Meet Erik Westveer, representative at Wrist-Klevenberg!
“How can I keep everyone happy at the same time?”, According to Erik, that is the main question as a representative.
Erik speaks from experience: ‘It has been over 10 years since I made my entrance at Wrist-Klevenberg. With my background as a driver it felt like a challenge to work directly in the field as a representative.’
“You sometimes have to be creative to achieve a balance.”
‘As a representative, I see it as my job to satisfy everyone,” says Erik. My focus is on the customer, but I also have to look after the other interests of Wrist-Klevenberg. Sometimes you have to be creative to achieve balance.’
‘For example, last week there was a ship in Rotterdam whose hydraulic hose broke down. It was a special type of hose that could not be made immediately. I knew that the sister ship was in Amsterdam for repair and they could miss the hose for a while, so the problem could be solved the same evening.’
‘As a representative you are improvising all day. You make a plan in the morning and it changes throughout the day, and that’s fine, but you have to like that. We are with a team of 14 representatives (in the Netherlands and Belgium), and we are all trained to look for the most efficient way to find a solution as quickly as possible.’
Our work has no fixed working hours
‘You’ll have to learn this profession in the field, and to do this work you really need a hands-on mentality. We rarely work from 9 to 5, we are available for the customer at all times, in the evenings, at night and during the weekend.’
“The challenge sometimes seems to get bigger after 10 years.”
The answer to the question “is the work not boring after 10 years?” is clear;
‘My work is never boring, our work area runs from Den Helder to Zeebrugge and everything in between,” says Erik. “I see every day as a new challenge, and that challenge only seems to get bigger. Ships stay in for less and less time and the customer knows exactly what our competitors offer via the internet.’
From outside the office to inside the office
Erik has been in charge of the representative team for two months and is responsible for the planning. ‘It’s a big switch, but I’m in the right place and I see it as my greatest duty to enable the entire field staff to be able to act efficiently under the best conditions.’
Why Wrist-Klevenberg
‘Why I work for Wrist-Klevenberg is certainly not without a reason. As far as I’m concerned, there is no other company in Europe that can match us. We do what we say, day and night.’
‘We use short lines for a relatively large organization, which makes us special. For example, the representative himself sends the bill and the credit note. Everyone knows who they can go to for specific matters at all times.’
‘The staff at Wrist-Klevenberg have often been working there for years, especially when we talk about purchasing and representation. Exchanging experience gives strength, and this makes us able to anticipate unexpected things.’
Wrist-Klevenberg in the future
‘In the future I hope to be able to develop myself further in the position I am currently in, says Erik. I have faith in the developments that will come in regard to the merge with Wrist. The guys from Wrist have been running since January, we learn from each other and solve problems together as a team, and I’m proud of that!’
