Kaya’s vision for 2022
The year 2021 is over, so it’s time to look back on this eventful year and look ahead to the new year. Where does Kaya stand at the moment and where are we going in 2022? In this blog, we talk about Kaya’s vision for 2022 from the perspective of our Managing Director Stefan and Director Operations Rudi.
Looking back on 2021
The highlight of 2021 was that we kept our customers satisfied despite all the restrictions due to the coronavirus. This crisis also caused more companies to migrate to the cloud. Although the pandemic as a whole is obviously very challenging, it has been a highlight for us that we have successfully implemented all these projects. In addition, the pandemic has caused us to shift towards hybrid working, which is going very well.
Furthermore, in 2021 we started to focus more on our foundation, which is implementing ERP systems and integrating with third-party applications. In particular, integrating with third-party applications is becoming more common. Customers choose the best solution to support their process or simply already have an excellent solution. Think of a checkout system, webshop, B2B shop, CRM system, etc. If there is no reason to replace a well-functioning system, we integrate that system with the ERP system. We have also developed relevant tools for this that not only make this integration process easier and more efficient, but also allow the customer to maintain control of all these integrations.
For Turkey, the highlight was that we decided to focus strongly on the development of our own D365 localization, and also implement it ourselves when requested by the customer. In a few months’ time, we were able to welcome 3 new colleagues. We want to continue this growth in 2022.
Our focus in 2022: More projects and more consultants
2021 was a year of focus and transformation for us. The year 2022 is all about growth. In 2022, we also want to do more (large) projects. For Dynamics 365, we have no preference for national or international projects. D365 is widely used by large, international customers. It is also possible that the head office of a company uses D365 while the smaller offices use Uniconta. We sell Uniconta to companies in the Netherlands, but it is not a problem if those companies also happen to have an office in, for example, Germany.
For our headquarters in the Netherlands, we are going to recruit more consultants so that we can do more projects. We are also growing in Turkey: another new colleague will join us at the beginning of this year.
Uniconta in 2022: both internally and for customers
Internally, we will be migrating from Dynamics AX to Uniconta this year. This system offers many possibilities and is expected to support us well in our administration. We have already done set-ups and tests in 2021, which all looked very promising. It will be a nice experience for us to also go live internally for once. After that, we will no longer have any systems on-premises, because we will do everything in the cloud. Of course, it will be difficult at first, because productivity always temporarily goes down when you migrate to a new system. That’s because you’re used to the old system. We accept this temporary drop in productivity with the understanding that an increase will follow. In the end, we will become more productive compared to the old situation and the old system, so it always works out. This is true for customers, and also for us.
We can also implement Uniconta for our customers. To us, it doesn’t matter whether a customer chooses D365 or Uniconta. This is something that customers appreciate: they are assured that we give honest advice. In addition, offering two systems from different suppliers is a strategic choice as well: it means we do not depend on one party.
Uniconta can be used more widely than Dynamics 365: it’s not necessarily aimed only at small businesses. Larger companies also use Uniconta. For example, there is a company that has Uniconta for just two users, but also a company that uses Uniconta in 22 different countries. So, it is a very flexible system. We expect to do more projects with Uniconta in 2022.
New colleagues
Finally, in 2022 we hope to welcome new functional employees, especially financial and logistics consultants. If we grow very rapidly, we may also start recruiting more technical colleagues.
However, there is currently a lot of scarcity in the IT labor market. Many companies are growing and want to automate, so there are a lot of IT projects and therefore also a high demand for IT staff. In addition, there is simply little supply for some positions, such as X++ developers. So, on the one hand, it is harder to find new colleagues today than it was a few years ago. On the other hand, Kaya has a unique identity and a strong position in the market. We are happy to talk to potential colleagues, so they can see for themselves that Kaya offers a diverse, varied and challenging work environment.
Would you like to start off the new year in an organization where your work really has an impact? Then take a look at our vacancies. Is the perfect vacancy not listed? No problem, we look forward to receiving your application. Send an e-mail with your CV to hr@kaya-consulting.com. We will then contact you as soon as possible.
