CCO Dennis de Hoog on leadership and Wortell as an IT service provider: "You have to see each other as sparring partners"

Tech and AI companies come up with new licenses or innovations very regularly. So regularly that it makes you dizzy. "Do we really need this?" you wonder. "What does this actually bring to our organization?" That's why you go to your IT service provider. He or she can turn everything on today and send you the invoice tomorrow... or sit down with you first. Does it make your employees more productive? Is customer satisfaction improving? Can you respond faster to changes? Only when it is clear what a new technology or license contributes concretely can you determine whether it is worth the investment.

Which route your IT service provider chooses makes all the difference, says Dennis de Hoog, Chief Commercial Officer at Wortell: "We really want to add value. Wortell was not ever founded on a Monday morning just to start a company. You set up a company to deliver something that meets a real need of someone else. The moment you lose sight of that, you no longer exist. That's how we look at the phenomenon of 'value'."

IT partner with a long-term focus: "We become part of your organization"

'Delivering value' can also mean that you don't automatically choose the latest solution. "Sometimes we advise a customer to wait a little longer with a new license or technology," says Dennis. "Not because the solution has no value, but because the moment or the application must fit the organization. Perhaps other steps are needed first or more can be gained from what is already there. Ultimately, it's about an investment actually contributing to the goals of the organization."

This vision is based on a long-term approach. "There are several ways to support customers," says Dennis. "Some parties are strongly geared to supplying products or capacity. We consciously choose a model in which we stand next to the customer for a long time. We understand your DNA and become part of your organization."

The importance of reciprocity: "In a customer relationship, both parties must be able to be themselves"

For Wortell, trust plays a crucial role in the relationship with a customer. But of course you don't just build that up. "Transparency is the basis," says Dennis. "When we communicate with a customer, there should be no ambiguity. What we say is verifiable and traceable. The customer must also be able to fall back on demonstrable expertise, such as certifications, customer references and awards. This shows that we have knowledge of our field, the market, trends and developments."  

Wortell shares that knowledge as openly as possible. "For me, a good customer relationship is about authenticity," says Dennis. "You have to be able to say what you see honestly, dare to use your expertise and at the same time be open to the customer's perspective. It is precisely when both parties can be themselves that trust is created."

According to Dennis, this works both ways: "Good cooperation requires a cultural click. We believe in a relationship in which you can challenge each other, test ideas and make choices together. If you see each other as sparring partners, you get much more out of the collaboration."

Leadership with autonomy as a basis: "I believe in trusting your people"

If you want to be a fully-fledged sparring partner for customers, you have to have something to say. And that is precisely why Dennis likes to connect leadership to giving autonomy. "People get the most out of themselves when they feel valued and are allowed to think outside the box," he says. "I believe that you have to give people the trust and space to make choices and take responsibility based on their own expertise. In doing so, you also accept that things go wrong from time to time. And that's okay, because we all learn from blue eyes and nosebleeds."

According to Dennis, micromanagement is often counterproductive: "If you give people too little space, you inhibit their creativity and ownership. They are becoming more cautious in making decisions and less enterprising. While you want people to take responsibility themselves, show initiative and contribute to the customer based on their expertise."

This philosophy does not come out of the blue, by the way. Dennis shaped her by the presence of some strong mentors who played a prominent role early in his career: "When I came up with a problem, I got a question in return: 'What now?' I was sent back to my desk with my papers under my arm to look for solutions myself. At the time I didn't always like that, but afterwards I learned a lot from it."

Another principle that Dennis learned early on is that leadership is never about the individual: "The term 'I' does not appear in it. It's about 'we'; about what you create in collaboration."

New future, same basis: "We are on the eve of opportunities that we simply cannot see yet"

Dennis cannot predict exactly what the collaboration with customers will look like in a year's time. "AI is changing the world so fast that organizations are constantly adapting their business models and methodologies," he says. "There is no crystal ball that tells us what impact that will have. We are on the eve of opportunities that we simply cannot see yet. What we do know is that we owe it to our customers, our partners and ourselves to take advantage of those opportunities as soon as they appear."

Whatever will change, the basis will remain the same, Dennis expects: "We will succeed because we have a strong innovative power and culture. As a result, we continue to work transparently, scalably, controlled and securely!"

Do you recognize yourself in Dennis' vision? Then read Wortell's AI vision and approach and discover how we put that vision into practice. Curious about what that can mean for your organization? Then talk to your contact person at Wortell!