Name: Ram Rai
Airport: Birmingham
Store: Alpha
Position: Customer Service Manager
Ram Rai joined WDF after studying for a degree in
Applied Sciences but decided that retail management would be more
suited to her as a career. She came on board at Alpha in Birmingham
Airport in May 2005, starting as a Department Manager in tobacco
and liquor, then moved on to become a Beauty Manager.
I enjoyed it from day one. The support was there – I knew I
could always go to my line managers for help and advice. They
taught me to lead by example. You have to respect your team in
order for them to respect you. And the training is brilliant. My
manager tries to find out what I enjoy and then he does what he can
to help make sure I get to use my skills. They make a real effort
to recognise high achievers.
I found working at an airport very different to the high street.
For example, it was strange having the store incredibly busy during
the summer and quiet at Christmas. I also enjoy the shift work.
Sometimes I start as early as 4am (when we open). I’m used to it
now. It’s actually a great time of day because it’s really busy and
there’s a real buzz in the store. So time flies.
Even though I’m a manager, 90% of my role is customer facing. I
concentrate on front of house and maximising sales. I spend a lot
of time working with the sales consultants and identifying ways we
can improve our service. We try to make sure customers get a great
first impression by welcoming them and letting them know about
promotions we’re running. Even if you look after a specific
department, it’s important to know about promotions and products
around the whole store so that we can help with anything anyone
needs.
I love that there’s so much to learn. There are so many
different products and fragrances. When a customer comes in, I can
tell from what they wear currently what other scents they might
like to buy. We have such fantastic training courses to help build
our product knowledge and I feel like I learn something new every
day. It’s incredibly interesting. I’m a big fan of the skincare and
all the creams. Everyone needs a little moisturiser, especially
when they’re travelling!