Category: Company

spo-comm Marketing: Hello Christopher and thank you for taking the time for a short interview. Tell us, how did you actually get into spo-comm?

Christopher: I was looking for a job because I wanted to move to Nuremberg for love. When I saw the job advertisement, it immediately appealed to me. I originally come from the sheet metal sector, but I’ve always found IT exciting. Even though, to be honest, I’ve hardly dealt with it before. I immediately stalked the website and was thrilled that the company has such a young team with a cool spirit. Everything seemed so friendly and open. I found the references and the product portfolio really exciting. Precisely because Mini PCs are not a standard product, but require a certain amount of explanation. That is quite a challenge. As the tasks in the job advertisement also matched my previous activities well, I simply applied at random. I’m a career changer, but I thought “take the risk or lose a chance”(laughs).

Marketing: We’re glad you took the risk. You just said you come from the sheet metal processing industry. What was your professional career like? What did you originally learn?

Christopher: Initially, I did a commercial apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at a façade construction company and worked mainly in sales during this time. However, I then left the company to do my vocational baccalaureate and then started a dual business studies program. Studying was my big goal and it was a good educational time. However, after just under a year I realized that it just wasn’t the right thing for me, as I already had a lot of practical experience, and I de-registered. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it ultimately led me to where I am now.

Marketing: And what happened next?

Christopher: First, I worked at my mother’s advertising agency for two months and helped her with sales. In the meantime, I got a job in a sheet metal processing company by chance. After initially working in work preparation and internal sales, I was given the opportunity to become sales manager after six months. I then worked in key account management for three years, looked after major customers, acquired new customers through cold calling and took care of the entire strategic and operational direction of sales. I also created marketing documents, maintained the homepage and looked after topics such as annual sales planning and calculation parameters.

Marketing: Wow, you really have a lot of experience. Nevertheless, you are now in a completely new industry. How did you get on with IT and mini PCs in the first two months?

Christopher: I’ve actually always been very interested in IT because it’s a growing industry in which I still see a lot of potential, for example in the field of artificial intelligence. In terms of spo-comm, I find it really exciting that there are so many different small mini PCs, which are always individually adapted to customer projects. But I have to be honest, my brain was pretty flooded at first. Both hardware and software are quite new to me. But my colleague Mustafa gave me really great training and prepared me for customer meetings. I was also able to learn a lot from problem cases and special customer requests, which forced me to do a lot of research myself.

Marketing: And you also had the difficulty of starting with us in the middle of the lockdown. We are all still mostly working from home. How did you fare during your induction?

Christopher: I thought it was really cool how well I was received by the team. I got to know my colleagues from Sales and Marketing beforehand in a team video call, which definitely made it easier for me to get started. Nevertheless, I was a bit tense and excited for the first few days. On the one hand, I had great respect for the change of industry, and on the other hand, starting a job in lockdown is not so easy for the company either. But everything went really well. I was perfectly equipped with a laptop, headset etc. from day one and could have worked completely from home straight away. However, I am mainly in the office at my own request and am also very grateful that I have the opportunity to do so. If I have any questions, I can simply go straight to my colleagues in Engineering and see the products in real life.

Marketing: It certainly makes a lot of things easier. How is the collaboration with your sales colleagues?

Christopher: Super! I’ve become a really big fan of Microsoft Teams. The colleagues carried out product training sessions with me and explained everything really well. It really felt like we were sitting right next to each other. They always have an open ear for questions and I can call them at any time if I have a problem. But I also think it’s great to get to know everyone personally over time. Of course, working from home minimizes the risk of infection, but I’m just a friend of the office. Fortunately, we can coordinate flexibly in sales so that not too many people are at spo-comm HQ at the same time and we can continue to comply with all social distancing rules.

Marketing: And how do you like it here at spo-comm?

Christopher: I like it very much. There is a really close team spirit and a lot of mutual support. Just as I had imagined.

