Contributing to team growth and company success

The Managed Services team, which provides ongoing technical, and administrative support to clients running the Sage People HR System, has grown substantially over the past year, as has the range of services offered. The division now looks after over 23 companies on a retained basis in addition to clients that take advantage of the other services provided, including support bundles, temporary administrative cover, technical adoption overviews and short order queue (SOQ) work.

With the growing importance and value added to company growth and success by the Managed Services division, it seemed only appropriate to spotlight a member of this team this month!

An interview with Mariska

Mariska Legters is an HRIS technical support consultant within the Managed Services division. Mariska joined the company in June this year, quickly established herself as a highly valued and well-respected team member, and now manages more than seven client accounts.

What does your role involve?

“I am the first point of contact for a select number of international clients for their Sage People HRIS related incidents and service requests. As part of my role, I work closely with our client’s HR Teams to ensure that their HR Systems run as required. I am responsible for resolving support requests, ensuring that service levels and targets are achieved, as well as making sure that our clients are satisfied with the overall service provided. In addition to my named accounts, I serve as the second point of contact for other Managed Services clients, provide support to the wider Tugela People team, and am presently working on some SOQ projects. As part of the service we offer, we also coach, train and empower our clients on the use of Sage People.

No workday is the same, and every day brings new exciting challenges! It is interesting to see how our clients use Sage People and how we can assist HR Teams in optimising their systems to meet their needs. I am still seeing new things on a daily basis and often think, ‘Oh, I wish I had known how to do this with the system when I was working as an HR advisor!’. I know how busy and demanding an HR role can be, so any improvement in optimising a client’s HRIS can make a huge difference in an organisation. It’s wonderful to be part of the client’s journey in getting the most out of their HRIS".

What is your background?

"My background is mainly in Business Administration across various roles. At my previous company, I started as a CRM Data Specialist within the contracts management team, working closely with the finance, legal and sales team. When they decided to adopt Salesforce, I was involved in the integration and implementation project, User Acceptance Training (UAT), in addition to training account managers and other colleagues on how to use the system. After a few years in this role, I was given the opportunity to join the HR team within the same company. I remember telling the HR Director that I would miss working with Salesforce, who then explained that I would be working with Sage People, which runs on the Salesforce platform, so I didn’t need to say goodbye to working with Salesforce completely! I went from a commercially focused role to a people focused role, from working with commercial contracts to working with people contracts. Working as an HR advisor has given me a great insight into the ‘HR World’. My work as a systems administrator of Sage People as an end-user has helped me in my current role because I can relate to my clients".

What Inspired you to join Tugela People?

"I really enjoyed the technical side of my previous roles, working with Salesforce and Sage People, finding solutions to make work processes more efficient by optimising systems and training people on how to use them. I gained a high degree of job satisfaction by investigating, finding solutions and learning new ways to optimise systems in addition to making end-users happy. So, this new role as an HRIS Technical Support Consultant with Tugela People was the perfect way forward. The interviews I had before joining gave me a very good impression of the company. The team interview, in particular, was very useful as it revealed the upbeat team dynamics. The company is very customer focused, hence the many positive customer reviews, and I loved the fact that the role would involve a tremendous amount of learning. Already during the interview stages, it became clear that personal development is something the company really supports. Before signing my new contract, I also gathered information from a Customer Services Manager (CSM) at Sage People, who had many good things to say about Tugela People, which was really lovely to hear!"

How has your journey with the company been so far?

"It has been great. Time flies when you are having fun! My colleagues are amazing, very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. There is a very positive company culture, and everyone in the team is extremely supportive. My role is very busy and varied. I work with international HR teams and enjoy building client relationships. Working with different languages has been fun as well. My German language skills have improved tremendously with the added HR-related vocabulary!"

How do you envision your future with the company?

"I look forward to extending my knowledge further, building an all round understanding of the Sage People system and eventually, specialising in a particular area. It is exciting to see how much the company is expanding, and there is potential for further growth and the opportunity for personal development, which is great!"

Aside from work, what else do you enjoy?

"Living in London allows me to visit the many art and history museums, which I find extremely interesting. I also enjoy the theatre and wish I could go more often! I am passionate about walking and hiking, and doing this in the Swiss mountains is one of my favourite activities. However, a stroll in Istanbul or any other beautiful city is also something I also enjoy. Photography is another hobby of mine, in addition to having an interest in natural medicine, architecture and learning new languages. I also enjoy cycling, although cycling in London is not as relaxing as cycling ‘back home’ in the Dutch countryside!

I also work as a Volunteer Park Ranger for the Royal Parks during some of my weekends. Greenwich Park is a beautiful outdoorsy work location in combination with my regular work from home."

Find out more about our Managed Services offerings

To find out more about the Managed Services team, and the range of services offered in ensuring that you optimise your Sage People HRIS, click here.