Tineke Mann – National eBusiness Manager

Q  – Hi Tineke, thanks for taking the time to chat today. To kick things off, what does an eBusiness Manager look after?

TM – It’s my pleasure and thank you for the opportunity to share some insights into the world of eBusiness.

I’ve been with TIMG for 19 years now and in that time, I can confidently say that I have primarily worn a ‘problem solver’ hat and have made it my mission to always be on the scout for new and innovative ways to help our clients adapt to, and use technology to transform their businesses.

To answer your question about the eBusiness Manager role, I guess it’s all about drawing on my years of experience in leading various tech teams including eDiscovery, scanning, coding and Dev. The increasing influence of technology on everything, means that I need to stay on top of the everchanging digital marketspace so that our business can continue to deliver fully managed solutions that transform and drive meaningful change for our clients.

Wow that was a mouthful, can I go now? (Tineke chuckles)

Q  – No, that was fantastic. While not too specific, it’s clear that the whole digital piece constantly has the goal posts shifting. Can you tell us how your TIMG journey began?

TM –  I started at TIMG in 2003 when I was living in Melbourne. My first role was as a Business Development Manager. I remember telling my then Manager, that I had no problem with the idea of rolling up my sleeves and get stuck in but, it was on condition that I be able to modify my role every three years. Surprisingly, he agreed, and so in 2006 I was appointed State Sales Manager for Queensland. This role brought with it fairly aggressive KPIs and I quickly realised that to be successful, I would really need to establish my ‘solutions’ mindset and drive TIMG’s digital service offerings which were being spoken about more frequently when meeting clients face-to-face.

In 2008, Online Backup Services were added to my portfolio and in 2009 I took on the role of Assistant State Manager for Victoria where my primary focus was developing the TIMG Foundation for Sales. It was here that the pace really started to escalate as the role required managing multiple location sites and came with a higher expectation of sales targets.

Fast forward to 2013, I started my current position as eBusiness Manager. In essence, this role has evolved as clients have come to us wanting to use technology to drive successful outcomes. It remains one of the most challenging and rewarding spaces to operate in because TIMG is perfectly positioned, experienced and, dare I say, fully accredited to handle all critical elements related to information management.    

Q  – COVID-19 would have thrown some challenges your way – can you share how you dealt with clients during the various stages of lockdown?

TM – Let’s put it this way, I’ve encountered very few problems that I have not been able to solve. Whether I’ve directly contributed to the solution or, referred a client to a third party who is better equipped to help – the solution has always been the focus. So, when COVID hit, our clients knew that they could count on us to assist them. Right at the outset, we communicated our position, our capabilities and our commitment to our clients very clearly and assured them that we were willing to think outside the box and pivot our solutions and services to meet their needs.

In practical terms, where clients needed to quickly rethink their operational requirements, TIMG offered a number of solutions that acknowledged the obstacles associated with remote work, restricted access to physical infrastructure and of course, the need to secure data management solutions. The leadership team at TIMG (of which I am a member) was able to oversee the offering of:

• secure automated backups of files, folders and databases for remote workers (WFH).
• a scan-on-demand service that allowed clients to securely access documents, files and boxes stored with us.
• a secure 24/7 Document Production Service where our operations staff collected/scanned/printed and delivered client’s documents with a ‘business as normal’ approach.
• a digital mailroom service with an Australia-wide operational footprint where we collect, scan, redirect and store our client’s business mail and parcels.
• secure transport solutions that include secure warehousing and logistics.

As the eBusiness Manager, my team and I looked after a lot of the digital elements necessary for the delivery of our solution outcomes. A real challenge – but we did it!

Q  – Do you have an example of an eBusiness solution that you managed and resulted in transformational change for a business?

TM – Great question, because I don’t have to look too far for the answer! One of the most important eBusiness projects I’ve overseen was the orchestration and execution of JOTA2®, our proprietary web-based Job Ordering and Tracking Application. This project had to satisfy both internal and external client needs. Our external clients were requiring a more intuitive version of our job ordering software and internally, our print production staff were voicing a need to improve general efficiencies and reporting capabilities.

An analysis document was circulated in the market, and it revealed that we clearly needed to rewrite the JOTA2® software. A project team was formed, milestones were created, and the delivery date was set. The decision was made to release the product in stages where the first implementation was live on Melbourne Cup Day. Strategically, this ensured that at least the afternoon would carry fewer client requests, and that Victoria theoretically would have 2 days before they experienced the new system and by that time, any hiccups would be resolved by us.

Three areas were identified as risks – the change management piece, the actual software development, and the internal rollout. With a constantly moving target, I needed to balance the key priorities of the platform, whilst keeping a firm handle on internal and external change management.

Fast forward to today and the platform has been successfully rolled out nationally. All JOTA2® jobs are completed with the highest levels of confidentiality, accuracy and security and all under the umbrella of our SOC2 certification.

Q  – What advice would you pass on to a young woman starting out in technology and data management?

TM – Firstly, I would suggest, identify your niche early because there are so many opportunities for sharp focus in this industry. Any experience gained will be valuable later in your career. There are also massive educational resources available online – take advantage of these! Knowledge + attitude + work ethic = career progress. The IT/Tech world is highly competitive from a job perspective so I would suggest finding a mentor who can offer advice and guidance on important matters. My main bit of advice would be to just go for it and accept every perceived “failure” as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Q  – Tineke, thank you so much for your time. As a much loved and important member of the TIMG family, we look forward to what lies ahead for you and the eBusiness team.

TM – Thank you! I’m excited about where we are as a business. TIMG is perfectly positioned to offer our clients meaningful digital solutions that will help them transform their businesses. This digital shift isn’t something that “will happen soon”, it’s already happening and businesses that embrace a positive and progressive mindset will advance and grow. Businesses that are slow and reactive, will run the very real risk of being left behind! Talk to us, we can help.