Marketing: We are pleased to hear that. Then we now have our final question for you: Which is actually your favorite PC?

Christopher: Definitely the new BOX J4125, which we have just officially launched.

Marketing: And why do you think it’s so great?

Christopher:(totally enthusiastic) The BOX is simply incredible value for money. The customer really gets value for money. It is ultra small and still has a great interface layout. And it is suitable for so many areas. Simply a recommendable all-rounder.

Marketing: Our customers have something to look forward to. Thanks again for your time and welcome to the team!

Network with Christopher Adam on LinkedIn

Apart from a few technical difficulties – wrong Zoom passwords and, well, it took us a while to find our way around the pixel world – it was once again a great experience and showed us that such a series of events also works wonderfully virtually.

Internet of Things and B2B campaigns

We started on 14.7. with the presentation “Internet of Things – what opportunities does this technology offer us?”. Lisa Knab from Nürnberger Versicherung gave a vivid account of the potential offered by the Internet of Things in relation to Industry 4.0, mobility, health management and SmartHome. The latter in particular was explained in detail, also in relation to the insurance industry. After all, if I receive door, window and water sensors when I take out home contents insurance and can thus reduce or at best even avoid damage, both the policyholder and the insurance company will benefit in the end. We are excited to see what else will happen in the coming years.

Nuremberg insurance

In the afternoon, Theresa Steinbauer and Hanna Rose Matheis from UCS took us step by step into B2B campaign hell in their ironic and sarcastic presentation “Don’t burn your customer’s customers – A B2B Use Case” full of memes (we love memes!). Fortunately, not only was it explained how not to do it, but there were some good tips and we were able to take a few things away with us for our work.

UCS

The eCommerce Day

On Thursday, 15.7. was then called: eCommerce Day! A whole day dedicated to one of our favorite topics, which has now become a permanent fixture at the Digital Festival. In his keynote speech at the beginning, Stefan Peter Roos drew attention to the current difficulties: “Whoever has the goods has won”, because almost the entire industry is affected by delivery difficulties, delays and increased logistics costs. He recommended that the audience take the opportunity now to put everything to the test. Does the range still fit? Is the supply chain running? What about pricing and competition? This also includes increasing the IT expertise in the team and reviewing process agility in order to digitize and flexibilize as much as possible. Conversely, this means a lot of work for an industry that is largely benefiting from the coronavirus crisis, but is also facing new challenges.

We continued with Oliver Frings from Nexum AG and the exciting topic “Adieu Sales Funnel: How the path to the purchase decision is becoming increasingly complex and how we can respond to this”. In a very captivating way, Oliver told how he wanted to buy a new bike and was overwhelmed by the enormous choice of types and brands during his research, so that it was not easy for him to make a decision. Something that all of us are probably familiar with, and not just in relation to bicycles. He then explained which elements, such as social confirmation, expert opinions or availability, have a positive influence on the purchase decision and how it is possible to avoid giving customers a reason to look for alternatives during the purchasing process. Namely, by means of a learning AI that calculates at which point of the purchase decision the customer is, but also determines, based on previous behavior, whether a customer tends to read many or few emails and automatically sends emails with information or purchase incentives accordingly. A really interesting option for eCommerce, which will certainly be further developed in the future.

Nexum AG

This was followed by Anja Buchner from mr. pixel KG with the emotional topic “Emotional commerce – emotions in e-commerce”. She emphasized that there are no rational purchasing decisions and advocated focusing on the ESP (Emotional Selling Proposition), i.e. the emotional added value that a product offers, instead of the somewhat outdated USP. This is because people actively seek out good feelings and avoid negative ones, and emotions always take precedence over rational decisions. Anja recommended immersing yourself in the customer, asking yourself what their needs are, what their values are and what kind of person they are.

