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 been working in the support team 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 check which customers need my help first. Sometimes I connect with them via TeamViewer and guide them through the system, helping them learn how to use Centix even better.”
Giovanna studied Mechanical Engineering and completed her internship at Stork. There she met René Dautzenberg (now also a colleague at Centix), who eventually invited her to join the company. Giovanna’s ambition is to progress to the role of consultant, but for now she finds everything she is looking for in her current position. “Coming from Mechanical Engineering, I worked a lot on projects and learned how people operate within such organisations. At Centix, I support people who work with machinery or on-site. That really helps when thinking about how things could be done better.” Ending up at a company like Centix was not something she had initially expected. “I had always imagined becoming a project supervisor or draughtsperson. Those are the most obvious roles if you study Mechanical Engineering. In the end, I realised I was looking for something with more collaboration, where I could work with different people. I’ve found that here at Centix.”
What do you like about working at Centix?
“What I like about working at Centix is that, as a team, we are very goal-oriented while still being understanding and supportive. Simply put: it’s both enjoyable and focused at the same time. If something doesn’t work out – whether for me or for a colleague – we support each other. For example, if a report is particularly difficult, we immediately step in to help one another.”
“I was originally hired with the idea that I could grow into a consultant role. Once I’ve gained enough experience and knowledge in the support department, I think that would be a great next step. For now, I want to grow further in my current role so that I can really make a valuable contribution. I’m ambitious, but also very family-oriented. In the near future, my boyfriend and I are planning to get married, and who knows – perhaps we’ll have children as well. With Centix, I know it will be easy to combine these things. That’s 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 kind of flexibility easily at other companies.”
How do you like working and living around Urmond?
“The advantage of living around Urmond is that you get more house for your money,” Giovanna says with a broad smile. She doesn’t see herself leaving the south of the country anytime soon. This is where her family and friends live, and she feels very much at home here. She also finds working at the Urmond office very pleasant. “Most of the team is based in Montfoort, near Utrecht, but we have daily contact and the lines of communication are short. I enjoy working at the Urmond office because it’s nice and relaxed. There are usually three of us here. Every afternoon we have a support meeting where we discuss so-called requests for change (RFCs). Once a month I visit the office in Montfoort. I benefit a lot from those visits as well. I learn a lot from hearing how customers use Centix in practice, and I can use that experience to support them even better.”
Do you have a funny work anecdote…?
“At Centix customer Stork, it was consultant René Dautzenberg who supervised my internship,” Giovanna explains. “He left that company shortly afterwards to join Centix. Some time after I had graduated, he called me and asked, ‘Are you still looking for a job?’ It wasn’t until I started working at Centix that I realised Stork is also a Centix customer.”
“At Stork, they use a tablet in the workshop. At the time, I always thought, ‘What a handy app – so easy to use. You just click a few boxes to indicate whether something is right or wrong, and you’re done.’ It wasn’t until I opened the app for the first time at Centix that I recognised the colours,” she says with a laugh. “I now often speak with customers who use the Centix app. Because of my experience on the shop floor, I understand better than anyone how important it is that everything works properly so they can continue working on site. If something isn’t right, the entire work process can come to a standstill. 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 evenings, she enjoys playing board games such as Lords of Waterdeep. She doesn’t currently play much sport, but she does walk a lot. “From the office in Urmond, we often go for brisk walks with colleagues. The surroundings are beautifully green, which makes it a great way to clear your mind.”
She has also always enjoyed ballroom dancing, although she stopped when she started studying and other hobbies took over. “I’ve also played the drums and learned to play the piano and recorder. I used to sing classical music as well. Besides that, I enjoy activities such as swimming, diving and snorkelling. I also used to ride horses. “At the moment, I’m learning the South Korean language, because travelling to South Korea is on my bucket list. I’ve been to China before, but South Korea has always been at the top of my list. I’ve been interested in it since secondary school. The culture and the language really appeal to me. I also enjoy watching Asian series – usually romantic comedies with a positive twist. They’re very fun to watch!”
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