"I'm a pro at resetting"
"Sometimes it rattles," says Sabine Fillmann. "But in the end, we're like a family." Sabine is a Senior After Sales Handling Professional at Galaxus in Krefeld and has been with the company since it began in November 2018. She was already shipping packages when there were only three employees at the logistics center on Hans-Günther-Sohl-Strasse. Today there are more than 100 and the work in the returns department has become much more professional. Sabine tells us about the challenges and how she
Sabine, you are a Senior After Sales Handling Professional. What does that mean?
If customers don't like an item or it's broken, they can return it free of charge. In After Sales, we check these returns and process them. The items then go back into sales or are repaired if necessary. The customer then gets his money back, of course.
Sometimes equipment is used for some time and only then returned. What happens to it?
Everything that has a plug, I put back. Except maybe toasters and hair dryers. But with all cell phones or laptops, I check to see if any data is included and reset the devices to their factory settings. That goes from the hard drive to the phone system to the iPhone. We sell so many iPhones, I can reset that in my sleep at night. But basically, you have to read up on most devices first. Technology is constantly changing. But I'm a pro at resetting them.
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
On the one hand, training employees, but also exposing fraudsters. When I started, there were only three of us and if you shouted "Echo" in the hall, it came back. Today, the hall is full of products and around 100 employees. The new people have to be trained, and that takes time.
What do you mean by fraudsters?
Unfortunately, there are online shoppers who return every order and complain about every item in order to gain advantages. Some even send back fake products. For example, I already had a fake iPhone in the box here. You have to develop a sensitivity for the items and I also have to sensitize my colleagues accordingly.
What kind of person do you have to be to do your job well?
Patience is certainly helpful, some returns are processed in three minutes, others can take considerably more time. Being able to work in a team is important, as we also have to be flexible. If several people in a particular department are sick, we have to be able to step in sometimes. You have to be willing to help out somewhere else and learn new things.
How would you describe your team spirit?
Pretty good. Galaxus makes sure that we have regular team events, such as going bowling or out to eat. Galaxus subsidizes that, which is really good. All in all, we treat each other as equals here. Sure, sometimes there's some friction, because we're all different people. But I always say: We don't have to marry anyone here, but we do have to work together. When things go wrong, you can also rely on people. When people are sick, others step in and work overtime, which they can then reduce again later. We are like a small family.
How do you take care of your personal work-life balance?
Last summer, I rediscovered cycling for myself. I have a Dutch bike, an old "Gazelle," and cycling is a lot of fun. Also my four budgies bring me down after work. Swimming and walking are also a lot of fun for me. And from my EDU points, which Galaxus provides, I bought a book on the seven "pillars of resilience".
Thank you for the interview.
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