Stone & Bridges and The Caring Company: a partnership driven by passion and a focus on the team
By
Cynthia Mak
Anouk Steenbruggen is the founder of Stone & Bridges, a company that provides peak-load support and outsourcing services for customer service teams. When her client, Gisou, approached her just before Christmas with an urgent request for advice and consulting, she realized there was a gap that her own team couldn’t fill at that moment. Cynthia’s name quickly came up through Anouk’s network. She was available and turned out to be the perfect fit.
And that’s how this story comes about: the story of two partners who, from different roles, help the same client. What makes this collaboration so valuable to Anouk? And what has Anouk’s experience with Cynthia been like?
“When I met Cynthia, I immediately got the feeling: here’s someone with the right knowledge and expertise who can actually get to work on this.”
Anouk Steenbruggen, founder of Stone & Bridges
A question that turned out to be different than expected
Anouk: “A few days before Christmas, my client Gisou reached out to me asking for advice and consulting services. For us, that’s the busiest time of the year. That’s when you have to take a few deep breaths and then switch into action mode.”
As Anouk delved deeper into the situation, she quickly realized that it would take more than just a few consulting sessions. A gap had opened up in management that needed to be filled.
“I started looking for a match within my own network. Cynthia immediately came to mind because of a previous collaboration we’d had. My heart skipped a beat when I found out she was not only available but also the right match for the client.”
Smooth, quick shifting
What followed happened quickly. A text message on Thursday, a phone call on Friday, and by Monday, Cynthia had started working.
From that moment on, Cynthia became the link between Stone & Bridges and Gisou. That immediately changed the pace of the process and the nature of the conversation that ensued.
“I was already putting a lot of time and energy into coaching the team myself, but now we had someone else on board who also understood the business from a customer service perspective. That makes for a really smooth and quick transition. For me personally, it was a huge relief to know that someone could now devote dedicated time to the team.”
Not what was planned, but what was needed
The project began with the idea that the focus would primarily be on strategy. As it progressed, it became clear that the issue was more operational than initially anticipated. Instead of sticking to the original plan, Anouk and Cynthia adapted accordingly.
“The client wanted to expand its own team but lacked the capacity to cover evenings and weekends. Cynthia figured out what was needed, and together we made sure the right people were available at the right times.”
“Brainstorming with Cynthia, separate from the client, became a regular part of our collaboration. While she worked with the client on one hand, we discussed together how best to structure the team. We always approached it from the perspective of: ‘What’s best for the team, the client, and the direction she wants to go in?'”
That’s how a form of collaboration emerged that no one had planned in advance.
“To me, this is a wonderful example of being flexible, identifying what a client truly needs, and working together as partners to determine what’s best for both the client and the team.”
“Whenever another opportunity comes along where I feel, ‘There’s passion here—from the client and from both of us’—I immediately think of Cynthia.”
Anouk Steenbruggen, founder of Stone & Bridges
The Human Element as a Distinguishing Factor
Anouk was asked what stood out most to her about the way Cynthia works, including in comparison to other interim professionals:
“I know Cynthia can dive into Excel and run analyses—that’s what you’d expect from someone in that role. But what I especially appreciated was her eye for the human side of things. When you start a project, a lot of information is missing. You’ll run into certain challenges with the team, while the client, understandably, wants quick results.”
Instead of feeling pressured by the question, “What can we show right now?” Cynthia has the composure to take a step back. She looks at things from the perspective of “What does the team need right now?”—even if that isn’t immediately reflected in a KPI. That composure ultimately made the difference in the results and the progress we were able to make.”
Flexibility as a common thread
“If I had to describe our collaboration, the word ‘flexibility’ comes to mind. Of course, everyone brings their own expertise and their own way of working to the table. But if you can both apply your expertise and remain flexible about HOW you do that together, then you can really create something great for the client. And it also makes the work more enjoyable and better.”
About Anouk Steenbruggen
Anouk Steenbruggen is the owner of Stone & Bridges, a company specializing in outsourcing, consulting, and peak-season support. With over 20 years of experience in customer service, she combines innovation with a fresh perspective, and through Stone & Bridges, she is redefining customer service for e-commerce companies.
This customer story was created through an interview. Judith de Jong conducted the interview and wrote this article. For more information about Judith, visit her website.
