Product Owner Jasper aan het woord

Product Owner Jasper speaks
Our employees work hard every day to serve our clients as well as possible. But who are they, really? And how do they experience their role at Whitevision?
In this interview, product owner Jasper tells us what it’s like to work at Whitevision, why he still feels at home here after 15 years, and how he learns something new every day!

What is your background and how did you end up at Whitevision?“At my previous employer, I worked on fairly long projects. I wanted to achieve results and success with clients more quickly. At Whitevision, I found everything I was looking for: the sales process is fast, the implementation goes smoothly and the client can clearly gain a lot from the product. That way, you can satisfy a client in the short term and start building a long-term relationship. 

When I started in 2007, Whitevision was still much smaller. As a result, we did our work in an intimate atmosphere. With 2 or 3 people, we worked hard on the company’s growth. Now that more than 10 years have passed and we have a team of 40 people, I’d say: a successful mission (that still continues every day)!”

How has Whitevision helped you in your development?“I’ve experienced Whitevision’s growth up close. In the beginning, we had to build everything together, which made my role very diverse: I worked on support, implementation and product development. Every week, I had a meeting with Frank, Whitevision’s CEO, to look at how we could improve. For me, that was ‘coaching on the job’. Over the years, I developed, and my role became more and more specialised. 

I started as a consultant, after which I was both a consultant and a solution manager for a while. Now I’m a Product Owner. At the time, there was no development path for me yet. It’s great to see that Whitevision now has one for new employees. When they join, we create an onboarding plan together, appoint a mentor and involve people who help the new colleague get started in their role. My own path was a kind of forerunner of that.”

“Within the Whitevision team, everyone has their own expertise, but in the end we are truly one team.”

How would you describe the “real Whitevision feeling”?“Within the Whitevision team, everyone has their own expertise, but in the end we are truly one team. We work together very well and try to help each other, but above all our clients. Whitevision is growing fast and getting bigger, but in terms of feeling, we stay ‘small’: we stand close to each other and to our clients. We also do our best to keep it that way. Everyone knows each other and the contact is personal. Of course, I don’t have a very personal bond with all of my colleagues, but I do feel involved with all of them.”

Ambition, respect, involvement and decisiveness: these are Whitevision’s core values. How do you see them reflected?“Within the Whitevision team, everyone is ambitious. We have a clear goal on the horizon that we want to reach. In this, I often act as the positively critical person: I want to realise ambitions that are truly achievable. I do this ‘reality check’ out of involvement. I don’t like the idea that one of our implementation consultants might discover in the middle of a client project that a product doesn’t work, even though it looked good in theory. That’s why I make sure the products we deliver are both valuable and feasible. That way, the implementation consultant is well prepared and our client is helped as well as possible.”
“‘Decisiveness’ is a term that Whitevision embodies. We think along with the client and follow words with action. As a team, we deliver really great things at lightning speed, and these usually exceed client expectations. If something does go wrong, the organisation (depending on the type of problem) deals with it decisively and respectfully. Clients often tell us that they appreciate how we handle these situations.”

“Whitevision is a great employer that offers you development opportunities and a fun team.”

How do you see Whitevision’s own product development reflected in your daily activities?“My role is about facilitating Whitevision’s own product development. Of course, I’m just one cog in the machine. The Whitevision team works closely together to gather information that shows where the market is heading. Consultants talk to clients, the support team receives client requests through our client portal, our partners tell us what’s going on with them, and of course we have our own vision for the future. When we develop a new product, I look at strategic matters as a product owner: the client must truly benefit from it, the product must move with the market, everything else must keep working well, and the product must fit within Whitevision’s vision, mission and strategy. Those are the preconditions.”

What qualities does a Whitevision employee have?“You have to be sociable and open to others. Everyone at Whitevision listens well to each other, to clients and to partners. Our organisation is very personal and the lines of communication are short. If you prefer working within a strict hierarchy, Whitevision is not the right organisation for you. It’s also important that you are critical and dare to ask questions. Those kinds of qualities are hugely appreciated at Whitevision. You also need to be independent and ambitious. You are well supported, but you can also share your own ideas. If you ask me, Whitevision is a great employer that offers development opportunities and a fun team. That’s why, after 15 years, I still feel at home here.”

Has this got you excited?
Would you fit into a young and professional team? Are you ambitious, and do you see it as a challenge to sell, develop or implement digital document and invoice processing solutions in a rapidly growing market? Then click through!

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