Customer Service Reader

No takers for fakers

Notes from Is “service with a smile” enough? Authenticity of positive displays during service encounters
in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 
Alicia A. Grandey, Glenda M. Fisk, Anna S. Mattila, Karen J. Jansen, Lori A. Sideman, Pennsylvania State University

• Previous research (Pugh 2001, Tsai & Huang, 2002) has shown the value of “service with a smile” on customer attitudes and intentions. This present study shows that the effect of positive displays is weakened if the smiles are inauthentic.
• Even in short, one-time service encounters, the authenticity of the service employee’s smile makes a difference to the customer.
• It is counter-productive for companies to require employees to “Smile!” despite their true feelings:
• (a) It causes service workers to behave inauthentically (Ashforth & Tomiuk, 2000). False smiles occur as negative reactions to the monitoring and enforcement of the display (Rafaeli & Sutton, 1987).
• (b) Focusing on meeting display rules may take cognitive resources away from task performance (Richards & Gross, 1999 and Sideman & Grandey, 2003).
• If display rules are to be enforced, rigorous emotional skills training is needed in techniques, for instance, to regulate mood via cognitive reappraisals (Totterdell & Parkinson, 1999).
• Rather than putting the burden on the employee to create an authentic display, management would benefit from inspiring authentic positive emotions in workers through positive leadership (George, 1991) or increased autonomy (Spector & Jex, 1991).
• “Service with a smile” is not a sufficient requirement for service excellence. Provided tasks are performed well, a truly happy worker, or at least a worker who can appear to be truly happy, provides the most satisfying service encounter.

Welch on hiring

Notes from Winning, by Jack & Suzy Welch.

"Nothing is more important to winning than having the right people on the field. The team with the best players wins."

CRITICAL MUST HAVES

• INTEGRITY - people with integrity tell the truth, keep their word, take responsibility for past actions, admit mistakes and fix them, play to win the right way, by the rules. They are real, openly admit mistakes, talk about their lives with both candor & discretion.
• INTELLIGENCE - not to be confused with education. Intelligent people have a strong dose of intellectual curiosity, with a breadth of knowledge to work with other smart people in today's complex world.
• MATURITY - not to be confused with age, people can be mature or immature at any age. Mature people withstand the heat, handle stress and setbacks, enjoy success with joy & humility, respect the success of others, are confident but not arrogant, have a sense of humor, esp about themselves.

4E, 1P FRAMEWORK
The framework for GE's hiring practices

• Positive ENERGY - ability to “go go go!”. They thrive on action and change, are extroverted, optimistic, make friends and conversation easily, start and end the day with enthusiasm, love to work, love to play, just love life.
• Ability to ENERGIZE others - ability to get other people revved up. It’s not just about giving speeches, it takes a deep knowledge of your business, ability to persuade, to make a case that will energize others. Those with this ability can make people see that no matter how hard the job, it can be done.
• EDGE - decisiveness, the ability to make tough decisions. People with edge get input from multiple sources quickly, and know when to stop assessing. They make tough decisions, even with incomplete information.
• EXECUTE - the ability to get the job done. They have a track record of results. They put decisions into action through to completion, overcoming resistance, chaos, unexpected obstacles. Winning is about results.
• PASSION - a heartfelt, deep, authentic excitement about work. They really care about colleagues, employees, and friends. They love to learn and grow, and get a huge kick about people around them doing the same.

Hiring for customer service

Hiring is the critical first step in building a team that delivers outstanding customer service.

It is not easy to find people with a service orientation and history. But it is much harder to create a customer service mindset in people who have not already developed the habits on their own. Skills and techniques can be picked up in a few weeks, but principles, values, attitudes, and habits take years to take root.

TIPS

• Take the time to do it right. When we hire the right people in the first place, we spend less time on training, managing, and firing.
• Screen for service. During the screening interview, ask the candidate a service-related question, such as “Can you tell me about a time that you went the extra mile to take care of a customer?”
• Give them homework. Ask the candidate to observe your business for 30 minutes before a scheduled interview. Ask them what they think about how you treat customers, and what they would do better.
• Let them know what they’re getting into. Go over your customer service standards, and let them know they’ll be held to them.
• During the interview, pay close attention to the answers, and ask for specifics. Everyone pays lip service to customer service. If they really practice it, they will have many stories to tell.
• Check their references. Ask service-related questions such as, “Would you say that the candidate delivers outstanding customer service? What examples come to mind?”

That's a good doggie

Many of the readings on customer service that I will summarize in this blog deal with how to improve customer service, and develop a customer service culture in organizations. In customer service literature, the emphasis tends to be on doing things to people, such as "engaging", "empowering", "recognizing", "incentivizing" employees.

That's all very nice, I'm sure, but whatever happened to personal responsibility? Why wait to be engaged, empowered, recognized, incentivized, or in any other way manipulated? Are we at best cute little puppies to be trained to turn tricks for treats? I would like to think that there are people out there who need no masters but themselves, who find that serving others is inherently good, and intrinsically rewarding.

But back in the real world, I suppose the experts recognize that such people are rare, or not likely, if they're that good, to be working in customer service. Still, one can dream. Nice doggie.