As the SEO presentation in the afternoon was unfortunately canceled, we listened to Stefan Wacker and Janine Kreienbrink’s (CXdoing) presentation “Customer Experience: Everyone is talking about customer centricity – and it’s up to you!”. They emphasized the topic of customer centricity and how important it is that the customer journey connects all departments. After all, every contact that customers have with a company counts and everything has to run smoothly, even small things like a change of address. One-off action is also useless, but it is important to keep working on topics, which is why they rely on the CX loop. The aim is to find allies, because customer experience is not conceived in a quiet room, to deliver hard facts (key figures), to integrate customer experience into all processes and decisions and to make the customer experience visible and tangible for everyone. If all employees of a company are on board and work together to offer customers the best possible experience, the corporate culture will also change for the better in the long term.

CXdoing

In what was for us the last presentation of the eCommerce Day, mr. pixel KG posed the question “eCommerce – is it catching on?”. The two discussed the differences and similarities between online and offline retail in an interesting, sometimes almost humorous way. It also addressed the opportunities and risks associated with e-commerce, for example through the tracking of customers using cookies. A successful conclusion to this informative day.

mr. pixel KG

New Work and social sustainability

In between all the eCommerce topics, there was another interesting presentation on Thursday by Marilena Bluhm and Rainer Schubert, who are responsible for the development of new working environments at DATEV EG. Topic: “Work from anywhere – How will we work in the “new normal” in the future?”. It was very interesting to see how a company like DATEV deals with topics such as working from home, coworking spaces, etc. – which also exist at spo-comm to some extent, and not just because of the pandemic. We are curious to see how the whole thing will develop for us. One thing’s for sure: we’d love to have a colleague who invites us all to her farm to work from home and have lunch together!

We will then deal with a completely different topic on Monday, 19.7. when Claudia Lazai and Carolin Mehnert, also from DATEV EG, reported on “Social sustainability as a corporate strategy”. They talked about the company’s focus on diversity and sustainability and how these topics are communicated to employees, for example through action weeks. It was particularly interesting to see what goals they set themselves and where there is still an acute need for action, such as further promoting diversity in management positions or drawing up their own inclusion agreement. They also emphasized how important it is for managers at various levels to act as multipliers and role models by using and communicating the offers themselves. All in all, it was a really exciting topic from which we, as a medium-sized company, were able to gain some inspiration.

DATEV EG

What’s new?

As you have probably already seen, the website now has a bright, clean design that is naturally responsive. This means that all functions are also clearly and fully available on mobile devices.

With our new navigation menu, we want to make it easier for you to find the right Mini-PC for you. Under “Products” you can search for special application areas, such as digital signage or vehicle computing, or for important key facts, such as mini PCs with an extended temperature range or high graphics performance. You can also find our bestsellers with just one click. If you just want to browse, click on “All Mini-PCs” to see the entire product catalog.

The ordering process is also more convenient: when configuring your Mini-PC, you can see directly whether we have the desired components in stock using small colored dots. This will also tell you the delivery time of your order. You can view the status of your orders at any time in your customer account. You will also find your order confirmations and invoices there.

What do I need to know?

We have of course moved all customer accounts with all information and the stored payment method to the new website. What we could not transfer, however, are the passwords. To receive a new password, proceed as follows:

1. Click on the little man at the top of the navigation menu and then on “Log in”.
2. Under “I am already a customer” click on “Forgot your password?”
3. On the next page, enter your e-mail address and click on “Send e-mail”.
4. You will immediately receive an e-mail with which you can reset your password and then assign a new one. Please note that the link contained therein is only valid for two hours.

Unfortunately, there are still a few problems with our forms. If you urgently need an answer from us or have a service case, please contact us by phone. We are working flat out to ensure that everything runs smoothly soon.

Get in contact with us

Can I order something on the new website?

Of course you can place your orders. Please note, however, that the entire spo-comm up to and including January 6, 2021 is on company vacation. Your order will be shipped on January 7 and is expected to be sent out in week 2.

spo-comm Marketing: Hi Michael, hi Bernd, and welcome to this year’s end-of-year interview. The fact that we are sitting together across teams this time and not in the spo-comm meeting room speaks volumes. Tell us, how did you get on?

