Noortje’s secret to success:
Building connections that last

Noortje sees camaraderie as the foundation of strong collaboration. For her, it’s about understanding, knowing, and supporting one another—especially when working with customers. A great example of how Noortje fosters this connection is by organizing team sessions to explore what energizes everyone in their work and what drains them. This approach helps build understanding and strengthens teamwork.

She also believes in engaging with customers on a more informal level. Joining in on team outings allows her to get to know her customer colleagues better outside the work environment, which deepens their bond. Noortje keeps in touch with her customer teams long after projects are completed, ensuring a lasting relationship. For instance, she’s still part of a WhatsApp group with her PostNL team, where they share updates on the initiatives they worked on together. One of their successes was the introduction of “pakketmaatje”, which now allows 50,000 PostNL customers to see each other's packages, eliminating the need for screenshots and Track & Trace codes. This innovation has also improved first-attempt delivery rates.

Noortje believes that when you understand your colleagues’ and customers’ needs, you can create win-win situations. For example, when PostNL needed a location in Amsterdam, she knew that Houthavens had available space, leading to potential collaboration discussions. When Nucleus was looking for a skilled SEA analyst, Noortje connected them with a great candidate from her network. And when a KPN team needed help with web analytics, while she couldn’t assist personally, she introduced them to another expert, Guus, in Amsterdam.

For Noortje, building strong relationships with customers means going that extra mile, making it easier to give feedback, and connecting people in ways that benefit everyone.