“When it comes to critical things, you want to talk to people”

DELIVERY MAN: How has stationary retail changed? Is it still needed at all, especially in telecommunications?

Stefan Amon: It’s true. Many people shop online. This is a completely normal process, many things are digitizing. But what’s exciting is that where advice is needed, at the end of the day it’s still the people who count. On average, customers take 25 minutes for advice. We also see this strongly with our fully digital products. With cell phones, for example, the haptic effect is very important. You can watch it online, but it’s still different when you have a cell phone in your hand.

Does the age of the customers play a role?
No, in our experience that doesn’t matter. A lot of young people are physically shopping again. You can see it in the full shopping centers: it’s all about the shopping feeling.

Nevertheless, demands have changed – how do you as a company react to them?
On the one hand, we continue to work on our customer experience. We are the only ones on the market who offer a so-called guru service. People who are not very familiar with IT topics or their cell phones can go there, for example if they cannot move their photos from A to B. It is paid by the minute like a service. On the other hand, the demands placed on branch management and shop management have also changed.

Which leadership competencies are now in demand?
We need bosses with leadership skills who actively coach employees on the floor, give lots of feedback and motivate them. These are skills that you have to have. In the regional area there is something else: shop managers are part of the communities and are very active there, for example at local events. You anchor yourself more firmly in the community. That’s what it takes. I always say: people sell to people.

So one answer to digitalization is more humanity?
It takes the combination of digital and human touch. You can do a lot online, but when it comes to critical things you want to talk to a human.