Service skills for service workers: emotional intelligence and beyond

Abstract

This research documents the requisite skills for business‐to‐business service representatives. Using job observation and group interviews, a list of 28 potential service skills was developed and placed into a questionnaire format. Experienced service representatives rated the importance of these skills for job success, yielding a complex ability profile. These abilities dovetail with previous work discussing service provider characteristics, yet offer a more detailed and behaviorally oriented view of the worker skills that ensure effective service encounters. Implications for understanding service demands and staffing a workforce with the skills needed to deliver quality service are discussed.

Citation

Varca, P.E. (2004), "Service skills for service workers: emotional intelligence and beyond", Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 457-467. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520410569793