Only real feelings worthwhile

Researchers at the University of Jena show that the services sector is only of honest friendliness

The wishes of the customer in mind and always smiling: For employees in the retail and service company which is part of everyday life. Because whether the customer buys something, depends crucially also on whether he was served courteously. But sometimes good is also the most beautiful smile nothing, namely, if it is only played. This was demonstrated with colleagues from Münster and Australia now empirical scientists of University of Jena.

The research team has investigated whether the efforts of an employee to a customer arrives alike in this. The scientists were able to find a positive relationship between customer-oriented behavior of the employee and the perception by the customer. Come add a high level of authentic friendliness, the effect increases significantly, they write in an advance online published article in the journal British Journal of Management (DOI: 10.1111 / 1467-8551.12049).

Being convulsively friendly is not effective

"A strong customer orientation paired with a real smile ensures satisfied customers who are happy to come back and recommend the business," says Simon Brach, the first author of the current study. If the advice is competent, but the friendliness is only fake, the customer still does not feel like king. "Previously, it was assumed that service employees should always smile - no matter how they feel at the moment," says Simon Brach. "But our results show that being frantically friendly is not effective." Even the opposite is the case: the customer doesn't benefit and the constant feigning of feelings causes more stress and more rapid exhaustion for the employee, emphasizes the Jena social psychologist .

For their study, the scientists examined 275 real sales and advisory meetings in German service companies - for example, visits to the hairdresser, in a restaurant or in a video store. Immediately after the encounter, the employees and their respective customers wrote down on a questionnaire how they felt about the situation they had just experienced – from their own perspective.

Always keep your composure

As the statistical evaluation of personal impressions shows, friendliness is not a gain at any price. However, if you are having a bad day, you should still keep your composure: "Even if it might be authentic at the moment: lack of interest or even rudeness does not go down well with any customer," emphasizes Brach. "On the other hand, all nuances of friendliness through to neutrality are allowed," says the employee at the Chair of Marketing at the University of Jena.

The scientists recommend companies to pay attention to whether a future employee enjoys dealing with customers when they are hired. They should also ensure a positive working atmosphere: "The employees then identify more strongly with their job, making it easier for them to show a real smile," says Brach.

Original-Publications:

Brach S et al. A Dyadic Model of Customer Orientation: Mediation and Moderation Effects. British Journal of Management (2013)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8551.12049/abstract 

DOI: 10.1111/1467-8551.12049

Source: Jena [ Friedrich Schiller University ]