Michael Sporrer: I’ve probably never seen so few people in the office as this year and it was very challenging in all respects. The whole corona issue has really had a significant impact on the way we work. At the start of the lockdown, we sent most of our sales and marketing staff to work from home. Fortunately, we had already started introducing Microsoft Teams last October. This makes communication much easier in these difficult times. And there was also a lot to consider in our production. The required minimum distances meant that fewer people could work at the same time. This in turn had an impact on the entire production planning. Nevertheless, our production department is doing everything it can to deliver orders in the usual time and quality. I’m really excited about that.

Bernd Moosmüller: 2020 was a real challenge for everyone, especially for the employees. But everyone reacted extremely flexibly, so we were actually able to carry on from home almost exactly as before.  And we were able to continue delivering. There was no noticeable difference for our customers: prices and delivery times remained the same and we didn’t have to cut back on our services either.

Michael Sporrer: I think we have achieved a good balance. It is important to us to protect the health of our employees. At the same time, however, business had to continue, not least in order to preserve jobs. Some of our regular customers are struggling with enormous losses, as sectors such as event technology and trade fair construction are suffering greatly from the crisis. At the same time, we were able to acquire new industrial customers with great potential, so we are generally satisfied with how the year went for us, especially given the circumstances.

Marketing: And we were even able to hire new colleagues!

Michael Sporrer: Yes, exactly, Victor Mention replaces our previous management assistant and Kim Schrickel, who is training with us as an IT systems management assistant, is a great support for sales. Of course, it’s difficult for a trainee not to sit in the office with her direct contacts but in her home office, but Kim does it really well. I am very happy with the new ones.

Bernd Moosmüller: Me too! And this despite the fact that it certainly wasn’t easy for them at the beginning. It’s wild when you come into the office and everyone leaves (laughs). But they both contribute really well and work independently. They were real strokes of luck!

Marketing: Let’s look back a little: February was the last time we were at ISE in Amsterdam. How did you experience it?

Bernd Moosmüller: Participation was good, but now the trade fair has lost twice its appeal. We had already more or less decided not to take part before Corona because Barcelona is logistically difficult. It is now questionable whether the ISE will still take place next year, and indeed whether the issue of presence trade fairs has not been settled anyway. We have therefore been looking for new ways of communicating with customers for some time, whether virtually or, if permitted again, on site.

Marketing: And what about new product launches?

Bernd Moosmüller: Unfortunately, there were only a few new product launches last year. This is largely due to the fact that Intel is finding it increasingly difficult to deliver and is unable to keep its promises. As a result, there are only a few developments at board level. But the successor to the Windbox II Quad is definitely coming next year. And perhaps also products for new markets and other successors.

Marketing: For example?

Bernd Moosmüller: (laughs) Do I have to name names now? Ok, so there’s certainly something new in the RUGGED series, maybe.  also in the KUMO series.

Michael Sporrer: We are thinking about a passive KUMO model, but let’s see. In addition, a completely new product line is being reintroduced with Panel PCs. This would also be interesting for the manufacturing industry.

Bernd Moosmüller: However, the prerequisite is that we can implement our spo-comm system, which means that the panel PCs must be individually configurable for the customer. 

RUGGED series

KUMO series

Marketing: We all hope that the coronavirus crisis will be over at some point. How will things continue with home office in spo-comm? 

Michael Sporrer: In the current situation, I think working from home is a great flexible tool, it’s necessary and it works well. But I think that being in the office more is good for the whole company structure. For me, face-to-face communication is extremely important and I think the company thrives on the presence of its employees. But that’s also a personal thing. My home is my castle, (laughs) I simply need an external workplace to be able to separate my professional and private lives. 

