Nice and Tough--The Right Combination for Customer Service

Of all the applicants you interviewed for the Customer Service Rep position, the last one was the nicest. There were quite a few that had excellent skills and experience. Some even worked for the same size company in the same industry. They also had great computer skills. So, lining the top candidates side by side, the thing that sets one apart is his personality. Really nice. And that’s a rare quality that you can’t train. The hiring decision, you feel, is a no-brainer. Or is it?

Really nice people are hard to get mad at. And customers can get angry. Nice people don’t usually follow suit. They can remain calm and supportive, even if a customer is screaming at them. While they appear to be in control and focused on solving the problem, there are other factors at work that may make them a poor fit for the job. At least that’s what an article in the Business Insider claims. “Why Nice People Shouldn’t Work In Customer Service,” lists some reasons why nice people aren’t the best fit for customer service. 

What would seem to make nice people a great fit actually can work against them. The article says nice people are sensitive. So what’s the problem? Sensitive people often lack the ability to separate the angry person from the cause of the anger. They tend to internalize a situation. The longer the customer complains, the more they tend to take ownership of the problem. If their attempt to solve the problem or smooth things over doesn’t work, they can panic and get upset themselves. They may feel they have somehow failed if they can’t make the customer appear or act happy again. The truth is, no one can make every unhappy customer happy. Nice people take it as a personal failure if the customer doesn’t leave smiling.

According to the article, nice people are also easily flustered. Some unhappy customers enjoy complaining. It’s almost like a sport. They delight in increasing the level of their voice, objections and demands just to upset and confuse the customer service rep. These individuals usually try to up the stakes, wanting a full refund, something for free and an apology from a manager—and that’s just for starters. Nice people have trouble with people that are unhappy and unreasonable. They can get flustered and lose control of the situation. The worst part is the really nice person forgets this type of customer is manipulative and isn’t really interested in coming to a reasonable conclusion. At the end of the day, unable to solve problems, the nice person can begin to doubt his effectiveness.

Nice people can succeed in customer service if they work with nice, happy customers. Like happy people on vacation. They work well in a very supportive work environment where managers are quick to shield customer service reps from the really unhappy customers. 

For aspiring customer service reps, the key is to know your personality and what kind of environment you best fit in customer service. It takes a special kind of person to work in some big-box  stores, or retail where customers buy merchandise only to wear it once and try to return it. Nice people can start out in the morning with a positive attitude and self-esteem, and be dashed into despair by lunchtime. Nice people with a little edge and some “street smarts” may fare better with tough customers. Take an honest look at your personality before signing on or hiring a really nice person for your toughest customers.

Photo Source: Morguefile.com