Have you ever phoned a customer service department only to receive an attitude rather than help? Not a pleasant experience! It is quite obvious that the person on the other end of the phone is not pleased with his/her job. This has a tremendous impact on your customers!

When you reached the customer service rep with an attitude, what did you think? How did you feel? Did you question your decision to buy from that company? All these things come into play when your customers don’t receive excellent service… especially from the Customer Service Department.

The problem can be caused by a number of factors such as:

• lack of ability to deal with stress
• lack of sensitivity toward customers
• overbearing or threatening voice
• impatience
• critical thinking
• easily excitable
• lack of job satisfaction
• and others…

But how would you know this employee would respond that way after you hired him/her? Applicants always put their best foot forward during an interview. How can you see past the smiles and polish to truly know this employee will perform well as a CSR?

Most people who are customer service oriented fall into two categories within the a profile called the DISC Behavioral Model. They are:

Influence and Steadiness
These are the two styles that focus on people which is extremely important in the area of customer service. There are also some other important characteristics about those two groups

Influence
social and verbal aggressiveness
optimism
good persuasion skills
vision of the big picture

Steadiness
people-oriented loyal to those they identify with
good listener
patient and empathetic
likes a team environment
long service is deemed important

A combination of Influence and Steadiness make for excellent customer service reps because they focus on people, they are good listeners and communicators, positive and patient.

Also, this combination of styles lends itself to people who like to continually work in a stable environment, appreciate the security of being located in an office and receiving a steady paycheck; but also like the challenge and excitement of dealing with new people on a regular basis.

In order to hire customer service reps that are a “perfect fit”, you need to locate those who have these attributes. To do so, look for the following “clues” to their behavioral style which might show up during your interview:

Influence – wears designer label clothes, enjoys personal development activities, likes magazines such as People, Inc., Success and Psychology Today.

Steadiness – casual dresser, likes group activities, enjoys magazines such as Reader’s Digest, National Geographic and Better Homes & Gardens.

Creating a good match between your new hire and the position will help to achieve loyalty, longevity and job satisfaction for both the employee and your business.

Kathi Graham-Leviss is Certified Coach and Behavioral Analyst who assists companies with defining and developing their Human Resource practices. Visit XB Consulting’s website for additional information on the 4-Step Hiring Process and DISC Behavioral Assessments.