Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study
Orientation: Since service quality is an important differentiator in the banking industry, it is essential to select suitable customer service centre staff, particularly those who are responsible for handling queries from clients who hold significant lifetime value in this industry. Research purpose...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2014-10-01
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| Series: | SA Journal of Human Resource Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/607 |
| _version_ | 1811292546968584192 |
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| author | Linda Blignaut Leona M. Ungerer Helene Muller |
| author_facet | Linda Blignaut Leona M. Ungerer Helene Muller |
| author_sort | Linda Blignaut |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Orientation: Since service quality is an important differentiator in the banking industry, it is essential to select suitable customer service centre staff, particularly those who are responsible for handling queries from clients who hold significant lifetime value in this industry.
Research purpose: The aim of the study was to identify personality traits, as measured by the Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32r (item response theory scored version), including the more parsimonious Big Five personality traits, that may act as job performance predictors for customer service centre (CSC) agents in the banking industry.
Motivation for the study: This study provides an exploratory investigation of whether specific personality traits differ amongst CSC agents in the banking industry, based on their job performance. No published research in this field could be identified.
Research design, approach and method: Purposive sampling was used to collect data from the entire CSC agent base of a particular banking group (N = 89). Responses were analysed by means of quantitative techniques.
Main findings and practical/managerial implications: Results indicate that parsimonious traits of personality, expressed as the Big Five personality traits, predict job performance. The importance of carefully selecting suitable job performance criteria for a specific environment, however, emerged as a critical issue in performance prediction.
Contribution: The study focuses attention on the importance of CSC agents’ performance as frontline staff in the banking industry and identifying valid criteria for selecting the most suitable agents. Providing a one-contact point of service such as a CSC is a fairly new approach in the South African banking industry and this study provides an initial investigation of personality traits that may serve as job performance predictors in this environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:47:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9091a7915b6b44de9344814209ca4d7b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1683-7584 2071-078X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:47:02Z |
| publishDate | 2014-10-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SA Journal of Human Resource Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-9091a7915b6b44de9344814209ca4d7b2022-12-22T03:01:49ZengAOSISSA Journal of Human Resource Management1683-75842071-078X2014-10-01121e1e1610.4102/sajhrm.v12i1.607323Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory studyLinda Blignaut0Leona M. Ungerer1Helene Muller2Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South AfricaDepartment of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South AfricaSchool of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies, CGS, University of South AfricaOrientation: Since service quality is an important differentiator in the banking industry, it is essential to select suitable customer service centre staff, particularly those who are responsible for handling queries from clients who hold significant lifetime value in this industry. Research purpose: The aim of the study was to identify personality traits, as measured by the Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32r (item response theory scored version), including the more parsimonious Big Five personality traits, that may act as job performance predictors for customer service centre (CSC) agents in the banking industry. Motivation for the study: This study provides an exploratory investigation of whether specific personality traits differ amongst CSC agents in the banking industry, based on their job performance. No published research in this field could be identified. Research design, approach and method: Purposive sampling was used to collect data from the entire CSC agent base of a particular banking group (N = 89). Responses were analysed by means of quantitative techniques. Main findings and practical/managerial implications: Results indicate that parsimonious traits of personality, expressed as the Big Five personality traits, predict job performance. The importance of carefully selecting suitable job performance criteria for a specific environment, however, emerged as a critical issue in performance prediction. Contribution: The study focuses attention on the importance of CSC agents’ performance as frontline staff in the banking industry and identifying valid criteria for selecting the most suitable agents. Providing a one-contact point of service such as a CSC is a fairly new approach in the South African banking industry and this study provides an initial investigation of personality traits that may serve as job performance predictors in this environment.https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/607Personality, Personnel Psychologyrecruitmentcustomer service, customer service centre, call centre, Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32 (OPQ32r), banking industry |
| spellingShingle | Linda Blignaut Leona M. Ungerer Helene Muller Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study SA Journal of Human Resource Management Personality, Personnel Psychology recruitment customer service, customer service centre, call centre, Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32 (OPQ32r), banking industry |
| title | Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study |
| title_full | Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study |
| title_fullStr | Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study |
| title_short | Personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry: An exploratory study |
| title_sort | personality as predictor of customer service centre agent performance in the banking industry an exploratory study |
| topic | Personality, Personnel Psychology recruitment customer service, customer service centre, call centre, Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32 (OPQ32r), banking industry |
| url | https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/607 |
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