Our blog series "Coffee Break: 5 min. with..." is an opportunity to get to know our team members better.
Today, we are chatting with Ramunė Slančauskienė, who joined the Via laurea team back in 2017. Ramunė works in the customer support team, so most of our long-term clients have certainly interacted with her more than once.
A fun question to start with – coffee or tea?
In the mornings - only coffee! One cup of strong, black, unsweetened coffee.
For the rest of the time - only water. I sometimes joke that I’m like a real flower - I need light, warmth and water. 😃
What does a great workday look like for you?
I feel best when, at the end of the workday, I know there are no unanswered questions or open tickets left - when I don't finish work thinking, "Oh, I still haven't answered that, I still haven't done this..."
A workday ends perfectly when, after a long meeting, a client says: "Thank you, Ramunė, I understand everything now, it's all clear to me!".
You’ve been at Via laurea for over 8 years now - what do you like most about working here?
It’s hard to say what I like... usually, you change jobs when there’s something you don't like. 😊 And then you know exactly what that is.
But at Via laurea, I like the director's approach, the trust, I like my colleagues, the atmosphere, and the working conditions..
Via laurea team outing, 2022 summer
Which skill have you improved the most during that time?
Patience with clients. Clients come to meetings with a lot of questions (what? where? how? why?) because everything is new to them. My job is to explain everything in detail and with patience to each new person, over and over again.
What is the most challenging thing about working in the customer support team?
The hardest part is telling a client that, unfortunately, something isn't possible. You always try to suggest solving issues with standard tools, but sometimes those tools simply don't exist... Or there isn't a specific functionality that works exactly the way the client imagines: like, I'll just click here and - BOOM! And we have to say - no, it doesn't work like that, but we can solve it a different way... Explaining that is the most difficult part.
What usually determines whether a situation or problem is resolved smoothly?
The problem is usually resolved very smoothly if:
1. The client describes the situation accurately, and...
2. The client is open to various solutions and isn't strictly set on needing it "only this way and no other".
When do you realise that real trust has been established with a client?
When a client says, "I want another consultation with Ramunė."😊Or when clients specifically choose me and book an online meeting with me themselves.
Sometimes, after a two-hour consultation, I feel so tired, having used up my entire 'quota' of words for the day (and I’m a woman! 😊), but the clients' gratitude truly 'gives me wings'.
Via laurea's client visit in 2022
Which Odoo news today do you find the most interesting?
I've known Odoo for more than 9 years now, but the system developers still manage to surprise me - with every new version, they always offer some slightly unusual, non-typical solutions.
I've heard comments from colleagues and clients more than once: "Well, that’s a strange solution, completely the opposite of what I expected... 🤔 Regardless - it works!!". 😃
In your opinion, what makes Via laurea stand out among other Odoo partners?
First and foremost, we are Gold Partners and that is fantastic! 😃
What makes us stand out is that we always try to offer standard solutions to the client first, rather than developing or programming custom ones; this approach is flexible and remains adaptable with every new version. It allows clients to upgrade to a newer version more quickly and easily, and to receive system improvements in a much simpler way.
Finally – what achievement(s) are you most proud of?
I am very happy that we "grew" with Odoo alongside Via laurea. When I started working at Via laurea, there were additional IT activities here, such as SEO, web and design services... However, the company later transitioned fully to the Odoo system, and I am glad that I was able to contribute to that.
In my personal life, I am most proud of my two adult daughters. Despite being twins, they have chosen completely different paths in life. One, the elder, is an HR specialist building a career in a large international company, while the other is a "world vagabond". 😃 During her studies, she travelled across almost all of Europe, and now she’s exploring the world through the Work and Travel program: she spent the past year working and traveling in New Zealand and, currently, she is in Canada.
I support them both very much! With one, I sometimes discuss new changes to the labour code, and as for the one travelling the world - my husband and I always go to visit her, no matter which country she’s in! 😊
Ramunė's trip to visit her daughter in New Zealand, 2025
