From Support Specialist to Revenue Controller
Katrina's journey
2017
Customer Support Specialist
2019
Junior Accountant
2021
Accountant
2023
Revenue Controller
"Even though my first attempt to change positions wasn’t successful, I didn’t give up and knew what I wanted to do. The people around me saw it and my determination proved worth it."
Katrina started in Webhelp + Concentrix as a Spanish speaking customer support specialist. Over just a few years, she has managed to pivot into the world of finances thanks to her determination and persistence. Read on to find out how Katrina's journey led to a Revenue Controller position!
Q. When and how did you start working at Concentrix + Webhelp?
I started working here in October of 2017 as a customer support specialist for an assignment in the travel industry. I applied because of my Spanish language skills, since I learned it in university and lived in Spain for a year. I was working with group bookings, where I got my first experience with finances, because the role included writing invoices and using the systems for it.
I knew I wanted to tie my future with the world of finances since I was in middle school, because math was my favorite subject and it was something I even did in my free time. So this role gave me the motivation to try to move further into the finance field.
Q. How do you remember your time as a Customer Support Specialist?
Very positively. I liked my colleagues, everyone was open and I felt like I was immediately accepted as one of their own.
I had different experiences before, but here I felt like part of the team. My colleagues felt like friends and we could spend time together out of work as well.
When it came to the duties of the role, the mathematical side was definitely easier for me than communication. I am a little shy, so I was a bit nervous at the start when I had to talk to people, but with time I got used to it.
Q. What has been your career journey since then?
When I worked in Customer Support, I tried several times to make it to an accounting position. In the start, they didn’t want to let me go, because my Spanish skills were more useful in a support position, but then everyone saw how interested I was in switching to finances. On my third try, I got accepted to an accounting position and received my first experience in this field.
After some time, I felt like I had learned everything this position could offer and wanted new challenges. I quit Concentrix + Webhelp for 2 weeks to start a new job, because at that time, there were no open relevant roles in this company. But one week later, the director of Concentrix + Webhelp Baltics called me and offered to return in a different position, because they were opening a new finance department.
I didn’t spend long in that position, because I went on maternity leave. Not too long after my return, our revenue controller announced she would be leaving. I didn’t even consider the role for myself at first, but out of curiosity I started asking her what are her tasks and what her daily work schedule looks like, and it started sounding more and more interesting. Then the head of finance urged me to apply to this role, and I went through the recruitment process and now I’m working as a revenue controller.
Q. Can you describe what you do as a Revenue Controller?
My main task is generating short-term invoices both to external clients and internal ones that consist of other Concentrix + Webhelp companies. Then I follow the payments, see if they are paid on time, and if not, I reach out to either the client or the project managers.
I also need to prepare reports, both on a monthly and weekly basis, so we could follow the progress and payment schedule, as well as close each month.
Sometimes, there are errors in invoices, or the clients request some changes, which I have to respond to. There are also tasks that aren’t as regular but are very important, such as audits, year-closing processes and responding to process changes by, for example, going through legal agreements and trying to understand the set payment rules.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge in your career?
It’s probably dealing with legal agreements that I just mentioned. It was a big challenge, because I am responsible for not only the Baltics, but also all of the Nordics – Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Some of these agreements are hundreds of pages long and I had to find very specific information in it. It’s something I never thought I would be doing, but it was a requirement that had to be handled.
It was very confusing at first, because I had little understanding of the legal language. But with time, we got to understand the requirements and the structure of agreements, where to look for the necessary information and how to formulate any changes.
Q. What keeps you working in Concentrix + Webhelp?
It’s definitely the chance to change positions within the company. Even though my first try wasn’t successful, I didn’t give up and knew what I wanted to do.
The people around me saw it and my determination proved worth it.
And the fact that it has given me the opportunity to develop and grow, which keeps my interest here.
And of course, it’s also the colleagues. When I had left Concentrix + Webhelp for a bit, I experienced a different work environment. It wasn’t a bad place, but I couldn’t compare it with Concentrix + Webhelp, because the atmosphere was completely different.
While Concentrix + Webhelp, the environment is friendly and nice, other places have a lot more strict and business-like approach.
Q. What has helped you advance your career?
It was probably my own determination and motivation to learn and gain new knowledge and continue to develop myself.
Some people don’t like change, but I love it, because it keeps me developing and learning from new experiences.
Q. Do you have any advice to the newcomers in Concentrix + Webhelp?
First of all, it’s to know what you’re interested in or in what kind of direction you want to grow. And then it’s definitely to stay determined –
to not give up if you’re not successful on your first try.
It might be beneficial to try to gain some additional knowledge and use it to your advantage.
Feeling inspired?
Check out our open vacancies for your chance to take the next step in your career. Who knows, maybe a few years later you'll look back at this as your kick-off point?
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