“Customers are a great source of energy for me”

Daniel Mikkola’s working day typically starts at his remote office at home after a busy morning with the family. During the day, he manages offers, contacts potential customers, gives product demonstrations online, and makes numerous phone calls.

• Our workplace is very considerate of personal situations. I am happy my employer understands how family life may sometimes require extra flexibility. We also have the possibility to work remotely, which is great, Daniel says.

Daniel will soon have worked as Senior Sales Manager at Fastroi for five years. The versatile sales and marketing professional became interested in the combination of care sector and IT systems after a close family member fell ill.

• My father was ill, and I increasingly looked after his affairs. I noticed the IT systems used in domiciliary care were underdeveloped. As I met and discussed with care workers almost daily, I started to think about how best to help the carers who looked after my dad.

Daniel started to search for jobs related to social and health sector IT, and he came across Fastroi on LinkedIn. The company was seeking a sales expert. Daniel found the company values matched his, and when the job was offered to him it was easy to accept it. His first day at work was a memorable one.

• I started my job in November and arrived for the first meeting with my new employer at the Joensuu head office just in time to attend the company Christmas party. It was a fun way to get to know new colleagues, Daniel recalls.

Extensive expertise from a range of business sectors

Daniel Mikkola studied marketing at the Tampere University and had summer jobs mostly in sales. He worked in telemarketing as well as in furniture retail and clothes shops. During the final stages of his studies, he entered the insurance sector at OP-Pohjola’s B2B sales and customer service and stayed there for three years.

• I found B2B sales really interesting and enjoyed working with people.

After the insurance sector, he worked in IT system sales for Oscar Software’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. During this time, Daniel learned a lot about IT and B2B sales.

• I learnt that ERP systems are products of the future. I saw how hundreds of small- and-medium-sized businesses operate and I learned a huge amount about business processes.

Daniel has a broad interest in care sector technologies, from digital reforms in the social and health sector to practical challenges in health-care IT. He believes the field brings together caring and technological opportunities.

“Customers and easy-going colleagues make my day”

For Daniel, the best and most inspiring thing in work are his customers. He also appreciates the compact and relaxed sales team – it is always easy to contact a colleague for discussions or advice.

• Trade shows and customer days are the highlights of my work as I get to meet customers and my colleagues at Fastroi during these events.

During his free time, Daniel recharges at the gym and enjoys watching films and reading books. The rest of his spare time is fully booked with family life, which runs smoothly thanks to his employer’s flexibility.

• We have a culture of being very considerate of different situations in life. If my children are ill, there is always flexibility and it is easy to agree on work times, Daniel says.