Opinion Rotund Women in Customer Service - Should BF% be a Recruitment metric?

Should BF% be a Recruitment metric for Customer service roles?


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Horse

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Kennel,

Long story short I’ve noticed for a while that whenever I receive the lowest standard of customer service, it’s almost always from a female with broad physical dimensions.

Conversely, whenever it’s a thinner, usually prettier girl doing the job - I’m almost always greeted with a smile, and overall a much friendlier demeanour, and higher standard of customer service.

I put it to the members of my Whatsapp group to take note of their various interactions with customer service staff across a 4 week data collection period. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of my initial findings. The slimmer girls provided far superior customer service than the larger ones.

That said - should recruiters be taking body fat % into account when assessing potential customer service applicants during the f2f interview period?

Does their level of overall fitness and wellbeing play a part in on the job fatigue levels - which can accelerate their level of crankiness towards customers?

Does the level of personal shame that unfit people carry around hinder their ability to smile and be friendly in customer service roles?

Do any Recruiters on the Kennel take these things into account in their recruitment processes? Eg. The link between overweight people and traits such as self discipline, self respect, work ethic etc.

Interested to hear your thoughts.
 

CrittaMagic69

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Wrong account
 

Wahesh

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Kennel,

Long story short I’ve noticed for a while that whenever I receive the lowest standard of customer service, it’s almost always from a female with broad physical dimensions.

Conversely, whenever it’s a thinner, usually prettier girl doing the job - I’m almost always greeted with a smile, and overall a much friendlier demeanour, and higher standard of customer service.

I put it to the members of my Whatsapp group to take note of their various interactions with customer service staff across a 4 week data collection period. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of my initial findings. The slimmer girls provided far superior customer service than the larger ones.

That said - should recruiters be taking body fat % into account when assessing potential customer service applicants during the f2f interview period?

Does their level of overall fitness and wellbeing play a part in on the job fatigue levels - which can accelerate their level of crankiness towards customers?

Does the level of personal shame that unfit people carry around hinder their ability to smile and be friendly in customer service roles?

Do any Recruiters on the Kennel take these things into account in their recruitment processes? Eg. The link between overweight people and traits such as self discipline, self respect, work ethic etc.

Interested to hear your thoughts.
Ok I’ll give this a shot.

Yesterday I went on a western Sydney train hike. One of the joints I stopped at was our enemy territory... Parramatta. I know I know... I feel dirty too.

Anyway, while there I went into a men’s shoe shop. Then the chick who was at the back saw me and came out. Now this chick was hot, 100% employed to bring in the men, but all she could manage was a half-arsed “Hi how are you” and that was it. She has the brain of an emu. Now earlier in the day I spoke to a very polite older woman working in another store nearby who helped me with an item I was after.

So no, it doesn’t come down to looks, it comes down to personality.
 

Roll the Bones

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Customer service in Australia is generally a bit of an oxymoron. I still find it amazing that we have to send customer service staff off to expensive courses so as to teach them how to smile and be polite. For those who have traveled a fair bit overseas and have experienced real and genuine customer service, it’s actually kinda weird and bit of shock, cause we just aren’t used to it.
 

The DoggFather

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Customer service in Australia is generally a bit of an oxymoron. I still find it amazing that we have to send customer service staff off to expensive courses so as to teach them how to smile and be polite. For those who have traveled a fair bit overseas and have experienced real and genuine customer service, it’s actually kinda weird and bit of shock, cause we just aren’t used to it.
Yeah I love Australia but customer service is non existant, even in luxury item stores/dealers.

I've been to LA, Vegas, Dallas and Cancun and FMD you feel like a king there. Like you mentioned my bro, it was a shock to me.
 

Memberberries

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Customer service in Australia is generally a bit of an oxymoron. I still find it amazing that we have to send customer service staff off to expensive courses so as to teach them how to smile and be polite. For those who have traveled a fair bit overseas and have experienced real and genuine customer service, it’s actually kinda weird and bit of shock, cause we just aren’t used to it.
I've had to do customer service a heap in the past.
When you are on your feet all day out in the heat you generally snap after midday and forget you're at work.

We are only human.
It gets annoying having a random ask you for the 1000th time wheres the toilet or ATM?
 

