What are your daily tasks?
Sabrina Heuberger: I handle customer orders in the sales territories assigned to me by my field sales colleagues. I check whether the goods ordered are available, clarify prices with the field sales team if necessary, and enter the order into our ERP system to generate the order confirmation and initiate all further documents and steps in the process. If an order is particularly urgent, I contact my colleagues in Shipping to make sure the goods are loaded as quickly as possible and reach the customer on time.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Sabrina Heuberger: The contact with so many different people inside and outside the company – and the variety that comes with every phone call! I never know what I’m going to be asked: it might be a small enquiry that can be dealt with quickly, or a bigger challenge that I can only solve together with my colleagues in Field Sales, Shipping or the warehouse. No two days are the same, and I really enjoy that.
You also completed your training at Gutex. What did you train as and how did you get your training position?
Sabrina Heuberger: I first learned about the commercial profession at the Waldshut careers day, where Gutex also had a stand. I then applied, completed a work placement and went on to complete my three-year training here. Afterwards, I worked in Shipping for two years.
Why did you choose Gutex at the time?
Sabrina Heuberger: I had always wanted to work in Sales and have contact with natural products, so everything here was a good fit for me.
Where does your affinity for natural products come from?
Sabrina Heuberger: I live in an old farmhouse heated with wood and surrounded by woodland. Both my parents and I own woodland ourselves, so wood has been part of my life from an early age.
What has been your best experience so far?
Sabrina Heuberger: I particularly enjoyed working on projects with my fellow trainees. Each year, we were given a new topic and carried out research together within the company, for example on our production processes or the methods used to test our wood fibre insulation boards before they go on sale. We then presented the results to our Managing Director, Mr Thoma, and to our trainers.
Why do you like working at Gutex?
Sabrina Heuberger: Because there’s a very pleasant, family-like atmosphere here. Of course, there are occasional conflicts, but they don’t affect the way we work together. What’s more, the personal side of working together and having fun are not overlooked here.
What qualities are needed for a job in Internal Sales?
Sabrina Heuberger: You need to be communicative, a good team player, assertive and able to cope well with stress – including emotional pressure. As an intermediary between customers, Field Sales and Shipping, I sometimes find myself in challenging situations. I don’t cause them, of course, but I need to be able to deal with them without taking things personally. Good spatial awareness also helps me to visualise how the different orders can be arranged on pallets, as that allows me to estimate whether all the goods will fit onto the planned lorry.
How do you feel about working with your colleagues?
Sabrina Heuberger: The collaboration with my colleagues is very good, and once or twice a year we also get together outside work to strengthen our team spirit. Communication is straightforward and direct, because I can go straight to the right person whenever there’s a problem.
How do you see your career prospects within the company?
Sabrina Heuberger: Very positively! If I wanted to develop my skills further and gain an additional professional qualification, for example, I’m sure I would receive support.
Describe Gutex in three words:
Sabrina Heuberger: Family-oriented. Environmentally conscious. Forward-looking.
