W elcome to the Lufthansa InTouch Career Development Terminal! Beate Hanke, Provider Manager in the Business Development team, is at the boarding gates. She gives insights into how she boarded her career with Lufthansa InTouch, and explains the invaluable asset of a karaoke machine!
Have you ever tried to sing karaoke? When I did it for the first time in our Manila Service Centre, I was a bit hesitant. But I quickly learnt that it’s a wonder tool… But first things first. Originally from Namibia, my journey with Lufthansa InTouch started in Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town: Exploring opportunities
After receiving my marketing diploma in 2011, I started working at LH InTouch Cape Town. I assisted passengers on the German market; the setup in the Cape Town Centre is very broad, and I gained experience in different services. For one year, I dived into the fascinating world of call evaluations and quality checks as a Team Quality Specialist. My next career step was becoming a Team Leader in 2014. For more than two years, it was my pleasure to guide and develop my team; my greatest moments have always been seeing my team members achieving their goals and growing within the company. With a new Service Centre opening in Manila in 2016, new career opportunities opened up!
Manila: Starting from scratch
Originally, I applied to support the new Centre in my role as a Team Leader for a short term only. When I first arrived in our Manila Centre, I could feel the positive mood all around. So many incredibly friendly people; everybody eager to gain knowledge. At the same time, it was a great challenge starting from scratch. But that was easily overcome with the guidance I received from everyone across the network, especially from the Site Operations Manager. Everyone was very open and willing to answer my 1,000 questions. Another big help was karaoke – it’s kind of a ‘national sport’ in the Philippines. After work, we went for karaoke sessions as a team building activity; I got to know people and their culture and values much better. At the end of 2016, I was supposed to go back to Cape Town, but was offered to stay as a Team Leader Coordinator. I didn’t think twice! Six months later, a local Team Leader was appointed, and I moved on to a new vacancy: Customer Service Manager. For almost a year, I took part in the further build-up of the Manila Service Centre.
Berlin: Interface to all Service Centres
“We are looking for a Provider Manager based in Berlin”. When I saw this vacancy, I knew a new venture was calling me! The position seemed like a natural next step for me: From a local level onwards to a global position to support the Provider Management at our different sites. Since June 2018, I’m part of the Business Development team which is based in Berlin and Dublin. Being the single point of contact for our different external service providers, I ensure they meet the agreed Service Levels, adhere to our Lufthansa standards, and offer the same high quality service as Lufthansa InTouch. When I moved from Manila to Berlin, I didn’t take many things, as I’m rather on the minimalist side of life. There is one item that had to come with me though: My very own little karaoke machine!
