In this feature article we interview one of Hörmann UKs employees, Martyn French, who is a manager responsible for looking after the key business systems used by the company in the day-to-day operation of their business.
How long have you worked with Hörmann?
I joined Hörmann UK as a permanent member of staff more than 15 years ago. Back then I was the sole person responsible for IT at our Coalville, Leicestershire, headquarters.
What is your job at Hörmann?
I currently lead the systems department as a Manager, where I am responsible for the day-to-day management of our key business systems. The team provides support and training on our internal systems, as well as our customer-facing applications, including iHAAS.
iHAAS is our configurator system that is free to all Hörmann approved dealers. It has simplified the quotation process by allowing customers to specify their door and gain access to a complete quote too.
As you might expect, we also co-ordinate all IT hardware and mobile devices throughout the business. We liaise with our IT colleagues at our head office in Germany to co-ordinate larger projects and review how we can continuously improve our systems and processes.
What training was required for your first role?
I joined Hörmann UK as the company was approaching a major change in its IT systems, which allowed me to get up to speed through training programmes and support from colleagues. Aside from this, I have also received training on reporting and analytics at our German head office, along with product training.
I like to learn, so I enjoy gaining proficiency in as many of our various applications as possible. As the business has developed, we have expanded training into areas such as leadership, mental health awareness and quality management systems.
What does a normal day look like?
I wouldn’t be the first person to say that there is no such thing as a normal day in the world of IT. It is usually a mixture of structured and planned work that relates to long-term goals. This is interspersed with ample amounts of reactive troubleshooting when the inevitable problems occur.
What are the best and hardest parts of the job?
One of the hardest parts is to strike the right balance between the planned and reactive work. It can be challenging to find the best approach when providing support across the business, as everyone has a different level of knowledge when it comes to IT systems.
The best part of the job is the satisfaction you get from introducing the continual improvements to our IT systems, as well as being able to tackle and deal with unexpected issues that technology can throw our way.
Have you worked on any interesting projects?
I’ve worked at Hörmann UK for more than a decade, which means I have witnessed and been involved in many positive changes over the years. Some interesting projects include upgrading the whole fleet of user systems to modern equipment, implementing a much more capable telephone system and the introduction of new applications and databases to suit different needs of the business. Project work is often very rewarding, especially when the improvements bring positive responses among all users.
What has been your proudest moment at Hörmann?
I’m proud to have seen the whole business rally together to run very successful customer open days earlier this year. The IT team was heavily involved in these sessions, running training workshops on iHAAS for our dealers and customers.
To find out more about the product ranges Hörmann UK offers visit: www.hormann.co.uk .
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