Meet the Team: Martijn Knol
Let us introduce you to Martijn Knol. A true lover of France, who loves to spend his time in imperfect harmony. He enjoys making the switch from the busy city life by taking walks in peaceful parks, all while blasting heavy metal music in his headphones.
Music, films and books: Martijn has them all. But his biggest passion remains his family. There's a good chance you already know Martijn: As customer support manager, he's often the one you will hear on the other end of the line, e-mail or chat.
Want to know more about Martijn? Read on to find out how he manages to balance work and private, while also making time for his beloved (albeit time consuming) hobbies.
What’s the first thing people think of when they hear your name?
My first name is quite common in The Netherlands, so people start listing of all Martijns they know. Of which there are many and more.
But there are also a couple of famous Knols/Knollen around here. That all depends on the person's age, they might ask if I'm related to famous cyclist Monique, singer/songwriter Tim or YouTube personality Enzo.
Do you have a nickname in the office?
I'm actually one of the few colleagues without an office nickname!
What is it exactly you do at Rinkel?
Managing Customer Support centres on delivering excellent customer service.
Furthermore, introducing and polishing a variety of support processes to near perfection, making sure bugs and other digital creepy crawlies are smothered after reporting customer feedback.
And then eventually putting this all into KPIs, reports and dashboards so we have actual numbers instead of gut feelings to go on.
What problem or frustration of customers are you eager to solve?
We want to make sure that our customers get the most out of Rinkel, which obviously includes the fuss-free cracking of any issues as quickly as possible. But it also means stopping frustrations before the bell by advising on their optimal account set-up.
Lastly, it’s feeding back our users’ many great enhancement and feature ideas to our developers.
What do you like most about working at Rinkel?
There's an overall positive no-nonsense ambience, tangible at the office and through chats when working remotely. All thanks of course, to the Rinkel people.
What is it you like most about Team Support?
The balance between their full belief in the Rinkel solution, dedication to colleagues and customers, and the ability to see the funny side in everything, occasional mistakes included.
Do you have a ‘golden standard’ on how to stay focused? Whether at home or in the office.
I don't try to do multiple things at once, so I finish or park something properly before moving on to the next activity. It helps to plan more critical or serious tasks for moments when I can work without interruption. And I would be lost without my calendar.
Playing loud heavy metal music, is also highly recommended.
Who inspires you?
My family. Seeing them happy, healthy and being there for each other when the going inevitably gets rough from time to time. That's what gets me out of bed every morning.
“Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away"
It's a quote from the the famous author of Le Petit Prince, or The Little Prince.
When he wrote Wind, Sand and Stars he was talking about the creation of machines but I think it applies to every aspect of my field of work and I try to keep it in mind at all times. To create something that is as easy in functionality as possible, the greatest effort is required.
I mentioned how a big part of my job is reporting customer feedback and suggestions. That means we're constantly working to make Rinkel as easy to use as possible.
What is your favorite office saying?
I'm the only one at the office with a Windows laptop. By request, actually, as me and MacBooks don’t get along very well.
This does subject me to jokes about my preference of Windows over MacBook. So anytime something doesn't work as it should, there will be a voice from somewhere saying: “Dat krijg je van Windows" / “well that's what you get with Windows".
It never fails to make me laugh. Especially because I know Windows is just better, of course.
If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be and why?
A gardener. My backyard is in desperate need of weeding and pruning, and I could finally get it done with a smile on my face.
What is your archetype
Martijn's Meet the Team wouldn't be complete without the Archetype quiz.
Turns out he is mostly intellectual, closely followed by caregiver. That means that Martijn is the perfect dinner guest who always brings intelligent topics to the table while respectful to everyone surrounding it.
As Rinkel coworkers of Martijn who have lunch with him all the time we can vouch for that!
What’s your favorite holiday destination?
I don't have a single favourite location. Though I would return to Berlin, New York, Lisbon, and Paris in a heartbeat.
My preferred holidays are city trips, where I can visit parks, museums, historical sites, and, crucially, record stores. Basically: I'm happy when I go somewhere I won't get sand between my toes or ticks behind my ears.
What’s your favorite drink?
I prefer coffee in the morning, water throughout the day, and a glass of red wine after the children have gone to bed. On rough days I might mix up this sequence a little.
What do you like to do in your free time? (hobbies, home renovation, etc.)
When I'm not taking my daughter to arts class or preventing my two-year-old from cycling onto the roads with his tiny bicycle, I enjoy reading, watching films or listening to music.
Do you want to share anything else? (Like a funny fact, or something funny about yourself)
I like to give myself little cinema watching projects, where I find a theme or person and watch all their films, and read up on background and trivia. In 2022, for example, I watched all of Woody Allen's films chronologically, and the year before everything by Ingmar Bergman. Next up I would love to deep-dive into Michelangelo Antonioni, but I need to fill a few small holes in my DVD/BluRay collection before I can start. A book about his films to read as I proceed is already on the way!