Bernd Moosmüller: I think the flexibility we gain from working from home is great. For us, it was born out of necessity and it’s going really well. I also believe that it will continue to accompany us in the future. Of course, it always depends on the job in question. It has great advantages for conceptual work, for example, because you are simply undisturbed. And it is also practical for employees with children or long journeys to work. At the same time, we have to bear in mind that everyone’s home situation is different and that we as employers cannot influence this. Not everyone has their own study with a desk and ergonomic chair. Overall, however, I am very positive about the whole thing and am curious to see how it will develop.

Marketing: We have one more topic, our perennial favorite: the new website… 

Bernd Moosmüller: At the moment, I’m reasonably optimistic and I’m going to venture a prediction: we’ll get it right this year!

Michael Sporrer: I would be delighted to see it start. It would really be a significant improvement because we have so many new opportunities to make the shopping experience even more enjoyable for our customers.

Marketing: Is there anything else on your mind?

Michael Sporrer: I have seen this year that I can rely on our employees even in difficult times. I am optimistic and positive about the new year and hope that things will return to some degree of normality in the second half of the year!

Marketing: That’s a nice closing statement. Thank you very much for the interview!

Chiara: Hi Felix, what are your tasks as an IT specialist trainee for system integration?

Felix: Hi Chiara, although some tasks are of course repeated, it’s very varied. In the case of our Mini PCs, this starts with the selection of components from the warehouse and continues through to the creation of the delivery note and the installation of the operating systems on the hard disk. Only then can a start be made on assembling a fully-fledged PC from the individual parts and adapting it to the equally diverse customer requirements. Apart from day-to-day business, I have also worked with colleagues on internal projects. This includes, for example, the organization of our server room, but also the installation and configuration of our new telephone system in a virtual machine. Of course, you learn things from and in practice that are not so commonplace.

Chiara: And what are you learning at vocational school?

Felix: There are subjects that are probably part of every apprenticeship. For example, “Politics and Society” and English. However, system integration naturally also includes “information technology systems”. Here you get a good overview of everything from the underlying electronics of a network to the software that builds on it. Virtual machines were also on the timetable. Application development is also included in each of the information technology areas: There we learn programming basics using C++. Don’t worry, it has a little less to do with math than many people think, but you can’t do without it either.

Chiara: What do you like best about your work at spo-comm?

Felix: I’m just generally very interested in technology, both new and old. In my private life, this tends to extend to audio editing, production and retro technology, but I came into contact with PCs very early on as a child. Since Pentium 2 times, I’ve also had the opportunity to tinker and try out lots of things, initially with discarded computer parts. I already enjoyed it back then and being able to do it as a job now gives me a lot of pleasure. I get on well with my colleagues. The most diverse challenges are accepted and mastered flexibly and together.

Chiara: What is your favorite PC?

Felix: That’s difficult to say. As a fan of 19-inch racks, I immediately think of the NINETEEN. In my opinion, it is the most unusual system we have compared to the other devices. For the mini systems, it is the CORE 2: Impressive what is now possible in the smallest of spaces. If I had to choose one for gaming, it would probably be the KUMO V with an Nvidia graphics card. I think our range has the right PC for a wide variety of applications.

Chiara: We are very happy to have you in our team!

Discover our mini PCs

1. quality

The systems offered by spo-comm GmbH have been thoroughly tested and are suitable for 24/7 use. All installed components comply with the industry standard and thus guarantee a long, fail-safe service life. All systems have robust metal housings.

2. equipment

All spo-comm Mini-PCs are equipped with industrial-grade hardware. The components we install are tested and approved for compatibility and continuous load.

3. fanless design

More than half of our solutions are passively cooled mini PCs. This means that no fans are used in the respective systems. Among other things, this enables a more robust design, virtually silent operation and increases the service life of the IPCs.

4. long-term availability

We guarantee that all spo-comm Mini-PCs will be available for a period of 5 to 7 years. This ensures long-term image and software compatibility, for example.

