In 1990, former VW quality manager Dirk Bösenberg founded the company TEMA-Q Technik für Management und Qualität GmbH in Meinersen. The main focus of the company is market research for quality assurance in the automotive industry.

With a few employees, such as a project manager, 10 to 15 interviewers, a data entry specialist and an executive secretary, TEMA-Q started with some initial difficulties. The EDP did not want to work right away, recorded data was often deleted due to IT errors, the technology was not yet as advanced as it is today, we were still working with cassettes, floppy disks, etc.

I have been with the company from the very beginning, i.e. for more than 30 years now, first as a data entry specialist, then as head of the typing department and now as a pensioner on a 450-€ basis at TEMA-Text. It is still an interesting job with many challenges and always interesting assignments.

In the first years of TEMA-Q, the company grew enormously, so that by 2008 there were many more employees in the company. There were several project managers, many interviewers, data collectors, a payroll office, coders and always trainees who could learn all the processes of modern market research in the company. In the meantime, the company also offers new apprenticeships such as computer scientist in combination with a dual study program or specialist for market and social research.

Initially, there was a second mainstay through workshop tests, TEMA-Test was founded. Automotive specialists were hired and a project manager with about 10 automotive mechatronics technicians tested automotive workshops for their service quality and customer satisfaction.

TEMA-Q’s transcription office continually expanded, sometimes employing up to 30 transcribers who not only transcribe verbatim notes for the automotive industry, but also write for lawyers, appraisers and companies. Medical professionals also worked in the typing pool, writing hospital reports and doctors’ letters.

One of the positive aspects for employees of TEMA-Q was, and still is, the very flexible working hours, especially for those who have a family to take care of. To this day, working hours can always be chosen freely, in the morning, in the evening, at night, at weekends or even completely in the home office. This has always been very much welcomed by the employees. For the management, the decisive factor was and is ultimately that deadlines are met and the work gets done, and with this working time model, this has always worked perfectly, even during vacation periods.

Even during the economic crisis in 2009 and the Corona pandemic in 2020, there have been no layoffs at TEMA-Q. The employees really appreciate this. The customers benefit from this: the employees have been with the company for a long time, they are not only experienced, but also satisfied and motivated and this is reflected in the quality of the work.

Technology has improved enormously in the meantime. IT development at TEMA-Q is at a high level. The possibility of a home office has been available for a long time and works very well. Interviews from the CATI studio are quickly recorded, coded and made available for evaluation. Everything can be put online at short notice, and all of this is now available worldwide and in many languages. Customers appreciate this very much, which is why we have many satisfied long-term clients who keep coming back to the company. Customers know that we are flexible to every requirement and can even finish something over the weekend. We also provide technical support if someone is not yet familiar with the new technology. The personal contact and always the same contact person make us special for the customer.

Author:

Anne Kleinbauer

Retiree and former department manager of TEMA-Text