This past summer City-Lab customer service teams were reinforced by eager university students. City-Lab summer trainees open and store deliveries and sometimes also place orders and aid customers in finding the right product, depending on the trainee’s background. City-Lab Turku summer trainee Silja Kuusirati, a health technology student, and City-Lab Kuopio’s Vili Kuittinen, a biomedical student, share their experiences.
Science knowledge comes in handy
Both made good use of their studies.
“It was useful to know in advance, what most products were used for. I am familiar with basic lab equipment such as pipette tips, tubes and flasks. Without previous knowledge it would have been more difficult to find product alternatives for our customers” Vili says.
“Some supplies were new to me but my knowledge in biology and chemistry helped me overcome all hurdles. At times I even calculated concentrations to make sure that a chemical matched the customer’s needs.” he continues.
New skills
Silja Kuusirati learned about life science companies. “I gained new perspectives into the field.”
Many of the skills she acquired will be of use in all future jobs. “I developed a keen eye for accuracy when I placed orders and made sure that deliveries were stored correctly. I also gained experience in ERP system use and customer service “ Silja says.
Vili even learned skills to take to the lab. “I learned a lot about cell culture products. I now understand how many growth media options there are for different cell types and what to take in to consideration if and when I do my own research. I also now have a broader understanding of the equipment it takes to run a laboratory.”
Nice customers & helpful colleagues
Silja enjoyed the varied days, a balance of more solitary tasks and the social interaction of customer service. “The customers were nice; they made the work days interesting. Tiina and Heidi were fun to work with!”
“At times there were a lot of orders coming in and a lot of deliveries to store, at times it was quieter” Vili sums up his experience. At times Vili manned the shop on his own: “Pasi was easy to reach if I needed advice.”
“The customers have been very friendly. And I even got to play ‘ice cream vendor’ when giving the customers their complimentary ice cream cones for VingLab orders!”
To wrap things up, Silja gives advice to future summer trainee applicants: ”I recommend City-Lab for trainees that are willing to learn new things every day. A positive attitudeas well as teamwork and organization skills are a plus!”
