.nl in the spotlight: mrsjef.nl

Where did you get the idea for Mr Sjef?

Jan: "In the current climate, working and studying online are more important than ever. Microsoft 365 products can help people work more efficiently and effectively in the cloud. I've been working in process optimisation for some time, at a string of companies. And Machiel has been teaching for seventeen years, so understands the education sector really well. When the pandemic started, we met up and had a brainstorming session. The idea was to come up with ways of helping companies and educators to work efficiently, particularly while their personnel are based at home. Ways that would enable us to make use of all the experience we'd built up in different fields. That led to the birth of Mr Sjef."

What about the domain name: why mrsjef.nl?

Machiel: "During the brainstorming session, we bounced around lots of ideas for names. We didn't want an abstract name based on something like 'ICT' or 'solutions'. We wanted something snappy, something easy to remember and easy to find on the internet. A name that would appeal to the target audience. It didn't take long to settle on Mr Sjef. Sjef is a common Dutch name: the sort that fits a man who helps people sort out practical problems. Our basic premise is that everyone should have a Sjef around the office or wherever they're working, who they can turn to when they need hands-on help with something. We felt the name went with our friendly, personal approach, where the focus is on the end user: the person who has a practical question about Microsoft 365. So we immediately went online and checked whether the domain name was available, and found that it was." Jan: "After that, we started work designing and building the website ourselves. I grew up in the graphic design world: my parents run a printing firm that used to be my grandfather's. So I've got a feel for design and I enjoy developing websites. Designing something for your own business provides an extra buzz. The site was created using WordPress, again with the end user as the focal point. We wanted it to be as user-friendly as possible. There's nothing on the site that isn't directly relevant to our target audience."

What do you hope to achieve with Mr Sjef?

Jan: "Many organisations have ICT departments. You can ask IT for help if you forget your password or you've got a specific system-related question. But IT departments often aren't set up to provide general help with using Microsoft 365. With Mr Sjef, our aim is to bridge the gap between system administrators and end users."

Machiel: "The idea is to provide a low-threshold info and answers service. We've created a knowledgebase, to help people with straightforward 'How do I...?' type questions. The answers are in various forms: videos, PDFs and Microsoft Sway presentations. The user chooses the one they want. We also offer training courses and workshops, which can be delivered on site or remotely. The courses cover issues that participants are likely to meet in their day-to-day working lives. We identify what those issues are by in-depth organisation-specific analysis involving interviews and questionnaires. Ultimately, the knowledgebase and the courses are designed to help Microsoft users get on with their work as soon as possible."

Do you have any advice for other people looking to set up an online business?

Machiel: "Yes: go for it! When you first start, some things are bound to seem daunting. But most turn out to be more straightforward than you initially fear. Registering a .nl domain is pretty easy, for example. And, these days, you can build a website with a simple drag-and-drop tool." Jan: "The only thing I'd like to add is that it's important to consider things from the user's perspective. In the field we work in, for example, lots of firms have names -- and matching .nl domain names -- based around words like 'systems' and 'solutions'. But we think it's better to have a name that's relatable for the target audience. What kind of impression does your name make on the people you want to appeal to? What do they associate it with?"