Wout Hut is the Chief Operations Officer at Budget Thuis. This Dutch company focuses on providing services such as energy, internet, TV, and mobile telephony, aiming to offer cost-saving solutions for their customers. How did Wout experience working with Cynthia during the nine months she was employed as the interim telecom operations manager?
Wout: Budget Thuis is a rapidly growing organization. We often still approach things with a start-up/scale-up mentality, but now we have over 1.2 million customers and more than 1 billion in revenue. Obviously, we need to start revising our approach. Therefore, the need for an interim manager due to maternity leave felt like an opportunity to have someone with a fresh outside perspective look at our operational organization.
The Jackpot
Cynthia and I met during a CCMA study trip. Interesting conversations about her work experience emerged, and for that reason, I approached her for this assignment. Budget Thuis is a young and driven organization, but also very operational. We, or rather, we did not have much experience with how things are done in other companies. Therefore, having Cynthia available for this task felt like hitting the jackpot for me. By adding someone with a lot of experience and an external perspective to our team, we gained valuable insights.
About Budget Thuis
Budget Thuis is the best and cheapest provider in the Netherlands for energy, internet, TV, and calling. They make it simple, affordable, and green.
Cynthia’s Role
In our organization, customer service is divided between energy and telecom. Cynthia started as the telecom operations manager. She was responsible for the customer contact center and further management of the product. This includes the technicians’ organization, digital aspects like the app, and collaboration with KPN. She also looked at the operational flow of the product within the organization, such as billing and collection processes. Her role was thus much broader than just customer service.
Effortless Integration
Cynthia easily makes contact and moves effortlessly between different target groups. From the people who are just starting in our contact center to the management team; she seamlessly connects with all levels and quickly establishes relationships. This is important because the same story needs to be told at all levels, tailored to who you are talking to at that moment.
Translating to Our Company
I can still recall a quarterly meeting where managers inform employees about what we are working on. CCynthia brought everyone along with what is happening in the market and seamlessly translated it to our company. For example, how we can look at our contact ratios from an outside-in perspective or to what extent we overemphasize human-centric approaches.
Connecting Practice and Data
Another thing we are very pleased with is that she connects practical matters with underlying data. Only then do you know if something is a big or small problem. This led to some valuable insights, such as our approval process for goodwill or compensation. Data showed that sometimes we incurred 2-3 times more costs through the established process than the actual goodwill itself. DeThe intention was good, but the execution? It was less efficient.
Balancing People, Processes, and Pennies.
Eliminating such ‘inefficiencies’ requires adjustments in the process and translating it across all levels. It impacts financial aspects and the culture of customer-centricity. Cynthia knows how to make this translation, which aligns perfectly with how she positions The Caring Company with the 3 Ps: people, processes, and pennies, and how to balance them.
Friction
In these nine months, things have changed in our way of working. Cynthia places responsibility where it belongs, such as with team leaders and support staff. This requires managers to dare to let go of control. Initially, this caused some friction because more was demanded from the team. But this fits perfectly with the phase we are in as Budget Thuis, where we want people on board who can keep up with this new level.
A Rain of Compliments
The last thing – and then I’ll stop, otherwise people might think I’m being paid for this conversation – is that she helped improve our presentation skills. At Budget Thuis, we are very hands-on. But from a management team perspective, it’s also important: how do you effectively convey a story to your people? One effective method is visualizing information in PowerPoint presentations. Along with all other progress, we have made beautiful strides in this area together!
About Wout Hut
Wout Hut is the Chief Operations Officer at Budget Thuis. In everything he does, he aims to make a significant contribution to improving the performance of people, departments, and organizations (faster). He does this by maximizing the use of available data, translating data into concrete insights, and turning concrete insights into effective daily use.
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.
