Polti: a customer centric company. Rafael Roman, General Manager of Polti Spain and Polti Portugal speaks.
What does it means to be a customer centric company?
It is an apparently simple concept, but actually very broad if we consider that it is really a 360° strategy that has as its focus the final customer.
Every action and decision, not only in the commercial and marketing fields, must be planned taking into consideration the effects it can have on the consumer and on the perception of the brand. The centrality of the customer has to be a priority in a competitive environment such as the current one, which is why a continuous analysis of consumer behaviour is important: knowing what he wants, what he’s looking for, when he buys, where the customer is most receptive.
The analysis is not limited to the time of purchase of the product; indeed that is only the beginning. For an effective customer centric strategy it’s essential to know also how the customer perceives the product and the brand, what is his degree of satisfaction. Today the real push for buying is the branding, the perception that the consumer has when he hears, sees, reads, thinks of the brand or its products.
How does Polti really develop a customer centric culture and what advantages does it bring?
Customer orientation is first of all a matter of corporate culture. It’s of fundamental importance to make employees, partners and suppliers aware of this focus; everyone must be aware that the customer is at the center of every action. The best Ambassadors of Polti brand are its employees - they are the first to believe in the brand, so they are also the most credible spokespeople, spreading the company's culture and values.
We hear a lot about omnichannel - is it a successful element for a customer oriented company?
An omnichannel strategy is the key to success to reach all customers without exception and to show an intergrated brand experience at the various points of contact: point of sale, website, e-Commerce, social networks, contact centre, advertising.
In Polti we try to be present in both offline and online channels; in recent years we’ve experienced significant growth in online, but I believe in the future physical stores will still play an important role; the challenge will be to make the border between online and offline ever more subtle to offer consumers a fluent and homogeneous shopping experience.
What's the biggest challenge you've faced and which is the next?
During this year of our 40th anniversary, we launched the new La Vaporella models, irons that are more contemporary than ever because they meet today’s ironing needs, but which have not lost that innovative aspect that 40 years ago simply made Vaporella a brilliant idea.
As always resources, investments and commitment aren’t lacking, but now the biggest challenge is to compete in a highly competitive market that includes large multinationals - but we have on our side highly respected expertise and know-how.
The challenge for the future will be that of realizing the omnichannel strategy, breaking down the boundaries between the various sales channels, improving the customer's shopping experience and communicating with the customer at the most suitable place and time.
[related_products]