Meet the CX experts team: Bojan Desnica & Sigrun Saevarsdottir

The Medis Customer Experience (CX) team are on the front line, talking to customers and dealing with all sorts of issues that crop up, on a daily basis. This role requires not just friendly and communicative personalities, but people who really care – about their clients and about their work. Lucky for us, we got to interview two members of this star team, Sigrun Saevarsdottir and Bojan Desnica. Here’s what they have to say on work, kids, and basketball!

How we came to Medis
Bojan: I’m originally from Serbia but came to Iceland 22 years ago to finish my degree. In 2013, I started working for Actavis, but then moved over to Medis. I started off as an account manager, responsible for German clients. In 2020, the team split in to two – one group responsible for communicating with the production site, and our group who communicates with the clients. We wouldn’t be able to do our job on a daily basis without the other group. They give us updates from the sites which we then communicate to the clients.

Sigrun: I was living in Denmark, working for a Danish family-owned pharma company, actually one of the first to produce penicillin in Denmark. In 2017, I saw a job opening at Medis. I am originally Icelandic and was considering moving back. So I did! I relocated to Iceland and started as an account manager responsible for the Spanish market. Since 2020, I’ve been responsible for the medium-sized markets, including France, Hungary, and Spain.

We are the frontline between the sites and the customers
Bojan: The CX team covers everything from product launch until the customer receives the product into their hands. We keep them updated about everything, the delivery date, dispatch date, or if there are any challenges. We also send them all the documents needed. The customers expect us to be proactive. They want quality in our responses.

Sigrun: Our responsibility is to build a strong relationship with the client, to do our absolute best to serve the client. We have to listen, provide the information they need, and be honest with them, especially when the solution to a problem isn’t necessarily the ideal for them.

We like people! 
Sigrun: I love to get to know people, to connect. I’ve even become friends with some of my clients. I love that part about the job – the interaction with clients and coworkers. When I’m in a difficult situation, it’s good to talk to my colleagues. We lean on each other and try to figure out together the best way to provide the best service to customers.

Bojan: Communication skills are really important. The way you give over the message is key. When the relationship is good, it’s far easier to give over information, either positive or negative. That relationship is the most important factor in our work.

I use the same skills when I coach basketball! 
Bojan: When I’m not at Medis, I’m coaching little kids basketball. It’s like having almost 200 customers – 65 little kids and all their parents!

All my customers have expectations, no matter what their age or what the ‘subject’ is. I have to work with them to set and define their expectations, and then I have to work to meet these expectations and satisfy their needs. So, it’s all pretty similar, really!

Both my work in Medis and my basketball help me to develop as a person. When you interact with so many people on a daily basis, you pick up at least one new learning or one new good thing every day. Once your brain collects all these good things, then you feel really accomplished.

Everything you learn on your journey helps in the end
Sigrun: I used to work for a big Icelandic office supplies company, and I was there when the Icelandic financial crisis hit in 2008. It was a huge learning curve for me. My job shifted and I suddenly had to do lots of analysis and prioritize our essential products, and reach out to suppliers to renegotiate terms. I went to an event once abroad and everyone was offering me their condolences as if I was grieving a family member. It was definitely an experience. You use every experience to help you along the way.

The pharma industry is challenging and every day there’s something new happening. It’s complex but really interesting. It’s a good feeling to know you’re helping someone, and that the work you do matters. It feels like you’re contributing in some way.

We appreciate the international twist 
Sigrun: I really like the international connection. Having coworkers all around the world is really great, and working with clients all over. You always gain something from learning about different cultures, which can then be beneficial in communications with the client.

Bojan: I’m pleased to have a lot of Eastern European countries under my responsibility because the culture is familiar to me. It helped me to adapt easily. Speaking a bit of Polish and Russian also helps! But I’ve also learnt a lot from other cultures. For example, working with German clients has helped me to be more precise, more organized and more on time.

Family means the world to us
Bojan: My 5 year old son, Nicola, is completely interested in everything. He loves to be around me when I am working at home. I’m so grateful that Medis gives us the flexibility to balance our work life and our home life. It shows they care about us. Right now I’m working from Serbia over the summer to be with my family, and then I’ll head back to Iceland.

Sigrun: My absolute favorite thing to do is to spend time with my kids and grandkids. I’m very social and like to be around people.

Medis is a family 
Bojan: We are surrounded by great people, locally in Iceland and all the people who have joined Medis – from Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, Greece and other countries too. They are a great contribution to our team. We don’t have so much face time together but when they visit, we have a good time. It’s great to see how the cultures fit together. We might have a slightly different approach but business is going pretty well, so clearly it’s working well. I really feel like I belong.