ARE ALL CSRs CREATED EQUAL?

Rough Notes, Oct 2004 by Neumayer, Sean

Finding a perfect fit

Finding the right CSR can be a frustrating and time-consuming task-somewhat like finding the one person who fits into the fabled glass slipper. You are probably looking for an efficient, productive CSR who is suited to the job, in sync with your work environment, and responsive to your management style. But is that quest an achievable objective . . . or just a fairy tale?

The term "customer service representative" connotes different things to different people. In the past, CSRs may have been strictly service-oriented-standing by to provide aid to frazzled customers with specific problems, questions or dilemmas concerning a company's products and services. Today, however, more and more agencies are looking for CSRs who can sell. They need to be able to shift the focus of their conversations with clients from service to sales so as to introduce new products/services and possibly garner additional business.

Let's say you are looking to hire a selling personal lines CSR. You interview an assortment of men and women of all ages, with various backgrounds, experience and appearances. They may say they're comfortable selling, but might not really be. Placing a person who is naturally unassuming and nonassertive can lead to disaster and disappointment, not only for you, but also for the new employee.

The person smiling at you from the other side of the interview table knows he or she is on display. Candidates try hard to present the image they think you will like and, in turn, hire. They might seem proactive and enterprising, but what you could really be seeing is social assertiveness-a comfort with people, not sales. Hiring a person who is friendly and animated but not at least somewhat self-starting, can be a big mistake.

Sales-oriented personal lines CSRs typically need to be mildly assertive, sociable, and attentive to details, but not too sensitive to rejection. Their pace should be compatible with your office environment and appropriate for the type of work they will be performing. For example, you do not want to assign repetitive data entry to someone who is easily bored and looking for variety on the job, as doing so will often result in poor performance, frequent absences and, finally, bitter dismissal or resignation.

Sales-oriented commercial lines CSRs should differ from sales-oriented personal lines CSRs by being less gregarious and more technically minded. They should have a direct communication style-devoid of small talk-because they often need to know how to get right to the point when conversing with busy commercial lines clients.

How do you know which candidate is best for the job? You might speak to references, contact former employers, call your favorite candidates back for follow-up interviews, scrutinize their resume or seek consensus from colleagues. In the end, though, you will need to make a decision and let a candidate's background speak for itself-or simply trust your gut instinct. If you are lucky, you will select the person who is best suited to the job. Everyone lives happily ever after. End of story? Maybe not.

Can't we all just get along?

Let's say you have found the ideal person for the position. The new CSR seems eager to meet your expectations, prepared to press for results, reasonably resilient, and quality conscious. However, as time passes something seems wrong, and your dream candidate is quickly turning into a nightmare employee! Why? Because you forgot to factor in the second most important variable when it comes to hiring-environmental compatibility! Even the most prize-worthy CSR will prove disastrous if he or she cannot mix in with colleagues or communicate with supervisors.

When coworkers can't get along, the effects can be farreaching and nerve-wracking; morale will plummet, resentment will build and arguments (or worse) might ensue. There is nothing more demoralizing than spending most of the day in a tension-filled workplace.

It's also vital to consider the size of your job candidate's previous work environment. Someone coming from a large agency may not realize how flexible, versatile and able to multi-task he or she might need to be in a small office where employees tend to do everything from running errands to selling products. Conversely, a CSR from a small office might dislike the structure or defined parameters of a large agency and could feel stifled and ultimately become resentful. Having a firm grasp on your candidate's mindset can help you better determine how suited he or she is to your company's specific needs.

A third point to ponder is your preferred management style. Your quality-conscious, meticulous job candidate might need an abundance of your time and attention. If you are often unavailable or tend to let subordinates function on their own, your structure seeking new employee could seem lost. Many misunderstandings/arguments between a busy manager and a conscientious employee have ensued simply because both needed what the other could not give.