We proudly present our B2B Project Specialist team: Cindy’s one of eight who supports and advises business customers
Cindy’s been in charge of ordering several thousand bottles of sunscreen at once. Another time, she and her colleagues planned a major IT rollout. Her job? B2B Project Specialist at Digitec Galaxus. In this interview, the 27-year-old talks about her varied daily routine in the world of B2B.
Digitec Galaxus has over 160,000 business customers. A team of eight takes care of the inquiries and requests of B2B customers. Cindy Zillmann works for us as a B2B Project Specialist. She takes care of bulk orders for our business customers, negotiates prices with manufacturers and prepares customised quotes for them.
Cindy, how did you end up at Digitec Galaxus?
I applied to Digitec Galaxus twice. The first time, I dropped out because I decided the position wasn’t for me. A few months later, I came across a job advert for a B2C Call Centre Agent and that suited me better, so I applied again. It worked out great for both sides and I started at Digitec Galaxus in Zurich in February 2021. After a stint in B2B customer service, I applied internally as a B2B Project Specialist. I remember thinking, «This is my chance to further my career!» Luckily, I got the job and have now been part of the team since November 2022.
What does a B2B Project Specialist do?
Our eight-person team receives all order requests from business customers. Based on these, we search for the best possible product options, negotiate best prices with manufacturers and prepare the final quotes. For example, one of our customers asked us for a large workplace project. We were then able to deliver almost 1,000 notebooks with service packages including staging and bundling. Companies are also increasingly taking advantage of our leasing options, as depending on the company, these may be financially more attractive than buying hardware. We can also advise on this.
What challenges do you face in your day-to-day work?
There are quite a few (laughs). What I really like about my job’s the wide variety of customer, which is also a challenge at the same time. There’s no such thing as a typical customer or a typical quote request. We’ve already sent out quotes for several thousand bottles of sunscreen or planned a procurement project in the mobile sector involving several hundred iPads and Apple Watches. From small SMEs to international corporations, public companies, associations or educational institutions which, by the way, benefit from special prices – we deal with all types of companies and organisations. Anyone who thinks B2B's boring has never worked for us!
And then, of course, there are the classic challenges such as supply shortages, chip shortages, or products that are no longer manufactured.
What skills does it take to be successful in your position?
The customer's at the centre of everything we do. So a strong customer focus is the be-all and end-all of my work. You also need to be organised and work in a very structured way. This is the only way you won't lose track, despite numerous requests from different stakeholders.
Finally, how exactly does the standard ordering process for a business customer work?
It’s done in a very classic way. When a customer contacts us, we first conduct a needs analysis to clarify any questions. The more concrete the initial request, the faster the process moves on. Once all the information’s available, we contact potential suppliers or manufacturers and negotiate the best possible price and prepare a quote. If the customer agrees with the quote, the order’s set up immediately. Our customers can find more information about our quote process here.
Cindy, thank you very much for the interesting interview.
As a qualified sales engineer, I am passionate about combining technology and business. In my private life, I am fascinated by the dystopian "Matrix" series, in which machines take control. In contrast, I experience my work at Galaxus as a living utopia:
Here, honesty and information quality take centre stage - both internally and in customer contact. Technological progress and honesty go hand in hand, with the aim of conscious consumption and an open exchange about technology.