Personality and Profitability: Customer Service

No one would argue the fact that customer service is an important concern for any business owner. We know that every customer is connected in some way with least two hundred people, and that when they become upset with a product or service, they can be counted on to share their discontent with at least 20, possibly more. Unfortunately, they aren't always quite so outspoken when satisfied.

Customers expect top quality products and excellent service. They just take it for granted. So when your service isn't up to snuff, they respond accordingly. After all, they have given you their business, parted with hard earned cash, and you "owe" them the satisfaction of a happy experience! They feel like you have broken your part of the "contract," regardless of the unavoidability of the problem. Good customer service breeds customer loyalty. One major mess-up can ruin years of satisfaction.

In your organization, just how important is customer service? What is the feedback you get from customers on a daily or weekly basis? What are you doing to ensure and improve this essential aspect of your business? Knowing personality types and which personality is best suited to dealing with customers in a number of situations, can go a long way to reduce or eliminate customer service problems.

For example, I was working with an organization that wanted to improve their customer service due to a number of recent complaints. We looked at the personality types of several customer service representatives and found that they had different personality types, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

Susan was a people type, and had excellent people skills. She could approach new customers, had a friendly attitude, would bend over backwards to help, and genuinely cared about customer satisfaction. How could a person like this cause a customer service problem?

Well, people types, in general, hate conflict. Although they care about people and do everything in their power to "satisfy," once a problem occurs, they run into emotional blocks. Susan had training and knew what she was supposed to do, but inside, the thought of facing an angry, critical and possibly even abusive customer was more than she could bear. She tended to avoid these particular situations, placing their complaints at the back of the pile. This led to problems with unsatisfied customers who felt their needs were being ignored.

Joe, on the other hand, was great at following through with the paperwork. But he was more comfortable completing tasks, and tended to spend a lot of time in his office, rather than face to face with customers. He tended to shy away from social and conversational opportunities, so was not able to build the positive relationships needed to maintain customer loyalty. He also had a kind of "one-size-fits-all' approach to problem solving, and lacked creative solutions to unique problems.

The third customer service representative, Cheryl, was a lot of fun and had a good time with customers in general. They all liked her and often sought her out if they had a question or complaint because she seemed to always come up with unique solutions. But Cheryl, though not particularly afraid to face customer problems, was better at building rapport than on following through on paperwork. She tended to initiate a process and then get distracted by other, more interesting projects. The results may have looked similar to Susan's, but the underlying problem was quite different.

Fortunately, skills can be learned, and all three of these customer service people were motivated to achieve optimum customer service. But a "one-size-fits-all" training program would not solve the overall issues. Susan needed training and coaching based on gaining assertiveness and facing conflict. Her people skills were good and her follow through was not a problem. The problem was her discomfort with conflict.

Joe was good at follow through, and did not particularly avoid issues raised by clients, but his people skills were a bit lacking, and he tended to prefer tasks to people. He needed to learn to be a bit more friendly, and face the changes needed to get out of his office more often, meet customers, and build relationships.

Cheryl, on the other hand, was also good with people. She had a great time talking and joking around with customers, and coming up with excuses as to why the issues were not yet resolved. But Cheryl was not self-disciplined enough to sit down and get the paperwork completed on time. Cheryl needed coaching in the area of self-discipline, time management and follow through.

Personality differences are a normal part of human behavior. We all think and act differently based on our personality preferences, needs, inborn strengths and Achilles Heels. The good news is that we can overcome our Achilles Heels and develop strengths that will enhance our performance, help us reach our goals, and strengthen our interpersonal relationships.

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Pat Swan, M.S., Personal Life Coach and Relationship Coach
Author of Watch Out! Your Relationships Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
Reduce relationship stress and discover secret remedies for better health.
Visit my web site www.patswan.com and Sign up for my FREE Well-Being Tips
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Copyright 2003 Pat Swan

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