Individual approach, helpfulness and kind attitude are some keywords associated with an excellent customer service culture. For Viru Keskus this is a key pillar for offering its customers pleasant experiences in a stress-free shopping environment. According to the manager of the shopping centre Gertti Kogermann the high level of customer services is a fundamental characteristic that is common to all shops and service points in Viru Keskus. “The service staff of the centre and the atmosphere they have created to make visitors feel welcome has the greatest role in reaching this aim. Every year we wish to thank and inspire our people who are leading the service culture in Viru Keskus and its development. They are shaping the face of Viru Keskus and through them we can show our customers that we care.”

Viru Keskus has been recognising the best creators of service experiences in the first quarter of each year. This time there were two competitions for the title of the Best Service Point and the Best Service Provider in Viru Keskus. The candidates took theory tests and there were also test purchases made in shops in order to create a ranking list.

Based on the evaluation process the three best service points in Viru Keskus in 2021 are as follows:
1st place: shoe shop ECCO, manager Krista Auulik
2nd place: clothes shop Armani Exchange, manager Ella Ytrebø
3rd place: sports club MyFitness, manager Laura-Liza Sööt

Shoe shop ECCO won the title of the best service point for the second consecutive year. According to its manager Krista Auulik they have been lucky that the personnel and the team of the shop hasn’t changed over the last years. “Everybody is very loyal to our employer and our great cooperation is the key to our success. We were certainly motivated by winning the title last year. It was very nice and everybody wanted to do their best again,” she added. In addition to the award certificate this year Viru Keskus gave the winner a special prize that this time was an artwork by Liisu Arro and a gift card.

The service points that won the 2nd and 3rd places received also an award certificate and a restaurant gift card to allow the teams to celebrate their joint achievements together. According to Ella Ytrebø, the manager of the winner of the Best Service Point title Armani Exchange, the passionate attitude of their staff is maintaining their high level of customer services. “Our team is highly motivated and we have a very positive atmosphere. We all trust each other and help the members of our teams when needed.”

The manager Laura-Liza Sööt of sports club MyFitness that won the third place believes that the best service experience is created by the team as a whole. “When choosing members for our team we have always focused on having everybody tie in well together. The whole team helps to keep the motivation level high by maintaining a positive attitude and great working environment.”

Viru Keskus awarded also its best service staff who impressed with their skills and inspiring attitude during the evaluation process of the competition.
1st place: Jana Krot, GoldTime shop
2nd place: Hannes Martin Eenmaa, sports club MyFitness
3rd place: Jelena Gavrilenko, Armani Exchange shop

The winner of the title of the best service provider Jana Krot feels that her greatest strengths are her communication skills, positive attitude and emphatic nature. “I try to communicate equally with everybody. I have chosen the job of a service provider because I like to communicate with people and I cannot imagine working behind a desk. What I like most about customers is that they are all different and they always offer new experiences,” added Jana Krot, who was awarded the title of Service Star, a personalised handmade silver brooch by Claudia Lepik and a cash prize.

Viru Keskus awarded the winners of the 2nd and 3rd Best Service Provider titles an award certificate and cash prizes. The winner of the 2nd place Hannes Martin Eenmaa states that there is often much more than just communication with customers behind great work results. “I did not choose this profession simply to provide services. There are so many factors. We have a great team here and this job gives me so many other possibilities. Last year was sad due to the restrictions, because sports gyms were closed, I could not work out and that spoiled my motivation at once.” The third place winner Jelena Gavrilenko agrees that the pandemic has been a challenging time from the shop service provider’s point of view, but communication with shop visitors has often been the factor that helped overcome any difficulties. “This year has been very hard with these restrictions, but my customers inspire me and help me overcome any problems.” 

The manager of Armani Exchange shop Ella Ytrebø recalls that the service staff had to face many hardships because of the restrictions. “There were very few customers and it is hard to work behind a mask – you cannot see the customers’ emotions or understand what they feel. Often I had to read the answers in their eyes.” According to Krista Auulik, the manager of the ECCO shoe shop, the brisk online trade through their webshop helped to keep their team together. “Our shop was open all the time, so we did not have to sit at home during the restrictions, but kept working steadily.” The manager of the Best Service Point thinks that it is possible to come out of the pandemic even stronger. “This is a bit quieter time with not so many people coming in and no tourists, so we would certainly need to focus on customer services to ensure that everybody coming to our shop would still get super services,” she says to encourage other service providers.

Previously Viru Keskus has been declaring the winner of the Best Shopping Environment title, but the manager of the centre Gertti Kogermann said that this title will be awarded next year. “Due to the renovation of the building the situation of the shops is somewhat unequal. We have paused the Best Shopping Environment award to highlight it even more after the renovation of the centre and the shops. This will certainly be a title worth aspiring to next year,” states Kogermann about what to expect next year.

For a video with the sincere emotions of the best service providers in Viru Keskus go here.

Photos: Kalev Lilleorg