Poste Italiane has always been attentive to social integration between the various communities living in the country. For this reason, the “Multilingual Project” was launched in 2014 with the aim of offering a service focused on the needs of the target group of foreigners living in our country, offering desks with mother-tongue or multilingual operators. A place of social inclusion where reception, integration, proximity and dialogue are concrete acts for a dynamic and highly industrious clientèle.
To date, there are 35 multi-ethnic and multilingual post offices in both large and small towns, where people can find operators ready to help in different languages, contributing to the creation of a bridge of social sustainability. This need stemmed from the figures: according to the latest Istat data, in fact, there are about 5 million foreigners residing in Italy, corresponding to about 8.7% of the total population.
One of the most important multi-ethnic offices and the first that was tried out is located in Rome, in Via Marsala, practically inside Termini station, i.e. the capital’s true melting pot. This is an actual journey, as entering the Post office is a bit like travelling around the world.
Moneygram services in an office that is the symbol of social inclusion
It is the employees of the office who tell the story of their daily life in Via Marsala, starting with Director Serena Tripodi, who highlights the presence of the Chinese community: “When Chinese customers enter the office, they immediately look for the operator who speaks their language and asks us where to find him when they don’t see him. Then they come back when they know they will find Zheng.” She goes on to explain that “there is a large amount of money coming into the MoneyGram agency accounts, which workers use to send their salary to their families at home.” In a multi-ethnic post office, the difference in accents and languages that can be heard each minute is astounding. That is why, confesses Tripodi, “every now and then I listen to them speaking in different languages from my station. You don’t feel in a post office, but rather in a multi-ethnic airport at the centre of the world. It’s nice and fascinating to hear colleagues speaking in other languages with their different pronunciations.”
Zheng’s experience
Zheng Mian, originally from Shanghai, China, has worked in the office in Via Marsala for 15 years. Mian says that he has always been at the counter “where I mainly deal with Chinese customers.” “Our job,” he explains, “is to help people who do not understand Italian, whether they are Chinese or from other backgrounds.” Every day in the office “you work with different people” and handle all kinds of situations, trying “to be available to customers for all their needs.” Mian also talks about the new Poste Energia offer, which “we propose to customers when they tell us that their bills are too expensive,” emphasising how the new Poste offer proposes energy prices that are locked for two years, with the possibility of choosing a fixed and constant monthly instalment for 12 months calculated on the individual customer’s annual consumption. An adjustment is envisaged at the end of the first 12 months based on the updated annual consumption.
Simona’s focus on customers
Simona Ruseva is originally from Bulgaria, but has been living in Italy for many years. She joined Poste in 2021 as a financial advisor. “We often talk about financing, insurance or investments with our customers. Most enquiries concern loans, but there is an increasing focus on insurance.” The counsellor tries to devote “the maximum amount of time to each customer especially because, sometimes, the language barrier does not allow us to do everything right away, and customers need to feel that we are focusing on them.” In the office, therefore, “we try to communicate in all languages, using a little Italian, a little English and some gestures”; the important thing, in fact, “is to achieve the result and provide customers the service they need.” These attentions are noticed and appreciated by the customers, who often “thank me for my patience” and show that they “appreciate the time dedicated to them.”
A social integration project across the whole of Italy
Multi-ethnic Offices, which started out as a Project, are now an emblematic reality throughout the country, testifying to Poste’s commitment to be close, inclusive and responsive to the needs of all citizens. By taking advantage of the language skills of colleagues, distances are reduced and social empathy is enhanced, facilitating the use of services: speaking and understanding each other in the same language is like feeling at home, and it builds loyalty because it creates trust.
In addition to Rome, the offices can be found in cities where foreign communities are more numerous and deeply-rooted such as in the large capital cities of Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, Palermo, Genoa, Padua, Bari, Caserta and Foggia. But also in Lecce, Modena, Prato, Brescia, Mazara del Vallo and Vittoria.
