Meet the Team: Mikaela Bengtson
When we say surströmming, IKEA, ABBA and the Dalarna horse, you will probably think: Sweden! At Rinkel, we don’t only think of Sweden, but also of our Swedish colleague Mikaela!
Born and raised in the Dalarna region of Sweden, she finally found love with our colleague Jeroen van Vierzen (and Pepsi Cola). They now have 2 children and a cute Beagle together!
This month Mikaela is featured in our "Meet the Team" blog. Läs vidare snart! (Read on!)
So, what’s the first thing people think of when they hear your name?
People usually haven’t heard my name before, it’s an unusual name for the Netherlands.
They’re quick to ask where I’m from, how long I have lived in the Netherlands and why I moved here. I often get the reaction: "So you left beautiful Sweden for the Netherlands?! But it’s so flat here!”
The Dutch are not so proud of their landscape, haha. Although it is very different from the Swedish landscape, I think the Netherlands also has its own charm!
What exactly do you do at Rinkel?
I am part of the Support Team, together with Mike, Arthur and Quintie. A great team!
Every day I make our customers happy by arranging professional voice-overs for them and helping them to port their numbers to Rinkel. I deal with both incoming and outgoing porting requests. When needed, I also help with other Support tasks.
What problem faced by your customers would you like to fix?
Problems sometimes arise when a customer switches to us and wants to keep his or her old number. In those situations, I feel the customer's frustration when it doesn't work straight away. The worst thing is when you don’t feel heard or helped by your previous provider.
I want to make sure our customers are in limbo for as little time as possible and get them moved over to us as quickly as possible and without any problems. Because a happy customer means a happy Mikaela!
What do you like best about working at Rinkel?
I’ve been working at Rinkel for a few years now and I really enjoy seeing the company grow. Compared to where we were a few years ago, we’ve really taken off.
The atmosphere in the office is also very different from what I’ve seen with other employers. I’ve often seen stress in the workplace, unhappy colleagues and worst of all, unpleasant bosses.
Rinkel is completely the opposite to all that! I have very nice colleagues here, we can chat and laugh all day, but still work hard. All without any unnecessary stress! Every day is fun.
What’s the best thing about the Support Team?
There are no crazy questions at in the Support Team. Everyone helps each other and we really do work as a team.
Although I always work from home and see colleagues less often, I always feel involved. That says a lot!
How do you stay productive at home?
Actually I’ve never had any problems with productivity at home. But, I do understand that you can quickly lose focus (especially if you have small children).
I always try to work early in the day, for example in the morning. I know that’s when I’m at my most productive and then I have the rest of the day for the children.
Who inspires you?
Tough question! I don't think there is one person who inspires me very much per se, I’m more inspired by people who strive to make their dreams come true in general.
What’s your favourite quote?
“It is what it is!” Hahaha.
You can’t always make everything better than it is; sometimes you just have to acknowledge and accept things the way they are.
If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d be a professional dancer! I’ve always had a great passion for dancing and for a long time I went to a dance school in Sweden.
I love performing in a large production from morning to evening with all the trimmings! Make-up, rehearsal: I love all of it. Performing on a big stage in a grand hall and receiving all the applause at the end, it’s the best feeling in the world.
I used to perform in smaller productions, with an audience of about 50-100 people. In the last school year even 200-250 people, that was really nice. But that’s nothing compared to a big production where your make-up is done for you and you perform in front of a huge audience.
What’s your favourite holiday destination?
I’ve been to many beautiful places, but my absolute favourite is the Maldives! It looks exactly as beautiful in real life as the pictures you see on the internet and TV. It’s so beautiful there, I hope to go back one day!
But there’ll also always be a special place in my heart for Dalarna. It’s not really a holiday destination for me, but it is home and it’s always nice to be back.
What keeps you busy in your free time?
At the moment, mainly our two children aged 2 and 4, haha.
But, when I don’t have the kids, I love shopping and dancing (of course!). At the moment I am taking Urban Jazz classes, but I also enjoy ballet and belly dancing!
What is your archetype?
Of course, we also asked Mikaela what her archetype is. And: what archetype is he? Mikaela is a Caregiver, Creative and Tastemaker.
So she’s a healthy mix of Mother Teresa, Sarah Jessica Parker and J.K. Rowling. A true friend full of compassion who appreciates all the beautiful things in life and also manages to be stylish at the same time!
Want to know all the ins and outs of Mikaela's beautiful homeland, Sweden? Check out our vacancies!
