Thank god we did not have to pay in silver coins.

Hi!

All of us start somewhere. I began my career as a sales assistant in one of the British fashion houses in London. At a time my job was pretty simple. My principal responsibility was to make sure my walk-in customers were receiving impeccable service. The tools we used are very different from the ones are being used now.
At a time we were supposed to make sure the store looked great customers were assisted. We were using a POS machine, cash till and a landline phone. Sounds like a dull day at work and it was. However, times were changing. Retail businesses were shifting focus and customer relationships became more vital to business. I received my very first client book. Simple notebook with calendar had to help company and me to foster closer customer relationships in increasing sales. Hence, I learned how to use new means in my everyday work routine. From sales assistant, we became client executives. It might sound posh, but it was true. Our mindset had to shift to the future, ownership had to increase. With time we became owners of our business. A little book turned business from a passive player to a professional in the sales field.
When we thought we were doing great market tendencies changed. Focus did not vary, yet priorities and new tools started to influence fashion business in new ways. I was headhunted by a very prestigious Fashion luxury brand. Innovative thinking and approach to how business is done in that company were very much in their DNA. I loved it as a small kid was given a new challenge, a new toy. With new goal came new tools and practices. There was a complete selling ceremony in place to make sure that clientele of the brand were treated and assisted according to the company guidelines to ensure impeccable customer service across the globe. Hence, we received our own work iPhones to conduct client management activities.
Furthermore, we were using a unique software to keep track of our interactions with clients and make sure we were ahead of time with them. Another tool we received was not something new to this world. However, I thought it is worth mentioning. We had our personal business cards. A small piece of paper, yet it has so much meaning there. We were giving our personal connection to our significant clients. We were available to them at any time, for any occasion. We could help them even if they needed a special gift sent to their loved ones in another country. Our job responsibilities grew again with the new tools we had we increased our reach globally. As you may know by now time does not wait. And it is ticking.
New service became necessary for retail business growth. You had to be online and be able to ship globally. Now you could buy expensive bags and shoes online, get them delivered to your home in London or your winter vacation villa in Dubai with one click on your iPhone. To be a client became easy. As for myself, I had help from my CRM systems. I was getting suggestions on what kind of products my clients would love to be informed about. That felt great. Yet, it was not perfect.
Recently, Farfetch and Chanel announced a partnership on augmented retail(https://bit.ly/2BDYNsR). The online experience became personalised due to the vast amount of data about the browser, yet in the physical store, this does not happen.
Therefore, I think in the future we will see a fusion of technologies and us. Hence, the most critical skill at work becomes the ability to quickly learn new tools and techniques.