ROLE OF PERSONALITY TESTS IN ENSURING HIGHER CUSTOMER ORIENTATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF CUSTOMER CONTACT EMPLOYEES

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain the instrumentality of personality tests in ensuring a higher level of customer orientation in customer contact employees. It argues for the use of personality tests in selecting customer contact employees for customer contact jobs in organizations with a view to ensuring a higher level of customer service. Personality types of employees are proved to be valid explanatory variables of the individual differences in work behaviour (Harrel and Harrel (1984)), Anderson (1977), Hinrichs(1978), Rathnasiri (1998). In a customer and service provider interface, service provider’s personal value enhances the customer’s evaluation of the service consumption moment. This study used an in-depth case study method to study personality and customer orientation level of six employees. Three cases of poor performers and three cases superior performers relating to customer service were selected based on the interviews with their superiors and peers.  A standard testing instrument called Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was used to test the personality. The customer orientation level was measured qualitative method using interviews with superiors. The study findings show that intuition feeling and sensing feeling type with extrovert personalities is more customer- oriented in their behaviour than that of other type. The research implications are important for service oriented organizations. As the variability in customer service level is attributed to personality type of customer contact employee, the selection criteria for customer contact employees could include a personality testing to select appropriate personality type.

Keywords: Personality types, Customer orientation level, Employee selection

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