Swisscom : opens its first Junior Shop

Swisscom is opening a Swisscom Shop in Düdingen tomorrow with an innovative new concept. As part of the new design, the shop will be run independently by trainees and is the company's first Junior Shop. Swisscom is thus giving budding retailers the opportunity to take on commercial responsibility during their apprenticeship. Customers are central to this new concept and they will be attended to and provided with advice in both German and French in the bilingual catchment area of Fribourg and Berne.

A team of nine retail trainees will work in the new Swisscom Junior Shop in Düdingen, which opens tomorrow (Saturday). The trainees will be given a great deal of independence in providing customers with advice and will also be responsible for planning, the shop layout and sales. The shop will be managed by Maria Veronica, a trainee retailer in the third year of her apprenticeship. She is looking forward very much to taking on this task: "I am proud that Swisscom is showing so much trust in me. The company is providing us with the opportunity to further develop ourselves during our apprenticeship and put our skills to the test."

Swisscom is committed to maintaining Switzerland's linguistic diversity. Due to the large catchment area of the Fribourg and Berne region, the Junior Shop will be operated in two languages. Customers visiting the shop with be welcomed in both languages and advised and informed about offers tailored to their individual needs in German or French. "We are confident that the Junior Shop concept will create an inspiring environment for the development of our junior staff," said Pierre-Luc Marilley, Head of Sales at Swisscom.
The project will initially run for one year, after which time a decision will be made on whether to continue and expand the Junior Shop concept.

Swisscom currently employs some 850 trainees and trains them in six professional vocational areas - IT, telematics, mediamatics, commerce, retail and customer service. In August alone, 256 new trainees started their training. What makes this vocational training model special is that it places emphasis on working independently on projects and as well as on willingness of the trainees to take responsibility for the development of their skills. The trainees gain professional experience in project assignments and as such are largely able to shape the training they receive in the various areas of the company themselves. During their apprenticeships, the trainees are supported by a coach, who helps them to build up a full range of competencies.

The Swisscom Shop in Düdingen is the 103rd of 120 Swisscom shops that have adopted the new shop design. Customers are increasingly using modern communications technology in their daily lives. As a result, they are also placing higher demands on product presentation and the advisory expertise of providers such as Swisscom. Swisscom has picked up on this trend and, in addition to providing individual advice, is offering customers the chance to see products live in action within the shops. The shops play a key role in customer support, with more than 1,400 shop employees taking care of around 6 million customer concerns every year.