Lotte: “Kaya gives me the freedom to discover my interests.’’
Lotte Moerland works as a marketer at Kaya next to her studies in Management, Economics and Consumer Studies at Wageningen University. Partly due to her studies, she is interested in marketing. The choice for a job as a marketer therefore made a lot of sense for her, but what about the decision to join an IT company? In this blog, Lotte will tell you more about these decisions and about her work at Kaya.
Lotte, besides your work at Kaya, you are still studying at the moment. What is that like for you?
‘’It’s really nice. My major is also related to marketing, and I was looking for a job in this field so that I could also learn on-the-job. I found that job at Kaya. After years of studying, I was also more than ready to get away from the books and to finally see how things go in practice. I am now learning both in practice and in theory, which I believe to be extremely valuable for the rest of my career.’’
What made you so enthusiastic about Kaya?
“At Kaya, I get lots of freedom to pursue and discover what I am interested in. Since I did not have work experience before this job, I now get space to learn and try new things. That was very appealing to me, because it allows me to gain experience with many facets of marketing at the very start of my career.’’
How did you experience your start at Kaya?
“The start of my job at Kaya has been very pleasant. Kaya has a personal approach: everyone communicates very easily and in an informal manner. At Kaya, I am given lots of space to learn. Besides that, I am also supported by experienced colleagues. My colleagues are very approachable, and they gladly put effort into teaching me new things.’’
You do not have a background in IT. How do you feel about working at an IT company?
‘’My job at Kaya provides me with the opportunity to learn many new things about the world of IT. I do not have substantive knowledge about it yet, but thankfully I have colleagues whom I can ask anything. So, it is a challenge for me to not only understand my colleagues, but also to turn their knowledge and expertise into marketing content that is understandable for our target group.’’
You started at Kaya during the Covid-19 crisis. How do you maintain contact with your colleagues?
‘’You can often find me at the office since I like to meet my colleagues in person. I already have quite some experience with working online due to my studies, but the contact that you have with people in person is just different. Fortunately, our office is large enough to facilitate this. Besides, a walk with colleagues during the lunch break is of course also coronaproof!’’
What kind of work do you do on a day-to-day basis?
‘’Together with my colleagues, I develop and execute the marketing strategy. Think of writing blogs for our website or taking care of new content for our LinkedIn-page. I work on expanding our website and keeping it up-to-date, and I am also involved in internal communications. Also, my colleagues can always come to me whenever they need a text, because I can help them write it.’’
What are your ambitions for your future work at Kaya?
‘’I want to gain a lot more practical marketing experience. In time, I hope to be able to develop and execute the marketing strategy more independently. Of course, I also hope to achieve good results with Kaya’s marketing activities. Finally, I would like to learn more about IT, both about the business sector in general and about the specific products and services that we sell. The more I know about this subject, the better I will be able to create successful content!’’
Are you interested in a job at Kaya? Have a look at our vacancies. Can’t find the perfect vacancy? No worries, we would love to receive your application. Send an email with your CV to hr@kaya-consulting.com, then we will contact you as soon as possible.
Clary: “I’m learning new things every day.’’
Clary Saldanha works at Kaya as a senior software developer. He is very enthusiastic about the insightful opportunities and challenges he gets from his work. In this blog, Clary will tell you more about his work at Kaya.
Clary, you already had some work experience in IT in the Netherlands before joining Kaya. What made you choose for Kaya?
“Kaya works with a lot of Microsoft products and technologies. When I saw that, I was really inspired to join Kaya to increase my knowledge and expertise in Microsoft technologies. And I also got to continue learning the .NET programming language.’’
Can you tell me something about your professional development as a software developer during your time at Kaya?
“It’s a continuing process, I’m still learning new things every day and improving my skills.
The professional life at Kaya is different from what I experienced in other companies. It is not only focused on my core expertise, which is .NET developing/C#. Kaya was trying to see in which areas I can develop. So, last year, I had the opportunity to do a few certifications on Dynamics, Microsoft Power BI and Python. These are new programming languages and I had chances to grow in those products as well.’’
