Employee Education as the First Step Towards a Real Relationship with the Customer

At the end of April, I visited the Retail Tech Show in London. Besides the large number of exhibitors from different fields, I paid the most attention to the talks that focused on the relationship with customers. From several of them, one very similar starting point could be drawn: today, more than ever before, it is important to have a relationship with the customer. And that relationship does not begin with technology, an app, a campaign or a loyalty programme. It begins with people. Above all, with those on the front line — salespeople, receptionists, advisors, information staff, waiters and everyone who creates the first feeling.

This, of course, is nothing new. What is new is the environment we are in today. There are more and more digital tools and entry channels to the customer, and artificial intelligence is increasingly influencing the way people search for information, compare products and make decisions. That is exactly why the first human contact is becoming even more important.

The first contact is the beginning of the relationship

A potential customer must get a pleasant feeling at the first contact. This is not only a question of the product or the price. It is about the entire atmosphere: the arrangement of the space, how the space breathes, the light, the air, the music, the feeling of welcome and, above all, the approach of the employee. Many years ago, I was already stressing to potential clients: if all employees do not live the loyalty programme, then it is better not to start it at all.

A loyalty programme is not just a software tool. It is a combination of technology, communication, understanding the customer and relationship. What good is the best system if employees do not understand it, do not feel it and do not identify with its value? What good is a campaign if an employee does not take time for the person standing in front of them? The employee must understand why they are doing something. Why they ask. Why they present a certain offer. Why they invite the customer into the loyalty programme. Why it is important not to talk only about the discount, but about value.

And this is where education begins. Not only technical education on how to use the system, but also education about relationship, communication, listening and understanding the customer.

From transaction to guest experience

I am convinced that when you think of a real loyalty programme, you first think of hospitality. Of a hotel, a restaurant, a good guest experience. Remember the first contact when you arrive at a hotel. What feeling did you get? How did the staff welcome you? Did they only register you, or did they give you the feeling that you were welcome? Did they merely hand you the key, or did they present what you could experience?

This very logic is increasingly moving into retail as well. Retail is increasingly adopting elements of the hospitality industry. The customer does not want to be treated as a transaction. They want to be treated as a guest. This means more attention, a more personal approach and a greater feeling of being welcome.

That is why I was pleased to hear that serious companies understand this issue and are aware of the importance of the first contact. Of course, a salesperson, if they have not done this before, cannot simply know on their own what the right approach should be. Yes, some common sense certainly helps. We can always begin with the question: how would I want to be served? I often mention this to our clients as well. Put yourself in the role of your customer. How would you like to be welcomed? How would you like to be helped? How would you like the offer to be presented to you?

But people are different. We have different upbringings, different views, different experiences and also different moods on a given day. That is why it is not enough to leave things to the feeling of the individual. We need clear starting points, education and, if possible, an internal manual that helps employees understand what the first contact should look like, what further communication should look like and how a relationship is built.

It is also especially important how we ask questions. It is not enough to ask the customer what they want to buy. It is more important to understand who they are, what they need, what life context they are in and what value we can offer them. Put yourself in the role of the customer. You are not completely decided on what to buy. Perhaps you are not even sure whether you would enter a certain store, bar or restaurant at all. Which one will you enter? The one where you have a better feeling. The one where something invites you in. The one where the first contact does not reject you, but opens the door.

Remember the first contact with your love. You wanted to make an impression, didn’t you? Well, it is the same with customers. There is always the first impression first. Only then can a relationship begin to be built. And only then do software tools, data, campaigns, automation and loyalty programmes come into play.

Of course, you must first know exactly what you want to achieve. Where do you want to lead your customers? Yes, I understand — you want them to buy more. But that can also be a double-edged sword. Sometimes less is more. Less pushing, more kindness. Less aggressive selling, more education. Less pressure, more feeling. And it is precisely with this that you can achieve more in the long term.

Destinations must breathe as a whole

One of the more important findings, or confirmations, that I brought back from London is that the transformation of retail does not begin with technology or sales campaigns, but with people. Employees must understand what the brand represents, how it communicates with the customer and what kind of experience it wants to create. Education must take place both physically and digitally. It is not enough to introduce a new system, a new application or a new campaign. The key is that employees understand why something is being introduced, how it helps the customer and how they themselves can contribute to a better experience.

It is no different with destinations, where the experience is not built only in one store or with one provider, but through the entire ecosystem. In shopping destinations, this means the centre management, marketing, tenants, service providers, hospitality providers, information points and all other stakeholders. They must work hand in hand. Every destination must care about attracting as many people as possible, but it is even more important to offer them a reason to stay, explore, return and recommend the experience further.

If a visitor feels that the entire destination breathes as one, they will much rather shop there than somewhere else. If shopping centres want to become real destinations, they must think beyond tenants, parking spaces and promotions. They must think about the entire visitor journey.

An important message of the Retail Tech Show in London was that the future of retail is not only in higher turnover, but in a better shopping journey. The goal is not merely to “drive volume”, but to create an environment where the customer wants to stay, explore, talk and return. Stores want more dialogue with every customer. They want to understand people, not just measure transactions.

It is no different with a tourist or any other destination. There too, the visitor does not evaluate only an individual service, but the entire experience. How they were welcomed. How easily they found information. How providers addressed them. Whether they felt the connection of the entire space. Whether they had the feeling that someone had thought about their journey.

Technology has an important role in this. It helps us understand customer behaviour, connect data, personalise the offer and measure effects. But technology by itself does not create a relationship. People create relationships. That is why employee education is the first step. Not the last. The first.

If employees understand the story, the value and the purpose, technology can become a powerful tool. If they do not understand this, it remains only a system that no one truly lives, while employees merely go to work. And this is exactly the essence of retail and destinations: not in measuring the customer better, but in understanding them better.