot. I like that since it gives me the opportunity to sit next to someone different everyday and get to know them and their work a little bit better. Once I’ve started up my computer, I go and grab a cup of coffee. Then I’m all set to check my inbox and decide what needs to be done first or can be solved right away. After making sure all requests have been answered, I’ll start working on some projects for our customers – like improving the onboarding process.”
“On some days, I either hop on my bike and go to the train station to pay a visit to our customers in the Netherlands. This usually entails a training or just a face-to-face catch up. If that’s not possible, I’ll usually jump on a few calls to give online advice and or just hear what our customers have to say.”
“In the current situation, a lot of my work consists of contact by email and some video conferences. This obviously isn’t ideal since the most valuable part is meeting with clients and getting to know their thoughts and ideas about Mopinion. However, during these sparring sessions, I receive a lot of useful information. For example, about features that aren’t being used effectively and then it’s my job to take action and think of how we can make this more clear for our customers.”
Saskia is a real go-getter at heart, but in these times, when everybody’s working from home that’s more challenging.
What is your favorite part about working at Mopinion?
“At Mopinion you’re fully trusted and given the freedom to create your own job description and work in a way that works for you. My vision and initiative is appreciated and that feels good.”
What are the biggest challenges you face in your job?
“Being a “one man army” in my department can be challenging at times so sometimes I don’t know where to start, since I would love to do everything at once.”
What is your proudest moment at Mopinion?
“Probably when I realised that investing time towards getting in touch with our customers, listening to them and their ideas, as well as explaining our platform and features really boosts their usage of the software and let’s them see the value even more. In the first half year I had quite a few of these moments and that makes me happy.”
And now for some fun questions…
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I love being outside, exercising, going to the cinema and museums. I also love culture and traveling with friends.”
What is your guilty pleasure?
“Chocolate and Beer.”
Who inspires you?
“Nobody in particular. I suppose I get inspired by people who are passionate about their work or a hobby.“
What is one thing you can’t live without?
“Definitely my friends and family. But to make it more interesting, also my bike and the ocean. That’s also the reason why I moved to the Netherlands – I originally come from Stuttgart in Germany, a big ‘automotive’ city, far away from the ocean. I missed being able to bike whenever I wanted to and go to the beach and enjoy the salty air. So I decided to move and start a life here in the Netherlands, where I can have both!”
What is your favorite quote?
“Always look on the bright side of life”
What is your biggest fear?
“Cows. When I’m hiking in the mountains and I run into cattle, it somehow makes me nervous. I don’t like to pass a group of cows,” she laughs (nervously).
Apparently this fear excludes baby cows (caged)…
Where do you see yourself in five years?
“I live in the moment and I’m definitely not a planner. At the moment I’m satisfied with my life and I’m also optimistic, so everything will probably turn out for the better. In the end you just have to go with the flow. However I do know that I want to stay in the Netherlands. I’m loving the work I do and will hopefully stay happy and healthy.”
What is something that not many people know about you?
“I love going to a museum on my own and just strolling around the works of art. Sometimes I just stand in front of a picture for some time and contemplate (history and my life haha). I studied Art history and Philosophy, so I enjoy Art a lot still, despite having decided to go down another path professionally. “
“If you’re referring to the more embarrassing stuff… I do have some stories… Ever since I moved to the Netherlands, I’ve ended up in the hospital at least once a year. I’m a little overconfident when it comes to biking so one time I had a colleague jump on the back of my bike, thinking I could take him home. But riding a bike in the city with trams and small bicycle paths needs some focus, so I hit the curb… with my face…and it took me about a year to have my front teeth fixed. Lesson learned.”
We’ll have to keep an eye on her…
Stay tuned for more!
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Employee Spotlight series! Stay tuned for our June spotlight where we’ll introduce you to our Python Developer…