Alan79

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Kennel,

Long story short I’ve noticed for a while that whenever I receive the lowest standard of customer service, it’s almost always from a female with broad physical dimensions.

Conversely, whenever it’s a thinner, usually prettier girl doing the job - I’m almost always greeted with a smile, and overall a much friendlier demeanour, and higher standard of customer service.

I put it to the members of my Whatsapp group to take note of their various interactions with customer service staff across a 4 week data collection period. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of my initial findings. The slimmer girls provided far superior customer service than the larger ones.

That said - should recruiters be taking body fat % into account when assessing potential customer service applicants during the f2f interview period?

Does their level of overall fitness and wellbeing play a part in on the job fatigue levels - which can accelerate their level of crankiness towards customers?

Does the level of personal shame that unfit people carry around hinder their ability to smile and be friendly in customer service roles?

Do any Recruiters on the Kennel take these things into account in their recruitment processes? Eg. The link between overweight people and traits such as self discipline, self respect, work ethic etc.

Interested to hear your thoughts.
I've personally realised that to a large extent the factor that mitigates this is the attitude you present towards those in customer service. I've been in customer service roles and people can be assholes in general if they have no ulterior motive otherwise. When dealing with someone attractive this will quite frequently present customers with an ulterior motive.

Sorry for the long story to follow but it's aimed at balancing out my point. I tend to try bringing a positive attitude to people in customer service Jobs most of the time. A few rude people can put you in a bad mood. If I'm feeling talkative I often try to be a bright spark in someone's day.

Anyway last time I went shopping in a talkative mood I visited four stores.

The first employee I met was attractive and I could see that she was not enjoying herself while I was in line. I tend to try being fairly friendly as a rule and I greeted her nicely, asked how her day was and made enthusiastic small talk. Finished up by saying that work is the part of life that gives us something to measure the times when we can enjoy ourselves by. I left her smiling and she sounded quite warm when dealing with the next customer. Seemed like a bit of a change to the greeting she gave the customer before me.

The next CSA (customer service assistant) I dealt with was also attractive, but seemed to be in a good mood. Basically it was the same deal here but without any apparent improvement in her mood after I left. Nothing really interesting in the conversation to note.

Third CSA was a gentleman of about 50 years who seemed like he would have preferred being at a dentist to spending another hour at work. Again I made small talk, threw in a reference to the fact I'd prefer to be fishing than shopping and his mood visibly improved as I'd stumbled onto a subject that he was enthusiastic about. Walked away and said that work was the only way to pay for bait which got a huge smile in response. I don't know if he carried that smile on to his next customer but I take a little enjoyment out of interactions where I can make someone smile.


The final CSA I dealt with (who happened to be a bit heftier) had three customers to serve before I got there. She was pretty warm in her greeting to the first. The second person was a tad rude to her and her enthusiastic greeting was gone when the person before me got to the head of the line. I greeted her warmly and asked how her day was going. She said great how's yours with a forced smile. I said good but it seems like the world is full of aggravated people today. *Huge eye roll from her* she says tell me about it. In her last hour at work about every second customer had bitten her head off. Basically told her that those people can only ruin your day if you let them. I walked away having gotten another smile out of someone.



So maybe you should get your group to try taking a different approach into the next wave of experiments. I personally think that attractive people probably portray a more happy facade because the world is socially inclined to treat them a little better.
 

Sleeky

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So maybe you should get your group to try taking a different approach into the next wave of experiments. I personally think that attractive people probably portray a more happy facade because the world is socially inclined to treat them a little better.
Horse take a different approach? Lol
 

Horse

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I've personally realised that to a large extent the factor that mitigates this is the attitude you present towards those in customer service. I've been in customer service roles and people can be assholes in general if they have no ulterior motive otherwise. When dealing with someone attractive this will quite frequently present customers with an ulterior motive.

Sorry for the long story to follow but it's aimed at balancing out my point. I tend to try bringing a positive attitude to people in customer service Jobs most of the time. A few rude people can put you in a bad mood. If I'm feeling talkative I often try to be a bright spark in someone's day.

Anyway last time I went shopping in a talkative mood I visited four stores.

