24 Centre. A growing platform service for building technology. Scale-up phase. Internationalisation. Supporting strategy work. Learning. The description sounded like a great package.
In the spring, everything looked uncertain. A fog had descended over plans for the future and a way had to be found to navigate everyone through the new uncertainty. Some of the earlier plans fell through and it seemed that the map in hand was not suitable for the terrain underfoot. Fortunately, the compass still pointed in the right direction. For a young student, tolerating uncertainty teaches you a lot. When navigating, changing circumstances may force you to slow down and check your direction more often, but the key is to adapt to the conditions and focus on what is essential.
Finally, the goal was found. Summer job as a strategy trainee at 24 Center. The lessons learned would certainly benefit the work and it would be great to get advice from more experienced staff and from the board at the heart of the strategy work. In June I was able to start and from there began an interesting journey of learning new things and strengthening my own interest.
Working on the basis of the big picture
In the early days of my summer job, I was able to focus on getting to know the company. Customer service, which is the core of the company and the emergency centre for building services, was the first part of the tour. Calls come in and go out and the operation is somewhat reminiscent of a stockbroker's desk. It was interesting to see how enthusiastic the customer service staff were about solving customer problems and providing an excellent customer experience in line with the company's values.
Next, I got to dive into the technology of the company. If customer service is the backbone of operations, information systems form the nerve centre that carries data through the organisation's various stakeholders. The operation of information systems seemed to be the result of strong expertise and an enabler for the company's unique concept. Having learned from courses in information systems development, it was fun to see how development work was done in a flexible way, in line with prevailing trends in systems development.
Learning about financial management further broadened the scope of business. Looking beyond the numbers, the various operations of the company were once again opened up in a new way. In a growth company, continuous cash flow analysis, supporting new experiments and planning for the future are key and it was interesting to see how everything really happens in real time. The invoicing function is a prerequisite for business continuity and salaries have to be paid on time. In financial management, the focus was on accuracy and diligence.
Marketing was based on a high level of technical expertise and continuous, step-by-step improvement. Traffic to the company's customer service and website is constantly monitored and the response to changes is quick. Conversion monitoring is key and optimisation is done in cooperation with the different departments. A broad portfolio of services and a nationwide footprint mean there is plenty to do in marketing. However, expertise seemed to be in good hands and analytics pointed in the right direction. In addition to the technical implementation, marketing was also done by investing in the corporate image and improving cooperation with different stakeholders.
The natural shift from stakeholders to partner management was also a prerequisite for the operation of 24 Center, which requires a lot of listening and continuous development with partners to manage its 500 or so partners. A high level of satisfaction is a constant concern in order to maintain a high level of cooperation in the future.
A cross-section of the company taught me a lot. Watching the role of the CEO up close, it was remarkable how, in the midst of rapid development, you have to find a balance between different projects. The company has to constantly make choices in prioritisation to keep the right direction. It is therefore important to clarify the direction from time to time, and this is the starting point for the launch of the strategy cycle. This is something I was looking forward to, as strategy is the red thread of business, the future direction and, when put into practice, the future of the whole company.
From the big picture to strategy formulation
After the big picture, I got down to my own work. Supporting the new strategy work was the task on which I spent most of my time. My main tasks included compiling a market analysis, researching international markets and gathering a range of materials to support decision-making. All this was done in constant contact and discussion with the staff responsible for the various areas of responsibility. I liked the fact that at the 24 Center, communication between all the staff was easy and there was no need to hesitate to ask questions. The staff, some of whom worked remotely, were always easy to reach.
As a young and growth-oriented company, we are constantly working on important decisions. The background to major decisions needs to be carefully considered and existing knowledge needs to be put to good use. Even bold decisions need to be taken quickly, but in a considered manner and based on market data. For me, a key lesson in strategy work has been to form a holistic picture, to critically analyse the findings and to use them to set a clear direction for the future. It is also important that staff are behind the decisions and ready to drive forward new openings to ensure future success.
What I particularly liked about my role was that I got to work with a lot of different people. The roles of the operational organisation and the Board of Directors were further opened up. It was great to see how solid experience combined with enthusiasm and bold action can really produce valuable results. I feel that the work was very rewarding and an excellent complement to my studies. In the future, the experience will certainly be very useful and I believe that now the whole field of strategy work, internationalisation and growth companies will appear to me in a completely new way.
- Kristian Ruotsalainen
