The HEART in Hiring

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Guest Post By: Monique Castillo

While out of town on business recently, I stayed at a Homewood Suites hotel. This hotel wasn’t extravagant–no restaurant, no valet service. What it did have though, was consistently outstanding customer service.

From the moment I walked in, I received great customer service. It took many forms: being greeted by name every time I walked into the lobby, being shuttled according to my schedule not theirs, having a spider humanely removed from my ceiling, and more.

I left the hotel thinking “This company hires the right people, and they take pride in the service they provide.”

As a manager or hiring specialist, you can’t afford to have the wrong people in the job. The Impact Learning Systems HEART ModelTMcan serve as a great guide to hiring for customer care jobs.

Look for job candidates to demonstrate the following characteristics:

  • Hear and Understand – Does the candidate exhibit good listening skills and empathy during the interview, and does he or she ask helpful questions to understand what is being said?
  • Expect the Best – Is the candidate upbeat, positive, and optimistic? Excited about what the job entails?
  • Act with Integrity – Look at the candidate’s work history. Ask hypothetical situational questions to hear how he or she would act in a particular situation.
  • Respect Diversity – Does the candidate seem open-minded and able to get along well with others? Ask how he or she would embrace opportunities to help customers and fellow employees.
  • Transcend Yourself – Does the candidate enjoy the continuous pursuit of new goals? Is he or she willing to learn something new-and eager for a challenge?

If you get the right people in the job from the start, your job will be easier, since you know you have a team in place that is customer-focused and cares about providing memorable service.

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This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 9:46 am and is filed under Customer Service & Support, HEART Model.
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Republished with author's permission from original post.

Peggy Carlaw
Peggy Carlaw is the founder of Impact Learning Systems. Impact helps companies develop and implement customer service strategies to improve the customer experience. Their consulting services and training programs help organizations create a customer-focused culture while producing measurable business results. Peggy is also the author of three books published by McGraw-Hill including Managing and Motivating Contact Center Employees.

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