When In Rome (or Milan)

I took a very quick trip last month to attend an academic conference in Milan. Milan is not usually on the top tourist lists, but I found it to be a great place to spend a few hectic days.  When I was not attending conference sessions, I was exploring Milan and shopping.  My shopping experiences in Milan were very different from my shopping experiences here…and in very good ways. Here are some:

The stores I visited in Milan (and believe me, there were a lot of them…from the large department store “La Rinascente” to designer boutiques on the Villa Della Spiga to the cheaper youth stores on the Via Torino) were well staffed.

Small stores, whether selling high-end designer goods or not, had four or five salespeople who greeted every customer who entered. At La Rinsacente, there was one salesperson in charge of a small, maybe 100 square foot area. Most stock is kept in the back, so you need people to go fetch what customers wish to purchase, but the overall feeling was that the customer was important, that staff was truly there to serve.

I also liked the way it was abundantly clear who the sales people were. At some stores, the sales force is decked out in black suits and beautiful enameled pins bearing the store name. At other stores, staff wore merchandise that was for sale.

The sales people seemed proud to represent their store through their clothing. I never got the feeling that these people felt they were in some type of ‘uniform’, but of course, it appeared to me that everyone in Italy is dressed ten times better than the average American.

The salespeople were ready to help, but did not hover. I watched some salespeople chatting quietly with each other, all the time keeping an eye on their area and ready to help if necessary.  I never felt that I was interrupting someone as I often do in the US (where I’ve gotten frosty receptions from salespeople on the phone obviously on a social call).

And while many of them did not speak English, they did their best to communicate with me or quickly found someone who did speak English. In the past, I have always felt awkward not knowing the native language. Not in Milan.

What does it matter, you ask? Well, I did tell everyone in the conference about the stores I went to and how wonderful people were…and I know many others at the conference visiting some of the places I went. I also thought how many stores I frequent lack any type of customer service, and how just a little training could make so many in-store experiences better.

I rarely get the feeling that people working in retail are proud of what they do. And when I do get that feeling I make a point of telling others about it, and becoming loyal to that store.  However, I do not think I realized how important this was until my time in Milan.

What do you do to instill pride in your workforce?

– Kim