Hugo van Bastelaere - Account Manager

The fifth interview in a series of upcoming interviews that provide more insight into the work and the people who together form De Haan:
in conversation with an enthusiastic Hugo van Bastelaere, Account Manager at De Haan Relocation and first contact person for our corporate accounts and also surveyor.

"At De Haan it's all about quality. That appeals to me because we actually move emotions”

Maybe we can start by introducing yourself?

I was born in Alblasserdam and started my work as an ambulatory youth worker in Gorinchem and Rotterdam. After my student days in Rotterdam, I moved back to Alblasserdam. From my dike house I now look at the beautiful World Heritage of the windmills in Kinderdijk.

How did you end up in the moving industry?

During my study Office Management, whilst playing volleyball, I was approached by an international moving company. After I finished my studies, I started working there. First as a relocation coordinator and then I moved on to Operational Manager.

How did you experience that switch to the moving industry?

I never thought I would work in the office. But it turned out better than I expected. You are not merely moving bricks, but dealing with emotions, cultures and people on a daily basis in this work. That makes the moving industry so much fun! Every relocation is different.

I got to know De Haan, as a partner for the VIP relocations of the moving company I started with. We clicked immediately and, completely charmed by the quality of the family business De Haan, I then applied. I started at De Haan as Junior Account Manager on December 1, 2019.

What aspects does your position of Account Manager have?

Days full of variety, a bit of independence, a bit of commerce and personal contact are the main aspects of my job. I have been trained to demonstrate servant leadership. I try to serve our customers as well as possible. What do companies / people need from me? That is what I am looking for every day in my designation. It is not dry logistics that I am working on, but the careful handling of moving emotions and memories. That is why I go for quality and a good feeling for the total transition. This is precisely the reason why I applied for a job at De Haan a year ago.

Tell us, what was your week like?

I am, among other things, the first point of contact for work-related household relocations of our company accounts. For example, this week I advised someone who is going to move for his employer to Brazil. This person must first have a CPF number, which is a kind of BSN number. Without that number, unnecessary costs arise, something De Haan likes to prevent for the customer. In this way I prepare employer and employee as best I can, so that the relocation process can run as smoothly as possible. That too is quality. And it prevents stress!

In your designation you have to deal with many different people, requests, characters, et cetera. How do you experience that?

That's right. It makes my work even more interesting. For example, I come to the HR department of a company, but also to the beneficiary's home. As a result, I really feel like a valuable part of the entire relocation process.

For example, HR arranges permits for their employees, but I can act as a sounding board for their ideas and opinions too. That is why I am currently following an English-language "Global Mobility" masters at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. My secondary school teachers should know (laughs).

Due to the corona measures, relocations have been uncertain for a long time. Have you recently managed to make someone happy?

Unfortunately, due to the COVID RIVM measures, all relocation surveys now have to be made via video. That is talking differently, less personally, but we do our best in these difficult circumstances for everyone.

People may not be able to cross the border themselves, but the furniture removals themselves can be technically carried out by us. De Haan has a beautiful, climate-neutral storage facility with climate control and, for example, a fixed humidity level, so the house can always be empty. We provide material and facilities to make everything go ahead for the customer. That information reassures people. This week a family was very happy with that information, because now the sale of the house can go ahead!

Finally, based on your own experiences, do you have anything else you would like to share with the reader?

Many people are unaware that we have the expertise to help relocate their beloved pets overseas.

We can also assist with renovations. Because of COVID, many people now choose not to go on vacation and instead do odd jobs at home. I renovated for 10 months myself two years ago. Then you have to do something with the contents. In such a situation, I would like to advise you to think carefully about the deductible before deciding on self-storage. This is because the transfer of household insurance is not covered or partially insured with every insurer, for example against fire, theft and burglary. If you opt for the service of De Haan, we will disassemble, pack, pick up the inventory, arrange temporary storage in our shed and bring it back, plus assemble it if desired. That saves someone a lot of work and time, plus the contents are all-risk insured.