Client in focus

AWVN is one of the largest employers associations in the Netherlands and assists its approximately 600 members with legal and labour issues. The organization uses TOPdesk for the external support of customers as well as the support of its employees. Employers in the Netherlands that are members of the AWVN can direct their questions via telephone to the employers help line. Employees of AWVN register both the questions received and the advice they have given in TOPdesk.
TEXT: HENRIEKE KORTEN

Alongside his position as chairperson of the network Young HR professionals, Erik Tierolf is jointly responsible for the setup and use of TOPdesk. He explains the reasons for purchasing TOPdesk: In 2003, we didnt have an application in which to register the complaints, questions and comments of our customers that we received via our employers help line; everything took place via email. We had to be able to legally guarantee our processes; we therefore wanted to begin recording the types of questions we were receiving as well as the responses we were providing. The implementation was well prepared, which was necessary, as AWVN was one of the first TOPdesk clients to use the product for legal support. We are really pleased with it. I even gave a presentation about TOPdesk to another company because they were also looking to set up a similar employers help line. Given that AWVN uses TOPdesk

for both external and internal support, the calls logged are very diverse. Within the organization we receive a lot of IT-related calls. However, from our external customers we receive calls like: My employees are taking really long breaks, what can I do about it? or How do I fire an employee?. At the moment, TOPdesk is part of the face of AWVN that its members see. Erik Tierolf: TOPdesk also functions as a marketing tool for us. The calls we register reveal the issues that our employers are dealing with. Based on reports, I ask the editors of our magazine to write an article on a topic that we receive many calls about. This is one way in which we can provide a better service for our customers. AWVN requested its clients to fill in a survey about its service, of which the most important question was: What do you consider the best thing about our service that you receive in return for your contribution? We often hear: the employers line in response.

You can see the significant role that TOPdesk plays in the service we provide. We are also working towards making TOPdesk as accessible as possible for our members. According to Erik Tierolf, TOPdesk not only assists the AWVNs external clients, but also its employees. Callers are always aware of the procedures. They know how long they need to wait for an incident to be processed, as well as what to expect because they automatically receive emails when the incident has been logged and processed. The operators also like working with TOPdesk; they are notified when an incident has been open for too long and can quickly look for standard solutions. In addition to the technical side of things, Erik Tierolf is charmed by the social side of both the application and organization. TOPdesk is very approachable and I really like the way the organization communicates.

CLIENT IN FOCUS 5