HR Job Analysis for a Customer Service Position

Job Analysis Methods

Three types of techniques can be used when conducting a job analysis in the workplace for a particular position. The first, job observation, takes the form of a trained workplace analyst observing an employee completing his or her tasks. While this may be useful for some positions—particularly those involving manual tasks—other jobs are more difficult to assess visually. In these cases, managers may request a work sample (such as a representative report) or ask the employee to keep a diary or log of their work ("Job analysis methods," 2015). For a customer service job, observation might take the form of listening to selected calls fielded by existing employees in the position. The disadvantage of this approach is that it can be extremely time-consuming. Additionally, trained observers can only offer subjective impressions and may not fully understand the job requirements based solely on personal observation. Likewise, employees themselves may not report the critical skills needed to perform their tasks accurately in a log.

The second method is interviewing, whereby the HR manager or another specialist interviews the individuals performing the job, either on-site or at company headquarters. A predetermined set of questions is usually asked, although some deviation from the format may be permitted. This allows the manager to probe more deeply into any questions he or she might have about the job and is easier to administer for non-manual tasks. It can also be time-consuming, however.

Questionnaires submitted to employees take less time, but managers have far less ability to ask follow-up questions than they do with interviews. The value of questionnaires lies in their ability to be distributed to a wide range of employees very quickly. As one source notes, "employees may vary in their perceptions of the jobs, and even in their literacy. For these reasons, the questionnaire method is usually combined with interviews and observations to clarify and verify the questionnaire information" ("Job analysis methods," 2015).

For a customer service position, a combined approach would likely be most advantageous. Given that it is relatively easy to record interactions with customers, a combination of actual recorded interactions (both successful and unsuccessful in terms of resolution) and questionnaires submitted to both employees and customers would produce the most balanced picture of the skills and character traits required to succeed.

Approaches to Job Design

There are four common approaches to job design: the mechanistic concept popularized by scientific management; the biological approach; the motivational approach; and the perceptual-motor approach (Campion & Thayer, 2001). For a service-driven job, as opposed to a manual, task-driven job, the latter two approaches seem most suitable.

The motivational approach stresses that individuals succeed in jobs they find personally fulfilling. By making jobs meaningful "from a task-oriented perspective" and providing growth opportunities through constructive feedback, rewarding achievement, and encouraging participation, the full value of the job can be realized (Campion & Thayer, 2001, p. 71). This approach is particularly useful for customer service, given that such positions are often viewed as lower-level, entry-level roles. However, these workers can possess considerable hidden value, since the representative is effectively the face of the company. Through their interactions with customers, representatives can provide helpful information to higher-level managers about customer needs. This is useful not only operationally but also from a motivational perspective, as it encourages employees to feel more personally invested in the organization by recognizing that they are making a meaningful contribution to its growth.

Investing in the ongoing education and training of employees is also motivational, demonstrating that the company views workers as valuable participants rather than disposable and easily replaceable. This can help lower the high rates of employee turnover common to many customer service positions. Monitoring employee performance is also vital. Employees who go the extra mile to help customers should be rewarded. Rather than merely tracking how long it takes to resolve a complaint, the quality of interaction on a selected number of calls for each employee should be carefully assessed and used to provide personal, targeted feedback.

The perceptual-motor approach to job design may also be useful because it considers how the human mind processes information and suggests that job design should reflect these cognitive realities. For example, limiting call volume may be necessary given the limits of individuals to cope with a variety of tasks within a short period of time. Jobs that require intense vigilance can be extremely draining (Campion & Thayer, 2001, p. 73). Providing employees with a script for dealing with irate customers or those with complex requests might be one way to exercise quality control. The problem with this approach, however, is that it tends to decrease job satisfaction, since workers may lack a sense of engagement when required to adhere to a relatively routine set of tasks day after day. Employees may need and want additional discretion to handle complex customer requests. Overall, the motivational approach is preferred for a customer service role.

Strategies to Attract Candidates

The organization must emphasize the unique nature of this customer service position—specifically the degree of employee autonomy it permits and the fact that workers provide a valuable service to both the company and its customers. Recruiting at colleges to attract young people seeking their first entry-level jobs, but who still desire work that is fulfilling beyond just a paycheck, also reflects a motivational philosophy of job design.

A combination of recruitment techniques can be used, however. In terms of the biological approach to job design—which stresses minimizing the physical and psychological demands of work—biological approaches emphasize ergonomics to, for example, reduce the discomfort of sitting for long periods while talking on the phone (Campion & Thayer, 2001, p. 71). Allowing workers to work from home via telecommuting would reduce the physical and psychological discomfort of working in a call center environment all day. Alternatively, call centers could be equipped with ergonomic chairs and workstations, telephones with minimal static, and keyboards designed to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Reducing the psychological stresses of customer service would also serve this purpose. For example, offering a training course in stress management for dealing with difficult customers, and allowing employees to escalate to a manager when customers become abusive, could reduce the physical effects of psychological stress. Ensuring adequate natural light in the workplace, providing sufficient break time, and minimizing long shifts and overnight work would further promote employee well-being.

Customer service work has traditionally been conceptualized in a mechanistic fashion. Mechanistic job designs emphasize standardization to improve quality control, though this approach has fallen out of favor with the rise of white-collar desk work, which is difficult to reduce to a series of discrete movements. Nevertheless, many call centers continue to employ a standardized approach in terms of scripted greetings and standard operating procedures for handling customer complaints.

Perceptual-motor approaches could also be integrated into the recruitment strategy. Since the focus of this approach is not to overwhelm the employee, limiting the number of calls fielded per day would be optimal. A critical component would be recruiting enough workers to ensure that no single employee is handling an excessive call volume at any one time. Assigning employees to overnight shifts would be discouraged; instead, outsourcing late-night work to different time zones via telecommuting might be preferred over staffing a 24-hour service line entirely from a single location.

Ideally, all job design strategies can be integrated to some degree into the recruitment approach. However, a motivational perspective is clearly preferred, since the company would ideally want highly engaged employees rather than workers who are merely comfortable or task-driven. Above all, it is essential to foster participatory engagement among employees, to emphasize this throughout the recruitment process, and to ensure that new hires are entering a supportive and comfortable workplace.

Conclusion

Customer service jobs can be positive experiences for motivated entry-level workers. However, it is essential that the company invests in the position and treats employees with respect. Holding employees to high standards while prioritizing their comfort and professional development will enhance the experience for both employees and the organization as a whole.

References

Campion, M., & Thayer, P. (2001). Job design: Approaches, outcomes, and trade-offs. Organizational Dynamics, 71–79.

Frandsen, S. (2014). How to evaluate a customer service representative. B2B.

Job analysis methods. (2015). What is human resources.

Performance evaluation rating descriptions. (2006).