Everybody knows how they would like to be treated. However, we are not always exactly treated this way. This is why we have chosen to go about affairs slightly differently: we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, thereby creating Service based on our own Experience. This usually means that we solve matters in an unconventional and innovative way.
Service through Experience is more than just the service and experience that we offer our customers, such as fast delivery, product knowledge and excellent telephone and email support. Service through Experience is also about how we deal with colleagues, suppliers, family, and, in the long term, our investors.
As it happens, we are not an average company and our Service is not average; the people who work here are not average and do not lead average lives.
Not only do we handle change very well, we even create it ourselves! Many people are happy with the status quo - how often have you thought “I wish I had done or decided this sooner?” In order to be able to survive in this (online) world, we continuously have to change and adapt. If you cannot handle continuous change, you will not fit in our company.
Not only do we have to learn not to fear change, we should embrace it as well. Probably even more importantly: we should create it ourselves. We should plan change and be ready to implement it.
Despite the fact that change may happen in any area, it is important to realise that the lion’s share of change in our company comes from bottom-up. In other words, from the people who talk to customers, pack orders or make agreements with suppliers.
So never acquiesce in the ‘status quo’, for if you look at history, you will see companies going under because they were not able to adapt to change fast enough.
We are changing all the time, and, if we are to stay one step ahead of the competition, we will have to continuously adapt as well. Our competitors may copy our website, or the way in which we dispatch products, but they can never copy our people or our culture.
Did you know that the Dutch word ‘gezellig’ is almost untranslatable into any language? In English you could say ‘cozy’ but to many people this word evokes a completely different sense from the one evoked by the word ‘gezelligheid’. To some people ‘gezelligheid’ is having a cup of tea with a friend, to others it may be playing a board-game or going for a pint. Sometimes ‘gezelligheid’ is considered bourgeois. To us, however, it does not mean how you interpret it. Your enjoyment at work is what matters to us most.
Being ‘a little bit different’ may also be regarded as being ‘odd’ or ‘out of the ordinary’. In actual fact this means that we often solve matters in a different way; we are not looking for ‘completely off the wall’ here. We are rather looking for ‘just a little bit different’, as this makes matters more interesting and certainly more fun. To us life should at best be interesting and different. To the outside world this may come across as inconsistent or even weird. However, we believe that the consistency lies in the conviction that we can be ourselves. We want this ‘being different’ to be reflected in the interactions with our co-workers, friends and ultimately this needs to be reflected in our work.
This combination of ‘coziness’ and ‘being a little bit different’ ensures that people feel at home and comfortable in the workplace, and, consequently, are able to think and operate ‘out of the box’. When you enjoy your work you have a win-win situation: employers will feel more connected to their work and the company, which in turn will become more innovative and advanced.
We very much appreciate passion, determination, perseverance and a sense of urgency.
We get inspired because we believe in what we do and what we are growing towards. We will never take ‘no’ for an answer nor will we ever say ‘that will never work’. If we did that, we would never have got to where we are now.
Passion, determination and perseverance are contagious. We believe in a positive, optimistic -but realistic- attitude in everything that we do because we realise that this will inspire others to adopt the same attitude.
Although we behave informally in the workplace, we believe that we are quite serious and focused on business operations. We believe that working hard and the willingness to go the extra mile can make the difference between success and failure.
We believe in operational excellence and room for improvement in everything that we do. This means that work is never finished, and, in order to always be one step ahead of the competition, we will have to keep innovating all the time. Mistakes are learning opportunities. We should never lose sight of this sense of urgency when making small changes to the company and its operations. We should never settle for ‘good enough’ as good is the enemy of best!