5. variety of connections

Thanks to our different product ranges, we can guarantee the necessary variety of connections for every application. Tried and tested interfaces, such as COM or VGA, can also be implemented with the latest platforms.

6. individual production

Each of our systems is carefully assembled and finished in our Nuremberg production facility according to our customers’ wishes.

7. energy consumption

The chipsets and processors used enable high performance and energy efficiency at the same time. Many systems can be operated with an average load of 15 watts. Even our top-of-the-range embedded PCs require a maximum of 40 to 50 watts.

8. OEM

On request, we can also act as your “Original Equipment Manufacturer” (OEM for short). From neutral packaging and customized housings to system launches with your company logo. Just talk to us about it.

9. customizing

As a manufacturer and developer, we can make changes and adaptations to our spo-comm Mini-PCs according to your wishes. Depending on the type and size of the project, a complete new product development is also possible.

10. warranty and service extensions

We offer warranty and service extensions of up to 5 years for all spo-comm Mini-PCs. You can find more information about our spo-comm SysCare Packs here.

Chiara: Hi Kim, tell me about it. What does a typical working day look like for you?

Kim: Hi Chiara. My day usually starts at 8 am. First of all, I start my PC, check my e-mails and get an overview of everything. Then, of course, there’s one thing you can’t do without: Coffee! We have daily meetings in which we discuss ongoing projects and distribute tasks. I mainly take on tasks such as creating quotations or order confirmations and preparing outgoing invoices. Processing customer emails is also on my daily agenda. I keep an eye on the current test positions and also take care of preparing the sales and production figures.

Chiara: In addition to your work here at the spo-comm headquarters in Nuremberg, you also have to go to vocational school in Fürth. What subjects are on your timetable?

Kim: In addition to the standard subjects such as politics and society (formerly social studies), English and the Plus Program D, I also have job-specific subjects such as IT systems, technology or application development and programming. As I’m doing a commercial apprenticeship, I also have a subject called “Business Management Processes”, the theoretical part of which is probably closest to actual practice. I’m currently finding AWP (application development and programming) the hardest, but I think that’s normal when you’re faced with the task of programming a so-called “Windows Forms app” from one day to the next. In two years’ time, I’ll probably wish I had these tasks back! (laughs) But all in all, I really enjoy vocational school.

Chiara: How did you decide to train as an IT systems administrator in the first place?

Kim: My first contact with video games was relatively early on as a small child. That must have been on the NES and later on the SNES, with classic Mario, Zelda and Sonic games. That’s when I became interested in consoles and later in computers. I’m a classic 90s kid and grew up with all that “stuff”. This direction has continued to this day and so I have developed a, I would say, normal understanding of IT, but I am also interested in what lies behind it. That’s how I ended up training in the IT sector.

Chiara: What do you like most about spo-comm and your work here?

Kim:  What I like most here is that I get a very detailed insight into almost all areas – right from the start. The entire structure of the company and the processes are thus very clearly recognizable and understandable. For me, my working day is an ideal mix of classic routine tasks and other exciting to-dos that make no two days the same. I also get on really well with my colleagues. The entire spo-comm team is like a small family and we laugh a lot together in addition to our work.

Chiara: What is your favorite mini PC?

Kim: In general, I find the very idea of a mini PC very exciting, because before my training here I only ever knew the classic desktop tower PCs that pretty much everyone has at home. I probably find the passively cooled mini PCs most interesting, such as the RUGGED series or the classic WINDBOX II Quad, which looks very inconspicuous due to its size, but is nevertheless very powerful and can be used in a variety of ways. 

Chiara: We are all very happy that you are part of our team. Thank you for taking the time for this short interview.

Kim: Thank you Chiara. I am also very happy to be part of the team and to be here. 🙂

Discover the RUGGED range

For this reason, there may be restrictions on the telephone availability of our employees on this day. You can still reach us by email at info@spo-comm.de or via LiveChat on our website www.spo-comm.de during our usual business hours.

We apologize for this and thank you for your understanding.