In April 2020, Marko began working at Wihuri Oy Tekninen Kauppa, which specialises in technical trade. At first, he was the product manager for machinery sales but in September he became the aftersales director. Having a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Marko had initially applied to Tekninen Kauppa in search of a worthwhile occupation.

‘The job advertisement opened up a journey of change, which Tekninen Kauppa was already on,’ Marko recalls. ‘I was persuaded by the job because it allows me to create something new from scratch. Until then, my career hadn’t allowed anything like that.’

The job description for this role is broad in scope. Marko is responsible for the aftersales functions of the products sold at Wihuri, including things like maintenance, spare parts, technical support and guarantees. Wihuri has ten service centres around Finland, employing approximately 220 personnel.

A sense of success together with the team

Ever since the beginning of his studies, it was clear to Marko that leadership was his thing. With his interests, ending up in the machinery sector happened naturally. To enable him to enjoy work, however, the deciding factors are meeting people and working with them.

‘Enjoying my “aha” moments alone doesn’t come naturally to me,’ he explains. ‘When you come up with new services as a team and ways to approach customers, you enjoy it so much more. In an effectively functioning team, you can draw a lot of energy for your personal work.’

The most important lesson about work is that you can withstand the craziest situations with skilled colleagues.

‘Tekninen Kauppa is full of motivated employees who are more than happy to do everything they can,’ says Marko. ‘It’s been great to see how earnest they are , leaving no stone unturned to achieve their objectives.’

A bright future for aftersales support

Marko believes the field of aftersales support will increase in significance in the future.

‘Secondary markets will become increasingly important,’ he says. ‘As machines have become more complex, customers cannot repair them themselves. Instead, they rely on trusted partners; in other words, people like us.’

For those interested in this field, Marko has some clear advice.

‘Understanding the customer’s perspective is a prerequisite of good aftersales service. This is a down-to-earth activity where you leave your ego at the door. On the other hand, creating those great customer experiences is one of the very best things about this job. Exceeding customer expectations encourages incredible drive,’ he says with a smile.