Optimizing efficiency – that’s my contribution to the energy transition.
Ivan is employed in the Sales Operations team while also studying full-time. He helps optimize sales processes so that more heat pumps reach customers’ homes via our trade partners.
Ivan’s days at Viessmann begin with short meetings called “dailies”. The first ones are held internally in the Sales Operations team, followed by others with the IT department. Since January 2023, Ivan (28) has been a working student in Viessmann’s team in Berlin, usually spending three days a week there. “We’re essentially the digital arm of the company.” His team offers digital support to the sales process.
Ivan expertly explains what this means: “Customers approach Viessmann directly via online searches, for example, and are then put in touch with the right heating contractors. We support this process.” Ivan talks at length and with enthusiasm about “problems” and “processes”, which is maybe somewhat unusual for someone currently pursuing a master’s degree in economic history – a subject you wouldn’t immediately associate with Viessmann. Ultimately, however, it’s a person’s individual skills and personality that make someone right for a job.
Job title: Finding solutions
Ivan doesn’t just like to talk about problems, but also about solutions. After all, the biggest part of his job is finding solutions. In his daily work, these consist of, for example, “creating emails and processes”, as he puts it. These emails are intended to offer customers automated help with their requests. Ivan has to deal with designs and wording, and the question of when customers or trade partners receive specific information. “I’m currently developing a bounce-back strategy. If you send a lot of emails, not all of them get through. I’m working out how to deal with that.” Of course, this is always done as part of a team.
When asked what he likes best about his work, Ivan has to repeat himself – but that’s the way it is sometimes: “I’m a big fan of coming up with processes and plans, of optimizing processes and solving problems. I enjoy it and there’s a lot to do. It fits me like a glove.” Things never get boring because each new problem is unique.
I sound like a Viessmann ultra!
Ivan feels at ease in his team when he’s tinkering and optimizing: “I like my colleagues. It’s really fun to work with them,” he says. There are also a lot of cool people in the other teams. Ivan has particularly frequent contact with IT. “We just think about the processes. IT usually handles implementation.”
Ivan will soon accompany a sales consultant to get to know the business “in the field”. This will also help him understand processes even better and make them more efficient. After all, it’s now clear this is what Ivan is concerned with every day. It’s also his contribution to the energy transition, he says: “The more efficient we are and the more heat pumps Viessmann can sell with our help, the faster we’ll make progress and the more heat pumps we’ll get into homes.”
With a chuckle, Ivan self-identifies as a “Viessmann Ultra”, alluding to his deep engagement with his work. Yet, beyond processes and optimization, he also finds time for soccer, indulges in historical fiction, and occasionally enjoys the refined pleasures of wine-tasting.
