We’ve been building our business for many years, but who are the people who make it. What drives them and what makes their hearts beat faster? Meet Centix.
Let's introduce... Giovanna Verspagen
At our Urmond office, Giovanna Verspagen (27) has enjoyed working in support for about a year and a half. What she enjoys most about her job is the contact with customers. “I always start my day with a cup of coffee. Then I see which customers need my help first. Sometimes I watch with them with Teamviewer and help them, so they learn to use Centix even better.”
She studied mechanical engineering and did her internship at Stork. There she met René Dautzenberg (also a Centix employee), who eventually asked her to join Centix. Giovanna’s ambition is to advance to consultant, but for now she finds everything she is looking for in her current role. “Coming from mechanical engineering, I worked a lot on projects and learned how people work in such a company. At Centix, I help people who are behind the machinery or on a site. That does help to think: how could things be done better.” That she would end up at a company like Centix was not something she had thought of herself. “I had always envisioned becoming a project supervisor or drafter. Those are pretty much obvious positions if you study mechanical engineering. In the end, I was always looking for something with collaboration, where I could work together with different people. I find that here at Centix.”
What do you like about working at Centix?
“What I like about my work at Centix is that as a team we are really goal-oriented, but are ‘understandably accommodating’ in that. Simply put: it’s fun and goal-oriented at the same time. If something doesn’t work out – whether with me or a colleague – we are there for each other. For example, if a report is too difficult, we jump in immediately to support each other. I was basically hired to grow as a consultant. Once I have gained sufficient experience and knowledge in the support department, I think that would be a lot of fun. I do think I need to grow more into my current position first, so that I can really make a valuable contribution. I am ambitious, but also family-oriented. Sometime in the near future, my boyfriend and I will get married and who knows, there will be children. With Centix, I know it will be easy to combine. This is one of the reasons why Centix is the perfect employer for me. If I wanted to travel for six months, that would also be possible. You don’t find that easily at another company.”
How do you like working in/living around Urmond?
“The advantage of living around Urmond, here you get more house for your money,” Giovanna says with a broad smile. She won’t be leaving the south of the country anytime soon, either. This is where her family and friends live and she is happy here. She finds working at the Urmond office very relaxing. “Most of the team may be in Montfoort, Utrecht, but we have daily contact. The lines of communication are short. I like being in the Urmond office because it’s nice and relaxed. There are usually three of us. We meet every afternoon during the support meeting. Then we discuss so-called requests for change (RFCs). Once a month I come to Montfoort. I also benefit a lot from that. I learn a lot from hearing from customers how they work with Centix. I can use that practical experience to serve them even better.”
Do you have a funny work anecdote...?
At Centix customer Stork, it was consultant René Dautzenberg who supervised Giovanna’s internship. “He left that company shortly thereafter to work at Centix. When I had already graduated for some time, he called me: ‘Are you still looking for work?’ It wasn’t until I was working at Centix that I discovered that Stork is also a Centix customer. At Stork they are working on a tablet in the workshop. Back then I always thought, ‘What a handy app, easy to use. You just click a few ticks – whether something is right or wrong – and you’re done. Handy! It wasn’t until I worked at Centix and had the app open the first time that I recognized the colors,” she says with a laugh. “I now often get customers on the line who work with Centix’s app. I know better than anyone – from the shop floor – how important it is that it all works well, so they can just keep working on site. If something were not right, it would immediately stagnate the work process. I like the fact that I can help them move forward. Customers are usually very happy with my help as well.”
"I know how important it is that it all works well, so they can just keep working on site!"
What do you do in your free time and what is on your bucket list?
Giovanna has many different hobbies. In the evening, she likes to play board games, such as Lords of Waterdeep. She doesn’t really get around to playing sports at the moment, but she walks a lot. “From the office in Urmond we regularly take brisk walks with colleagues. Then we are also in beautiful green surroundings. That’s very nice to take the mind off things.” She has also always enjoyed ballroom dancing, but when she started studying, it gave way to other hobbies. For example, I also played drums, learned to play piano, recorder, did classical singing, as well as swimming, diving and snorkeling. I also rode horse, and am currently working on learning the South Korean language. South Korea is on my bucket list to travel to. I have been to China, but South Korea was always at the top of my list. That’s what I’ve been interested in since high school. That culture, that language, it appeals to me. I also like to watch Asian series. Usually they are those romantic comedies with a positive spin. Very fun to watch!”