HR: How to Find Great Customer Service Personnel
When searching for exceptional customer service reps (CSRs), look in particular for five characteristics, advised Jack Mitchell, CEO of Mitchells/Richards stores in Connecticut. While Mitchell’s suggestions, offered at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference in New York City in January, were primarily for store personnel, his ideas are applicable to any manager who needs to hire exceptional CSRs. Look for these five traits:
1. Honesty. “You can test for this, of course,” said Mitchell. “But two true signs are if the person is open to new ideas and seems genuine in character.”
2. A positive attitude. “When interviewing, beware of applicants who blame other people or things like computers for their past mistakes,” said Mitchell.
3. Competence. “Look for quiet and modest, but unmistakable, self-confidence,” he advised.
4. Passion. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a passion for sales, per se,” he said, “but the applicant should feel passionately about something. I once hired a woman who was passionate about art. She turned out to have a keen eye for mixing and matching clothes and accessories on the shop floor for customers.”
5. Hire nice people. “In the end, this is the most important characteristic for look for,” said Mitchell. “Probe and ask questions so you can discern if they genuinely like other people or not.”
- Places:
- Connecticut
- New York City