"At Lidl, we have been seeking a more focused but at the same time, holistic approach towards our people's training where we now stress that our employees are not just trained as cashiers or stock managers but more importantly, they have to be trained to handle any query from our customers as this is what drives customer satisfaction."

This was stated by DoroteaMader, Head of HR at LidlMalta Supermarkets,at the end of a training programme hosted by MISCO for a group of about 60 employees from Lidl's Santa Venera and Qormi supermarkets.

The course, conducted by MISCO's specialist people trainers, delved into a number of areas ranging from inter-personal relationships at work and customer satisfaction to handling of customer queries and dealing with complaints.

"At Lidl, customer satisfaction is our main goal and we are constantly seeking to improve the experience that our customers get at our outlets. We are interested in what our customers need and we understand that nowadays, they want a quick and efficient service that can only be offered when our employees understand the importance of it, something which was widely discussed during this training programme", explainedDoroteaMader.

"Currently employing 225 employees across 7 Lidl outlets located in Santa Venera, Safi, Żejtun, Luqa, San Ġwann, Qormi and Gozo, Lidl is a growing organisation and after a presence of 6 years on the island, we decided to apply a more focused approach to our ongoing employee training by starting from a group of sales assistants from two supermarkets. In fact, we will now dedicate the next two to three months to monitoring our employees and assistingthem in puttingwhat they learnt into practice. Based on the outcome, we will know how best to proceed with future training programmes for more employees," added DoroteaMader.

Ritienne Xerri, Training Specialist from MISCO conducted the workshops and expressed her satisfaction at how all employees responded positively to this training initiative.

"We were delighted with their feedback and we were also very encouraged by their participation and active involvement in all the workshops. I feel that the most important factor that come out of this training was that all employees are seeing their company as an organisation that not only wants to improve its operations but is very interested in helping them become better, more competent,more effective and more satisfied sales assistants," said Ritienne Xerri.

"We commend Lidl for its commitment towards training of its people. When staff training is ongoing, the employees are more motivated, become better at what they do and help their organisation remain competitive in its sector," concluded Ritienne Xerri.