A good team spirit behind the building services emergency centre
At the heart of the 24 Center's work is customer service. Bjarne, who has been with the company since its early months, describes the work as interesting and rewarding. Successfully completing a task is always a smile.
The building services emergency centre, i.e. 24 Center, the customer service centre is a work in progress. The phone rings and customer service agents listen intently to the caller's problem. When a building services emergency strikes, it's convenient to get fast, quality help from a single phone number. 24 Center employees pass the assignment on to their partners and help is on its way.
"The work here is interesting and varied," says Bjarne. "Every time the phone rings, you never know what kind of problem or need a customer has. The only way to find out is to answer it."
Blomstedt has been involved with 24 Center almost from the beginning. His job is in the customer service centre, which receives many calls during the day about technical problems with the building. This job puts you right at the heart of the 24 Center every day.
The idea behind the company is that you can find all your building services expertise behind a single phone number. Bjarne sums this up with the key word "ease".
"As a customer, you don't have to call seven or ten companies to say they'll be there next week. Our system will take care of it for you with a wide network of partners. All it takes is one call and we'll get the person who did it to you."
For example, it can be difficult to get an on-call technician on site during the Midsummer holidays. Bjarne says that this is why 24 Center exists. So when calling the on-call number, the customer doesn't have to ask if you have time. The company's shoulders are so broad that there is always someone available.
Despite the modern world and the plethora of applications, at the 24 Center, the customer's problem is always handled by a human being. This creates a humanity that is reflected in the shift work and, by its very nature, the on-call service, including shifts on public holidays. However, the motivation and meaningfulness of the work is clearly visible to Bjarne.
"A solved task is always a pleasure. When you provide a service to a client in need, it's always a smile. And if the customer happens to thank you, that makes the feeling even better."
An interesting and evolving workplace
24 Center started business in November 2017, and just a few months later Bjarne joined the company. He sees the company as a very interesting and evolving place to work.
"It has been a pleasure to be involved from the beginning and to participate in the development work. Every day we think about where we are going, where we are going and what we can improve. The team spirit here is good," Bjarne says.
24 Center is still a small company, and there are no complex hierarchies and stairs between people. Bjarne sees this as a good thing.
"I've worked in big workplaces before, where communication could get bogged down with middlemen and the like," he says.
24 Center does not have this problem, but has a very direct and efficient approach. Here you can walk straight into the CEO's office and talk about ideas for development. "Ideas are freely communicated, taken into account and often met with a response. This way, the important points come out," Bjarne describes their approach.
Bjarne sees his work as a kind of problem solving. He has previously worked in IT and telecommunications, where the basic idea was the same. There is a problem to be solved. His problem-solving skills and knowledge of building services engineering are also a huge asset in 24 Center's customer service work. The customer's call is answered by someone with experience and knowledge of the subject.
For building services, Bjarne's teacher was a building project.
"When I came to 24 Center, I mentioned in my job interview that I had to build the house by drawing it myself first, because there were no suitable prefabricated houses available. The self-made house project taught me about building technology in depth. This struck a chord with the owners of the firm and I got the job."
The team goes forward together
Other employees describe Bjarne as, among other things, "the guy who always has an answer for everything". Bjarne laughs when he hears this.
"Well, I have more life experience than younger people. I try to share this knowledge so that everyone learns more. But I don't have all the answers."
Bjarne has previously worked as a team leader in companies. He sees 24 Center as a team that moves forward together.
"I'm always trying to find a reason why I'm doing something," he says. "In this business, it's obvious to everyone how this thing works. You have to understand what building services engineering is all about and how the house works."
For Bjarne, it's important that 24 Center gets along and that things are done together. But it is also important that there is a separation between work and home life. Then it is possible to focus energy on the right things.
"I've always had the drive to get the job done properly. The reward for a job well done is the satisfaction of being able to say: It was a successful day, thank you, we'll come back tomorrow," he says.
Text by Markus Koskinen
