When he was a child, he wanted to become a pastry chef. At 21 years old, he had his own business providing IT services to small companies. And in his free time, he is a music producer! We proudly introduce Jordy Zijp, team lead at the CreditManager Customer Service department.
At the end of 2023, the number of unsolved tickets at the Onguard Service Center dropped by an impressive 65%. This success results from great collaboration among all 6 team members in the department. How can someone successfully lead a Customer Service team while studying full-time and, in the meantime, pursuing his passion for music? “By prioritising,” says Jordy.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Starting a career path
Showing interest in computers from an early age, Jordy was advised to pursue a career in this field. By the age of 21, he had his own small business called “Hulp bij computers.nl”, helping individuals and small companies with anything relating to building websites, resolving security issues, etc.
His need to gain wider experience led him to Onguard. Through a staffing agency, Jordy joined the company as a support employee in 2018. After only 1,5 years, he climbed to Team Lead of the CreditManager Customer Service department and, in parallel, continued his studies to obtain his Bachelor’s degree in Business, IT and management, where he successfully graduated in June 2024.
Working at Onguard: How does your day look like?
Jordy’s car enters the parking space of the Onguard office in Amsterdam at around 8:00 AM. The day starts with a nice cup of coffee and a quick chit-chat with the team. “As a team, we usually conduct a morning check on all unresolved incidents to prioritise and act as needed,” he explains.
“The office is also a place to combine our social connections and collaborate. I enjoy participating in a game of table football and taking a short walk during the lunch break.”
Working in Customer Service: Human interaction first
There is barely a one-size-fits-all solution when trying to resolve issues for a customer. So, what makes good customer service? “Personal interaction, whether this is through a phone call or an (online) meeting. In my experience, this improves the relationship with the customer and helps understand their needs and expectations better, as there is much more interaction compared to sending emails.”
“A second approach is to collect data through Zendesk, our support software. By collecting our customer satisfaction score, we can learn from our mistakes and if a bad satisfaction score has been given, we make sure to follow up accordingly.”
Working at Onguard Service Centre: A success story
“In 2023, we embarked on our biggest challenge ever, known as the ‘4 Hour Rock’. We collected data through our Help Center to gain insights into the number of tickets per category. This gave us a concrete overview of the topics causing the most tickets. From there, we defined a mission to improve our software and a vision to reduce the total time spent on a ticket to a maximum of 4 hours.
Our strategy was based on the collected data, and we set up meetings and brainstorming sessions with other departments. During these sessions, we shared our findings to prioritise actions for DevOps to build fixes and tools, making both Customer Service and Professional Services less dependent on each other.
The results of these actions were significant. Through collaboration, we managed to reduce the number of tickets, improve the software, and enhance interdepartmental collaboration. By the end of the year, the number of unsolved tickets dropped by 65%.”
What’s your best memory of working at Onguard?
“Breaking new records, such as achieving the lowest number of tickets, and celebrating these milestones with the teams is immensely rewarding. This accomplishment not only brought significant change to our team but also enhanced collaboration with other teams, such as the development team and professional services. For me, this was a great milestone.”
| Read also: Working at Onguard: Meet Maarten |
What keeps you motivated?
Life is not only work. When he is not working or studying, Jordy likes spending time with his girlfriend and their dog, Woody. He enjoys walks, meeting friends and family and drinking something on terraces. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to devote to his favourite hobby: Composing and producing music.
“Last summer, I had the opportunity to work at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, where I collaborated with famous artists, including Nico and Vinz. I contributed to their project, which is likely to be released in the summer of 2024. In addition to producing music, I had my first live show, performing my own productions for an audience of over 600 people. Now that I graduated, I would love to spend more time on music.”
Do you want to learn more about working at Onguard? Check out our careers page or connect with us directly.
