Keeping the Minerva promise: Anita Koelewijn shares her thoughts

This is the first article in a series about how members of the Minerva team think about the core values and contribute to Minerva's customer promise: "ensuring carefree traceability". 

Anita Koelewijn is the first to share her thoughts. 

Ms. Fix it all

What can you tell about your role as sales support in the Minerva team?

I work for Minerva for more than 4 years. I have contact with new and existing customers and I make proposals for their requirements about Fluke or Minerva products and service quotes, for calibrations for the most part. 

What do you like the most about your job?

The variety in my job is what I like the most, there never is never a dull moment. Also I like the fact that I can be “Ms. Fix it all”, to take care of a seamless process to fulfil the customer’s demands. Think for instance about the planning, aligning with the suppliers and the colleagues in the lab. Ideally I make sure that colleagues of the Minerva Client Service Desk (CSD) can placer the order directly to other colleagues. That is crucial, because a short turnaroundtimeis very important for our customers. What matters in particular is making clear agreements and fulfilling them.

I think it's important to unburden customers. Much of the work I do is in the details. I have to clarify everything the customer wants and make sure that there are as few questions as possible for later alignment. Think of contact information and invoicing data, price agreements, payment conditions, agreements on transport and planning. CSD should no longer have any questions to me as a sales employee.

Bringing Minerva's values to life

The core values of Minerva are integrity, innovative, skilled, involved and service oriented. Can you give an example of each core value to bring them to life for customers?

We are integer. At Minerva we are always honest, even if something does not work or if we make a mistake.

At Minerva we are innovative because we are working on our own products, with suitcases that are increasingly being sold. That is becoming increasingly important. Our Technical director Carel is working on the HPC (new name for PDPC). The lab is also an example, but also by new employees with new knowledge. Is also necessary, we need knowledge to keep up.

I feel that Minerva is very skilled and has a lot of knowledge. If I am talking about Stella and me, we are accurate with eye detail for what the customer needs. I think that this, combined with the knowledge and skills of technical colleagues is very powerful. But also Adrienne has a great command of languages.

Minerva is strongly involved in the ins and outs of the customers and we do our utmost to get things done.

Talking about service oriented I think that everyone in the Minerva team has the will to get things right for customers. Talking about myself I have the focus on preparing an order from a customer. But also my colleague Chiel from logistics is photographing the incoming instruments and Rinus of repair is doing the entrance check. And the people in the lab carefully calibrate our customer’s instruments. With all this everyone keeps a close eye on the turnaround time.

Meaning of ensuring carefree calibration for your customers

What does Minerva's brand promise "ensuring carefree calibration" mean for your customers?

Being a customer I expect clarity, openness and involvement. I want Minerva to give a sincere answer to my questions and I want to feel that Minerva does her best for me. If I feel that I am being taken care of, that gives confidence. This sometimes also means that I am contacted at the right time. For example, if a promised completion time is not met if it appears at the entrance check that there is a leak of the device. I want to be called in time or e-mailed. I do not want to ask myself about the status.

What is your personal contribution to Minerva's promise "ensuring carefee calibration"?

Do what you say and say what you do.

How do you know whether you live up to that promise?

It may sound crazy, but if I do not hear anything from customers or colleagues, it means that I have done my job well!