Meet Marlies, Team Leader TIP
“No day is the same with us. The contact with the clients is incredibly fun and
varied.”
Can you explain what your position is and what you do like?
I am team leader of Team Information and Planning, or TIP. We take care of information and communication towards all our clients about, for example, waiting times, the course of the diagnosis day and the costs of a course. In addition, we conduct a telephone intake in which we prepare client for the diagnosis day and then schedule the appointment for the day.
The employees of TIP fulfill a social and communicative role, but their function also has a commercial side, because the planning of the diagnosis days at our locations must be correct. When a diagnostic slot becomes available last minute, it is all hands on deck for TIP to make sure it is filled.
Why did you choose to work at ADHDcentraal?
It is enormously satisfying to help people who have been struggling for a long time with symptoms that may be related to ADHD. It is often the first step toward improving their situation.
No day is the same with us. The contact with clients is incredibly fun and varied. It can happen that you have someone on the phone in tears, because someone cannot start with us yet and is on the waiting list and desperately needs an appointment. But fortunately we also talk to many happy people, like those who have been able to get an appointment and are overjoyed. In both situations we really want to be there for people: by thinking with them when there is a long wait, and in the other case by preparing them well for their diagnostics appointment. That variety makes the work fun and so rewarding. Although of course we do spend a lot of time on the phone, no conversation is ever the same.
It’s never boring here!
What does a workday of yours at ADHDcentraal look like?
Every morning we divide up the tasks as a team and make sure that the
most important things are handled during the day. This allows you to arrange your working day in a varied and flexible way. At 9 a.m. we open the phone line, after which calls come in all day. We also receive many e-mails from clients and colleagues.
We pay a lot of attention to our clients, but also to each other. If a colleague has had a difficult conversation, there is always room to have a chat or ask for advice. The TIP team is a very social team, both towards clients and among themselves.
Do you have an example of a situation where you felt you could really
make a difference for the patients of ADHDcentraal?
Almost daily we experience emotional moments, such as when someone is moved or grateful because an appointment has finally been arranged, or thanks us for the detailed explanation and the time we took to listen to their story.
We then discuss these kinds of reactions to each other. It’s good to share little highlights like this too!
What do you get the most energy from in your work at ADHDcentraal?
The colleagues on the TIP team derive energy from making a difference!
That clients are grateful! Sometimes we have tuttling ears at the end of the day, but if we meet the day’s goals, that’s really nice.
With us, there is also always room for your own story. We share a lot. Our work really feels like a team effort. Half the working hours are colleagues at home and the other half we work in the office. Because connection is important and you can learn from each other’s conversations.
What superpower would you like to have that could be useful in your
work at ADHDcentraal?
I would like to be able to put in a kind of doubler of colleagues. Then we could help even more people!
What would you like to give people who want to apply at
ADHDcentraal?
Above all, come by to get acquainted and have a cup of coffee. Then I can explain what we do and we can see if it’s a good fit. So call our recruitment team and make an appointment. It doesn’t matter what your experience is or how old you are. You just have to get excited about the work we do!