As you are from India, how do you feel about working in Kaya’s international work environment?
“Kaya has a very diverse workforce. I have great colleagues who come from diverse backgrounds. Even though the first language spoken in The Netherlands is Dutch, everyone at Kaya is well-versed in English, so we have no communication barriers and a very inclusive work environment. That makes us all come together and find the best solutions to any given problems. Also, when I joined Kaya two years ago, Kaya already had a goal for me to learn Dutch, so it was my plan to work and study last year and take exams. So, I have already studied the basics of Dutch. At the moment, I am not very fluent, but I am learning and improving every day. When I speak Dutch with my colleagues, they correct me and help me improve when I make a mistake. That is something I really like.’’
Your work at Kaya has mostly taken place during the Covid-19 crisis. How do you maintain contact with your colleagues and clients during this time?
“We have great business continuity at Kaya. We are equipped with great platforms to stay connected, which makes it super smooth to operate in any given circumstances. One of the ways we make sure we are all on the same page is by having a standup call once a week. This helps us understand each other’s work and where we stand as a team, as well as what our respective action items are. With that clarity, it helps us to have a roadmap for the week ahead. Sometimes it’s not very good to work from home, because then you don’t interact with that many people and there is less knowledge-sharing. However, Kaya has really worked this out well by facilitating ‘knowledge sharing’-sessions some time ago, which also helped me grow.’’
What kind of work do you do on a daily basis?
“As I am a senior software developer, most of my time revolves around coding, finding solutions for the products, finding easier ways for automating the products… Besides that, I also help design the structure. I have also worked on another project with Power BI, which visualizes the reports and allows you to view your data in a visualized form. So, I work for one client with Power BI and for another client I work with .NET programming. Apart from that, we also have opportunities to work on our certifications or on blogs.’’
What ambitions do you have for your future work at Kaya?
“For my growth at Kaya, I always look for opportunities in terms of technologies, or I see if there is a challenge. When I, as a developer, face challenges, the way how I tackle those challenges will help me to be more experienced for the future. With one of my current clients, I have a lot of new challenges which I never faced in previous companies. This is helpful for me to grow. Kaya also facilitated my certification in another programing language, Python, so I look forward to opportunities to work in Python.’’
Do you have any advice for international people like you who are looking to pursue a career in IT in the Netherlands?
“The IT field here in the Netherlands is growing rapidly and there are great opportunities for people in the IT industry. Also, international experience always helps you to grow in different aspects. This country offers great work-life balance as well. The people in the Netherlands are very friendly and helpful, which makes the integration smoother. The only barrier is the language but over a period of time, that can also be taken care of.’’
Are you interested in a job at Kaya? Have a look at our vacancies. Can’t find the perfect vacancy? No worries, we would love to receive your application. Send an email with your CV to hr@kaya-consulting.com, then we will contact you as soon as possible.
Jim: “At Kaya, you get opportunities that you wouldn’t get at other companies.’’
Jim Pronk started as a trainee consultant at Kaya. By now, he has grown to be a logistics consultant and worked with various clients. In this blog, Jim will tell you more about the growth he has experienced and what kind of work he does exactly.
Jim, what did you study before starting at Kaya?
‘’I studied Industrial Engineering and Management [Technische Bedrijfskunde]. I was mostly occupied with assessing processes and seeing how these processes can be further optimized. There is also a part about general business operations, creating balance sheets: financial topics. It is very broad and teaches you a certain way of looking at things, to optimize processes and help people move forward. That is really fun.’’
So, what you do now does not particularly have to do with your studies?
“No, but that is also not necessary.
Dynamics is a package, and you can study ERP packages. But the feeling for processes, and learning how to look at them, is something you need in your education in order to be able to do this well. You need to like processes and working with people. Of course, you do need to have some affinity with IT systems and you need to like working with them, but knowing them is not a must.’’
And what was the reason for you to start in IT?
