My Name is Melanie Wiedemann and I am responsible for Customer Service (Standard) based in Ulm.

Can you summarize the particularities and the role of your department in just a few words?

Including myself, 17 people usually work in our department. We are responsible for the South, West, North-East and Industrial sales offices. Each advisor is assigned to a sales office and a consultant and supports their customers. We are located in a modern building in an open-plan office, with four people at each desk group. I am really happy and proud to be able to say that there is a really good working atmosphere in our department. This is confirmed to us time and again when, for example, a trainee switches departments, or when a former colleague comes back to visit us, and tells us that our department was a really special place to work in. Our department benefits from a wide age range, from 22 to 52 years old. Many colleagues have worked in our department for well over 10 years, so between us, there is a true wealth of experience. If ever there is a problem, you can always find someone to help and support you, or to give some advice.

What do you like at most in your job?

In Customer Service, we are responsible for handling customer orders, order processing and following them right through to dispatch and invoicing. As our product range is very diverse, with profiles, accessories, fittings, fire-protection glass, F90 elements, sheets, FLUTZ profiles or window sills, this marks our daily work. That’s also what I like best about my job. The variety, the challenge, working independently, the contact with customers and suppliers. The lovely, satisfying feeling when you have been able to help a customer out of an emergency situation. Put simply: the personal contact, even if it is mostly over the phone.

What is your educational background? Why did you choose this vocational relevance?

I have now been at WICONA for 25 years. I applied at random, perhaps a bit cheekily, by fax when I was young. And you would hardly believe it today, but back then I was invited for the job interview and was taken on. At this point, many thanks once again to Otto Fischer. Initially, I was responsible for customer service for the North-East sales office. That’s why I have also known my interview partner, Ulrich Cundius, right from the beginning. Because of my long service, you could almost say that I am now known all over town! We maintain a close working relationship with our colleagues in the sales offices, the field sales teams, the Service Centre in Gerstungen and various other departments, and it’s a lot of fun. We all pull in the same direction so that we do our job well and keep our customers satisfied.

What is your best memory in WICONA?

For this interview, I was asked what my best experience has been at WICONA. There have been plenty of great moments, but most recently, the BAU 2019 exhibition really impressed me and was very gratifying. During the days you are there, you can really sense an unbelievable team spirit among all colleagues. Regardless of which sales office, or which country colleagues were from, you could just simply sense an enormous feeling of solidarity. I would even go so far as to say that even visitors sensed it. I had the feeling that our customers felt very comfortable at our stand.

WICONA offers an exceptional working environment, whatever your career path and aspirations.