Meet Management Consultant Karin
Karin Spruit has been a Management Consultant on the Technology & Platforms team since 2021. “Our team consists mainly of platform experts specialized in Atlassian and ServiceNow, in particular,” Karin explains. “For the implementations we provide, I look at what value we can really deliver; we translate business issues into platform functionalities.”
Before joining Eraneos (previously known as Quint), Karin’s work was mainly focused on process optimization and upgrading systems. “I noticed that I could make a difference in this area, and wanted to use my skills to help different organizations.” During her search, she was very charmed by the combination of activities Eraneos could offer her. “You’re working on an implementation or change, but you’re also busy with the solution in a very pragmatic way. And you deliver a tangible result with your team — that’s what makes it so much fun for me.”
“Today, IT is the cornerstone of every company and we get to work on business problems and solve them with custom applications based on our technical expertise.”
It’s important that customers are involved in projects — and not just during the request and delivery phases. “The team that works on a project is always a combination of people from the customer and from Eraneos,” Karin says. “We try to involve customers early in the process, especially when it comes to a bit of management.” Customers must be able to manage their applications independently. “We offer the support of Eraneos’ DevOps specialists if our customer’s organization does not yet feel confident or have the capacity to manage the platform all by itself.” The team’s own consultants then provide support for upgrades, cloning and any regular maintenance activities.
Implementing ServiceNow
Recently, Karin implemented an HR module for a customer so that its HR department could work with ServiceNow. For this customer, for example, many administrative tasks were eliminated. “In addition, I see that our support desk is now really only approached for issues that are very difficult,” Karin smiles. “Anything that an employee can complete themself, that person does on their own. Through the self-service portal, they can completely specialize in more difficult questions, customization, and things like that.”
Employees now have more time to spend on the tasks they enjoy more. In addition, they’ve gained insight into their own results. “The moment the customer sees what a technical solution can really do for them, you get buy-in, and that was really nice to see,” Karin says.
Different customers, different teams
Karin has no preference for projects within a specific sector. “I like the fact that at Eraneos we end up working for all kinds of organizations,” Karin explains. “There’s a lot to be learned from the differences between large and small organizations.”
Thanks to Eraneos’ agile way of working, you often find yourself working with multidisciplinary teams on a project, which is exactly what Karin likes. “Keeping the team we’re working with enthusiastic and motivated no matter what kind of customer we serve, that’s something I get a lot of pleasure from in my work,” Karin says. “If we keep everyone focused on our goal, even though it might not always be smooth sailing, we always get there.”
Challenging each other
“Challenging each other is at the heart of teamwork for me,” says Karin. “It’s not that I decide what the right solution is, or that the business or technical consultant does — we do it in consultation.” Keeping each other sharp, being critical, and sharing knowledge and experience are essential for collaboration. “It may be that the business consultant nominates a solution from the platform and organization, and that the technical consultant has to show that it’s not the most desirable one,” Karin explains. “It might also happen that the business consultant doesn’t support the organization’s choice, for example, and that I then need to consult with the organization again, or I have to explain to my own team why the organization made certain choices.” It’s always a team effort.
Gaining and sharing knowledge
People at Eraneos are always willing to help you, according to Karin. “Even if they don’t have time, they try to make time for you anyway.” Karin describes her colleagues as solution-focused and critical people whom you can always approach to discuss a particular issue, ask for an expert opinion or just have a nice chat.
If you want to gain knowledge fast and grow quickly, Eraneos is the right place for you. “If you take responsibility, you get it too,” says Karin. “If you want to develop further, there are lots of opportunities, but if you want to focus on one area of expertise in technology, that’s also possible.” There’s a lot of freedom to choose your own development path.
Adventurous challenges
Karin loves sports: “I like everything about sports — playing them myself, but also watching them.” Furthermore, she fills her agenda with social activities with friends, or reads books to gain knowledge. Currently, she’s living in Amsterdam, but this was not always the case. “During the pandemic, I was on a sailing trip for a year,” Karin explains. “I left from Amsterdam with my boyfriend and we sailed around the Atlantic Ocean. We went from Cape Verde to Suriname, on to New York and then back to Amsterdam via the Azores and England.” The self-sufficient aspect is what Karin loves about traveling. “Being aware of things, slow travel and enjoying the moment is wonderful.” At the moment Karin doesn’t have a new challenge on the horizon, but a renovation project is still on her list.