#HeraeusPeople Story
Ping ping
Rui "Angie" Wang, Business Application Consultant, Heraeus (China) Investment Co, Shanghai
"A quiet ping in my inbox, so faint I almost missed it. I glanced at my screen, an email. The sender? Global head of my department, a big name I had never talked directly with before this mail. My pulse quickened just seeing his name. The message? A thank you. He praised for successfully completing a complex project – one that felt like a “Mission Impossible”. 9 out of 10 points rating from customer feedback.
At that moment, sitting in front of a desk, I realized: sometimes it’s the “quiet moments” that mean the most.
Let’s start from the beginning: What was it all about?
Three months earlier, I was assigned a project about End-to-End Process Analysis Customer Service, which would be basis for potential business and SAP process optimization.
My professional world had revolved around production – digital shopfloor execution, manufacture data, machine interfaces. But this? This was about Customer Service: quotations, OEM drawings, order deliveries, COAs, billing, customs clearance . . . all flowing through emails, Excels, WeChat, Teams, even SRMs. I was kind of lost and terrified; this wasn’t my comfort zone – it was a new world!
First, I learnt about the goal, of getting a clear picture of current customer service process to future optimization projects. Then, I realized this project wasn’t about technical expertise, It was about “curiosity“. The key was asking the right questions: What is this about? When does this step happen? How do you do it? Where do things slow down?
So, sleeves rolled up – here we go! I dove in: interviewing with each team member, taking pages of notes, collecting real-life customer cases . . . Slowly, a picture emerged. And finally I turned these into a detailed report, including process map, data analysis, in English and Chinese, so every stakeholder, from China to Germany, can see the same story. Days were long, to-do lists were even longer. But little by little, the chaos became transparent, understandable, and actionable. When the final report was presented to stakeholders, the smiles on their faces meant everything to me.
Delighted customers
Honestly, I have been anxious along the way, as it was intense and challenging. But in the end, recognition from customers and colleagues shows it was worthwhile. And for me personally, it proved one thing beyond doubt: Sticking with it really works – even when things seem impossible."