Nick, what exactly do you do as a Business Facilitator?

"Well, you facilitate the business! I connect the departments within Weheat based on customer feedback from training sessions. Installers who need to understand the technology, information in the right place at the right time, products being launched before the manual is even finished. I make sure the knowledge gets to the right place, at the right time."

And does that work in practice?

"Yes, and it happens faster than you’d expect. I’ve trained 436 professionals in eight months. Technicians, service specialists, work planners. And the feedback I keep hearing? 'You actually listen and do something with it.' That sounds simple, but it isn't. That’s culture."

Your LinkedIn post about your first six months at Weheat went pretty viral in the industry. You wrote that your slide deck is always outdated. How come?

"Ha. That’s literally true. I build a presentation, and by the time I’m finished, the software team has already pushed new features live. At first, I found that frustrating. Now, I actually think it’s great. It means something is really happening here. Luckily, I now have AI tools within Weheat that pull data and update slide decks, so they’re always up to date. Or at least, we’re testing that now, and it looks good!"

You mentioned the launch of the order portal for installation partners as an example. How did that go?

"That was one of those things where I look back and think: how did this happen so fast? Before I started, there might have been a vague idea to launch it eventually. Now, our ordering environment is running as if we’ve always done it this way. That’s what I mean by the freedom you get here. You’re given a problem, not an instruction manual. And that’s exactly how I like it."

You also wrote that you discovered where your talent didn't lie. What do you mean by that?

"I took on a project that I thought was a perfect fit for me. It turned out it wasn't. And that’s okay. Here, that isn't punished; it’s seen as learning. It’s made me more honest about what I want and what I can do. That might be the biggest gift of this year."

Weheat measures 121 parameters every 5 seconds. How does that affect your work?

"Enormously. Because that data isn't just information, and it’s certainly not insight yet. Right now, they’re working on initial prototypes where data analysts, installation experts, and R&D are sitting at the same table. If that results in what I’ve seen, it will completely shift the way we train to revolve around that tool, rather than just teaching the theory behind the data. I can't wait to take that live."

The energy market has been shaken up quite a bit in recent months. Do you notice that in your training sessions?

"Absolutely. You don't have to explain the demand for heat pumps anymore. People understand it themselves. When energy prices fluctuate and no one knows what gas will cost next year, you don't want to be dependent on a single source. That sentiment is widespread. And I notice it in the urgency among installers. They can barely keep up with the work. So, a quick tip for all consumers: please be patient, they are incredibly busy."

But more demand also means more pressure on quality, right?

"Exactly. And that’s where training makes the difference. An installation error can easily creep in. Then you end up with a dissatisfied customer and a bad reputation for a technology that actually works perfectly well. We don't just train on how to install, but on how to understand. Because a technician who understands what they are installing makes better choices on-site. That’s the investment."

What makes Weheat different from other places you’ve worked?

"The people. It sounds like a cliché, but I really mean it. Everyone here is truly great at something. A specialist, in the best sense of the word. And when you walk around among these people, it rubs off on you. Being passionate is contagious. You don't want to fall behind; you want to contribute. I never expected to find that feeling in a company of 150 people."

What are your expectations for the coming months?

"More. More training, more use of data, more countries we're expanding into. And honestly: more things that I don't even know exist yet. That’s the beauty of working here. The agenda doesn't write itself, and that’s why it’s never boring."

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Nick van der Hoff is a Business Facilitator at Weheat. He works at the head office in Duizel (Eindhoven region).

Do you want to join the team too? Check out our open vacancies at weheat.nl/werken-bij

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