![\"customer-service-job\"](\"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/customer-service-job.jpg\")
\nimage source: http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zepfanman\/<\/p>\n
What do we expect out of a customer service representative?<\/p>\n
\nimage source: http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zepfanman\/<\/p>\n
While physical capital refers to physical objects and human capital refers to unique personalities each of us brings to the table; social capital is the health and breadth of our collective understanding of one another<\/a>. A society of diverse, capable but isolated individuals is not necessarily rich in social capital.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what Robert D. Putnam probably thought when he chose the article titled \u201cBowling Alone\u201d as an analogy for his book of the same name<\/a>. Despite the fact that bowling has steadily increased in popularity over the past 20 years, the number of bowling leagues and similar social organizations have decreased over the same period. This shifted bowling from a primarily social activity to a primarily individual one.<\/p>\n The individualizing process has been steadily increasing via smart phones, social media, reality-based television, the two-career family and suburban sprawl. Putnam argued that all this risks making us spectators to life, limiting our exposure to and understanding of personal relationships and conflict resolution.<\/p>\n Customers generally enjoy conformity and many are subject to the forces of the community they are part of. While conformity-seeking minimizes stress and benefits from group insulation properties, challengers of such behavior are also noticed and appreciated by those within the community.<\/p>\n Consider the rise of Uber and Amazon Dash. Just a decade ago it was inconceivable getting a personal, on-demand driver or your laundry detergent re-ordered with a push of a button. When such powerfully disruptive technologies get on our radar, we all take notice.<\/p>\n As a result, a small nudge in customer expectations can attract many more customers. The responsibility of dealing with more customers falls squarely on the shoulders of customer service representatives. They\u2019re expected to be knowledgeable, helpful and friendly even when the environment least calls for it.<\/p>\n This may explain the challenges businesses face in communicating culture, recruiting and training for customer service positions.<\/p>\n No customer wants to deal with a lazy waitress, passive-aggressive clerk or a flight attendant who avoids eye contact so they don\u2019t actually have to take any orders. Yet, such lapses in judgment (and courtesy) are quite common and are a direct result of emotional labor \u2013 a term coined by Arlie Hochschild\u2019s in her book The Managed Heart<\/a>.<\/p>\n In her book, Hochschild demonstrates that it takes measurable effort to display certain workplace emotions such as friendliness and enthusiasm. This work is required to overcome the difference between emotions an employee is expected to display and emotions an employee actually feels.<\/p>\n But what happens to the person when feelings become commoditized? This can have an negative overall effect on the customer service representative and eventually the customer.<\/p>\n Here are a few ways to avoid this:<\/p>\n Customers, support agents and business owners all want different things.<\/p>\n We especially shouldn\u2019t deny that company-employee relationships are adversarial in nature. One is thinking about how great it would be for the other to come to work on Saturday, while the other just wants Friday to be over.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s resentment according to wealth, power and social standing. Your employer isn\u2019t obliged to share company information with you. What concerns them are your performance targets.<\/p>\n Besides, you have your own things to worry about. Lunch breaks, Facebook updates, news sites, personal commitments \u2013 things that rank high on the agenda for you, but certainly not at all important to the employer or to the customer.<\/p>\n What\u2019s worse, this way of thinking is reinforced by our culture and mass media. Movies, television and news articles talk about the underappreciated worker. There\u2019s usually no context provided about the business owner\u2019s investment, risk, profit margins, taxes and costs associated with each employee. Nor do we hear about the end-user\u2019s concerns on the other side of the spectrum.<\/p>\n Customer support representatives are often faced with pressures from both sides.<\/p>\nSocial capital and the customer<\/h3>\n
Measuring emotional labor and its effects<\/h3>\n
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\nSomeone who is passionate about your industry is bound to have it reflected in customer service. It\u2019s a good idea to hire car enthusiasts to work in the automotive department of a store, for example.\n<\/li>\n
\nManagers don\u2019t get the right behavior by asking for it, they get the behavior they encourage, nurture and reward. Managers should encourage positivism, risk-taking and facilitate career advancement.\n<\/li>\n
\nSupport teams suffer when leaders aren\u2019t there \u2013 or don\u2019t lead by example. Give employees a feedback and coping mechanism when external factors affect job performance.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhere customer service reps find themselves<\/h3>\n
![\"beach-glasses\"](\"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/beach-glasses.jpg\")
\nimage source: royalty free<\/p>\nThe role of the business owner<\/h3>\n