The first employee I met was attractive and I could see that she was not enjoying herself while I was in line. I tend to try being fairly friendly as a rule and I greeted her nicely, asked how her day was and made enthusiastic small talk. Finished up by saying that work is the part of life that gives us something to measure the times when we can enjoy ourselves by. I left her smiling and she sounded quite warm when dealing with the next customer. Seemed like a bit of a change to the greeting she gave the customer before me.

The next CSA (customer service assistant) I dealt with was also attractive, but seemed to be in a good mood. Basically it was the same deal here but without any apparent improvement in her mood after I left. Nothing really interesting in the conversation to note.

Third CSA was a gentleman of about 50 years who seemed like he would have preferred being at a dentist to spending another hour at work. Again I made small talk, threw in a reference to the fact I'd prefer to be fishing than shopping and his mood visibly improved as I'd stumbled onto a subject that he was enthusiastic about. Walked away and said that work was the only way to pay for bait which got a huge smile in response. I don't know if he carried that smile on to his next customer but I take a little enjoyment out of interactions where I can make someone smile.


The final CSA I dealt with (who happened to be a bit heftier) had three customers to serve before I got there. She was pretty warm in her greeting to the first. The second person was a tad rude to her and her enthusiastic greeting was gone when the person before me got to the head of the line. I greeted her warmly and asked how her day was going. She said great how's yours with a forced smile. I said good but it seems like the world is full of aggravated people today. *Huge eye roll from her* she says tell me about it. In her last hour at work about every second customer had bitten her head off. Basically told her that those people can only ruin your day if you let them. I walked away having gotten another smile out of someone.



So maybe you should get your group to try taking a different approach into the next wave of experiments. I personally think that attractive people probably portray a more happy facade because the world is socially inclined to treat them a little better.
Some interesting encounters there.

I’d say the best way to experiment is in a fast food drive thru scenario. You have the blind communication at the start, and then the big reveal once you get to physically see the person you’ve been dealing with when you progress to the next window. I can tell you from our research, if you receive minimal politeness, minimal patience and general snappiness at the start, it’ll almost certainly be revealed as either a blimp or a hound at the next window.
 

Ecca

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Kennel,

Long story short I’ve noticed for a while that whenever I receive the lowest standard of customer service, it’s almost always from a female with broad physical dimensions.

Conversely, whenever it’s a thinner, usually prettier girl doing the job - I’m almost always greeted with a smile, and overall a much friendlier demeanour, and higher standard of customer service.

I put it to the members of my Whatsapp group to take note of their various interactions with customer service staff across a 4 week data collection period. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of my initial findings. The slimmer girls provided far superior customer service than the larger ones.

That said - should recruiters be taking body fat % into account when assessing potential customer service applicants during the f2f interview period?

Does their level of overall fitness and wellbeing play a part in on the job fatigue levels - which can accelerate their level of crankiness towards customers?

Does the level of personal shame that unfit people carry around hinder their ability to smile and be friendly in customer service roles?

Do any Recruiters on the Kennel take these things into account in their recruitment processes? Eg. The link between overweight people and traits such as self discipline, self respect, work ethic etc.

Interested to hear your thoughts.
 

Blue_boost

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I've personally realised that to a large extent the factor that mitigates this is the attitude you present towards those in customer service. I've been in customer service roles and people can be assholes in general if they have no ulterior motive otherwise. When dealing with someone attractive this will quite frequently present customers with an ulterior motive.

Sorry for the long story to follow but it's aimed at balancing out my point. I tend to try bringing a positive attitude to people in customer service Jobs most of the time. A few rude people can put you in a bad mood. If I'm feeling talkative I often try to be a bright spark in someone's day.

Anyway last time I went shopping in a talkative mood I visited four stores.

The first employee I met was attractive and I could see that she was not enjoying herself while I was in line. I tend to try being fairly friendly as a rule and I greeted her nicely, asked how her day was and made enthusiastic small talk. Finished up by saying that work is the part of life that gives us something to measure the times when we can enjoy ourselves by. I left her smiling and she sounded quite warm when dealing with the next customer. Seemed like a bit of a change to the greeting she gave the customer before me.

The next CSA (customer service assistant) I dealt with was also attractive, but seemed to be in a good mood. Basically it was the same deal here but without any apparent improvement in her mood after I left. Nothing really interesting in the conversation to note.