“At multiple companies where I worked as an intern, there was always some kind of problem with the ERP system or other software packages they were using. I always really liked to fix those things. Furthermore, I see lots of opportunities, and since Kaya is a consultancy company, you can work at lots of different businesses. That makes your work fun and dynamic, and you are not just sitting in the same place all the time. You are working on different problems at different clients. That is fun and challenging.’’
What made you so enthusiastic about Kaya?
“The advantage is that it is an agile company with short lines of communication, which is nice because you can take on many responsibilities. That means you can do many different things, and those may also be opportunities that you wouldn’t get at other companies. At Kaya, you do get those opportunities. I have also done things during projects which would normally be done by someone with more experience than me. But here, I did get to do those things, which is very cool.’’
Can you tell me something about your development as a consultant at Kaya?
“Actually, that happened quite quickly. I started here in January 2020 as a trainee consultant. The first few months, I worked alongside my colleagues and assisted them. I really got to know the system at that time. Since Dynamics is a big package, I mostly focused on the supply chain-part, such as production, logistics, product information management and also some purchase & sales. After a few months, I got my first own project in which I was responsible for the production design. Within this project, I started picking up more and more things. That’s how I got started, and now I am a logistics consultant, so I grew quite a lot. I am certified for both logistics and production. With Microsoft, you can obtain various certificates, which I found fun and important so that my knowledge is good and up to date.’’
Your work at Kaya has mostly taken place during the Covid-19 crisis. How do you maintain contact with your co-workers and clients during this time?
‘’It is a bit more difficult. I get lots of energy from sitting with people one-on-one and helping them. Due to corona, this happens a lot less. So, now you have lots of emails, Teams meetings, Teams chats… You do work long days in which you get a lot of tasks done, but if there were any opportunities to go to the office, I liked going to the office for a day to work there with a colleague. Then, you do maintain 1.5-meter distance, but you still have more interaction, which I prefer. However, that is also very personal, other people could feel differently about this. I also know that we have consultants and developers here who do like to work from home more often. In the future, I would like to work from home around two days per week, because then you can really focus and get things done. But I also like to go to the office or to the client a few days per week.’’
What kind of work do you do on a day-to-day basis?
‘’That is quite diverse. One moment, I am talking to a client to create a design for a solution, sometimes also some custom design that needs to be done, functionally. Then I will make a document about what I want to have and pass that on to the developer. Sometimes I also look, together with the client, at their processes to see if there is anything to be optimized. Sometimes, things need to be adjusted in the process and not in Dynamics itself. Another moment, I will be talking to a colleague who is also working on a project and asking me if I can help them with something. Or I am doing some work in Dynamics, configuring things so that it works in accordance with the client’s expectations. And when you are at the start of a new project, you go to the client, get requirements, formulate demands… So, it is really diverse.’’
What are your ambitions for your future work at Kaya?
‘’Of course, I want to continue developing myself as a consultant. I also hope to do a few more fun projects at Kaya, but I also hope to grow towards a role as a solution architect. That means that you really create the whole solution. But it should be functional because I am not very interested in the technical side. Also, I am not very good at that: I am not a developer. Besides that, I also need to await what the future brings at Kaya and what opportunities will come. But that also depends on which clients we will get.’’
Lastly, do you have any advice for students or starters who are looking for a job in IT?
‘’There is a lot of work to do, so you will always have various opportunities. Just talk to multiple parties and see where you feel good. Do not let yourself get distracted by fun-sounding traineeships or money, because those are not always the things that will make you happy. There needs to be enough space for some custom work and for focusing on what you find important. If you want everything to be completely outlined for you already, then you need to be at another company and Kaya is not very suitable for you. But if you want some more space and flexibility, want to have more input, and be able to take decisions by yourself (of course in consultation with your colleagues), then you need to come work here at Kaya. It’s as simple as that!’’
Are you interested in a job at Kaya? Have a look at our vacancies. Can’t find the perfect vacancy? No worries, we would love to receive your application. Send an email with your CV to hr@kaya-consulting.com, then we will contact you as soon as possible.