Service, Support, Satisfaction:

the pillars of Customer Service at Casa Optima

Customer Service represents a key element of differentiation for Casa Optima which, in addition to offering answers and solutions to customer needs, it strategically promotes loyalty and brand awareness towards the group.   

Lucia Trotta, Customer Service Manager of the brands Mec3, Giuso and Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani, guides a team of 25 people who every day, with passion, competence, and flexibility, offer a high level of service to customers all over the world.  

When you joined Mec3, in 2018, you were responsible for Customer Service of a single company. Today you are at the helm of Giuso and Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani. How has the organization of your team changed?

We have shared various experiences and expanded the knowledge of the reference markets, thus becoming additionally specialized and capable of offering an even higher level of service.

If previously there were three separate companies with different procedures and methods of working, today thanks to the integration we are much more flexible, efficient, and certain of operating in an equal and effective way for all brands.  

How is your team organized?

I have the pleasure of coordinating a team of 25 people, all highly motivated and prepared, divided into Italian and foreign clusters for each brand, as well as a team dedicated to Mec3 Germany and one dedicated to handling complaints.  

During peak periods, the team is flexible and capable of working with all the brands, in collaboration and responding quickly to all requests.  

For example, for Mec3 and Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani we have peaks of work especially in the summer, in particular for the Italian and European markets, with the pastry market of Giuso we are linked more to autumn and the holiday periods of Christmas and Easter. In general, exporting all over the world, our work is well distributed throughout the entire year.   

What are the distinct characteristics of Casa Optima’s Customer Service?

Relational and organizational skills, propensity for teamwork, flexibility and an excellent knowledge of languages are certainly fundamental. Those who work in this office interact every day with different departments and with external counterparties, therefore, knowing how to coordinate, the respective needs and timing, is essential.  

How did you face the difficulties caused by the health emergency?  

Initially there was a period of adjustment in which we transformed the inevitable difficulties in opportunities for improvement and innovation. In fact, nearly everyone was in smart working, so we had to change our method of working, by adopting new forms of communication and collaboration. Similarly, we have speeded up the process of digitizing our activities, reacting promptly to meet our customers’ needs and to continue to provide them with the level of service they were used to.

What does it mean to be a woman at the head of a team made up of 95% women?

From 2018 to today we have grown numerically but the relationship has always remained the same: 24 women and one man who, I must say, gets along very well with all of us! For me it’s a privilege to manage this team and I believe that understanding and collaboration are the basis of our relationship. As a woman and a mother, I know how important it is to find the right balance between work and private life. For this reason, from the beginning, I have focused on the skills of each of them with the aim of creating a serene work climate, because if the team is united results are much easier to obtain.