Third CSA was a gentleman of about 50 years who seemed like he would have preferred being at a dentist to spending another hour at work. Again I made small talk, threw in a reference to the fact I'd prefer to be fishing than shopping and his mood visibly improved as I'd stumbled onto a subject that he was enthusiastic about. Walked away and said that work was the only way to pay for bait which got a huge smile in response. I don't know if he carried that smile on to his next customer but I take a little enjoyment out of interactions where I can make someone smile.


The final CSA I dealt with (who happened to be a bit heftier) had three customers to serve before I got there. She was pretty warm in her greeting to the first. The second person was a tad rude to her and her enthusiastic greeting was gone when the person before me got to the head of the line. I greeted her warmly and asked how her day was going. She said great how's yours with a forced smile. I said good but it seems like the world is full of aggravated people today. *Huge eye roll from her* she says tell me about it. In her last hour at work about every second customer had bitten her head off. Basically told her that those people can only ruin your day if you let them. I walked away having gotten another smile out of someone.



So maybe you should get your group to try taking a different approach into the next wave of experiments. I personally think that attractive people probably portray a more happy facade because the world is socially inclined to treat them a little better.
Alan Alan Alan Alan , always glass half empty.

Remember that those in customer service are PAID to be nice to customers .. customers are paying so they don't actually have to bring their best face or manners with them.

The OP knows what he's talking about, rotund people in customer service don't provide much customer service.. they hate customers and see them as an obstruction in the way of them sitting on their arse bludging for their shift .. they go to work to "try avoid" any work , get paid so they can buy a big bag of potato crisps

Attractive people are just more social, they go to work and enjoy interacting with people, enjoy the compliments coming their way and reciprocate with quality service.

To go anywhere and be greeted by an attractive person smiling is just a great start to your customer experience

I recently went into Coles and they didn't have enough people on checkouts and there was this long line. People were muttering under their breath, scoffing. But the young attractive girl was beaming with a smile and doing her best. Most people were extremely patient and provided her with messages of support as I did. She just stepped up to the challenge and the customers saw it.

Same shop, Ive seen no que but An older rotund lady absolutely have a mean scowl of a look on her face when she served a customer. I thought to myself is that her normal everyday face? or does she just hate customers ? There was barely anyone in the line.

With a big que like the attractive girl dealt with, Id say the rotund lady would spontaneously combust.
 

KambahOne

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Depends, if you want a coffee I don't see how a Lava Lamp bringing it to you will make any difference, but if you need a happy ending I can see how the aesthetics of the provider can matter.
 

Howard Moon

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I just want them to leave me alone and let me do my thing... is that too much to ask
 

CroydonDog

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Depends, if you want a coffee I don't see how a Lava Lamp bringing it to you will make any difference, but if you need a happy ending I can see how the aesthetics of the provider can matter.
Depends on what you're into.
 

The DoggFather

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I've noticed fat younger males are pretty friendly, it's mostly women and older fat people that hate the world or anyone under 300kgs.
 

The_Chimpster

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Alan Alan Alan Alan , always glass half empty.

Remember that those in customer service are PAID to be nice to customers .. customers are paying so they don't actually have to bring their best face or manners with them.

The OP knows what he's talking about, rotund people in customer service don't provide much customer service.. they hate customers and see them as an obstruction in the way of them sitting on their arse bludging for their shift .. they go to work to "try avoid" any work , get paid so they can buy a big bag of potato crisps

Attractive people are just more social, they go to work and enjoy interacting with people, enjoy the compliments coming their way and reciprocate with quality service.

To go anywhere and be greeted by an attractive person smiling is just a great start to your customer experience

I recently went into Coles and they didn't have enough people on checkouts and there was this long line. People were muttering under their breath, scoffing. But the young attractive girl was beaming with a smile and doing her best. Most people were extremely patient and provided her with messages of support as I did. She just stepped up to the challenge and the customers saw it.

Same shop, Ive seen no que but An older rotund lady absolutely have a mean scowl of a look on her face when she served a customer. I thought to myself is that her normal everyday face? or does she just hate customers ? There was barely anyone in the line.

With a big que like the attractive girl dealt with, Id say the rotund lady would spontaneously combust.
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