We Are the Voice of the Customer

LUPE PUERTA “WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER”

Now that’s glamour! In her capacity as Global Director of VIP Client Relations at Net-a-Porter, Lupe Puerta is not only on familiar terms with the company’s most prominent clients, but also with the people behind the brands listed by the luxury e-commerce giant. Her role is, without the shadow of a doubt, a source of inspiration for the manner in which customer relations will be conducted in the future. Interview: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photos: Net-a-Porter

Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter take customer re

lationship management seriously. The group has just announced that it will add another 100 EIP Client Relations Managers to its existing team of 40. What exactly does an EIP Client Relations Manager do and how closely does he or she work with what you call Extremely Important People?

I oversee the teams that work at the intersection between on and offline. We come up with strategies that resonate in different markets and for different taste levels and requirements. My role is to support the client relations and the personal shopping team to ensure we build long lasting relationships with our customers. The relationship is very much customer-led, so for example some customers prefer a seasonal check in, whereas for others the conversation never stops. In some cases, the relationship develops over years and we become a part of their day to day lives.

What makes your service so outstanding?

We have been doing this for a very long time and have earned the trust of some very long standing and loyal customers. If you combine the power of the personal shopping force behind the scenes as well as on the road, it’s incredibly strong. One of our aims was to ensure that our personal shoppers were as much on the road as behind their screens and we’ve achieved this; it’s an important balance. Just this last season we’ve been in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore,

Japan, Italy, Germany, London, Madrid, and all over the

US in almost every state. We hire people with really good experience who understand customer service and have specialist market knowledge. Coupled with our talented team, the relationship with our brand partners and the incredible support they give us allows us to bring the best selection of the world’s beauty, apparel and non-apparel brands to our customers – including the designers in person, regularly. We always think about the people behind the brand as we know this is what our customer loves. Whether it’s one-ofa-kind experiences through to personal designer fitting or bespoke pieces, there is nothing we can’t help our customers with.

Which qualities must new employees bring to the table?

We hire with the customer in mind. We look for people who understand clients, the process and subtleties of selling, people who have a broad understanding of luxury in general, not just fashion, so that they can understand the customers’ lifestyle. We also look at any specialist market understanding that they bring. And finally it’s super important for a successful team, that you look to find people that we want to spend time with ourselves. Then we know they will engage well with the broader business, with our brands and most importantly with the customers.

Where do you find such talent?

Client relations is quite a new thing and means something different for each business. For us, we try to find people who really understand the commercial side of our business, because it will benefit the customer, so that means salespeople from on and offline who understand how to sell and know what great service looks like. We find people from different parts of the luxury world, but all have a background in customer sales.

What are the most important insights your team gains about Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter’s customers? How do these insights help your purchasing team, for example, to increase the accuracy of the product range?

We’ve just hired a Head of EIP buying. For us, this crossover is very important. This role is in a unique position to relay to the buyers very valuable information that our personal shopping team have gathered, and vice versa. My team is the only part of the business that meets customers face to face regularly, so it’s a vital information source for the business, from the buy, to service, to tech. We are the voice of the customer.

“There is nothing we can’t help our customers with.” Lupe Puerta, Global Director of VIP Client Relations at Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter

Spanish-born Lupe Puerta has been with Net-a-Porter/Mr. Porter since 2004. She is considered the architect of the group’s Client Relations depart- ment. Her team includes a growing number of personal buying consultants who support customers around the world with the highest level of service and exclusivity.