In the world of customer service, a good joke can go a long way. This is what Eduardo Oliveira (ORGMAN) explores in a recent study. He delves into a somewhat overlooked area: how do different styles of humour used by frontline employees (FLEs) interact to make or break a customer’s experience?
Eduardo’s work focuses on two humour types – affiliative (relationship-enhancing) and self-defeating (self-deprecating). Affiliative humour is friendly and inclusive. For instance, when a waiter reacts to your indecision by jokingly telling you to have both desserts. Self-defeating humour, on the other hand, involves the FLE making himself the target of the joke. If, say, the waiter rounded out that joke by pointing at his big belly and saying: “I often do!”. Eduardo’s main contribution is not so much in studying the isolated impacts of each kind of humour, but in studying their interplay in influencing the perceived quality of service.
He analysed 268 real-world service encounters, using a blend of polynomial regression and response surface analysis. He found that when affiliative humour predominates, perceived service quality increases. High levels of self-defeating humour, on the other hand, especially when affiliative humour is low, negatively affect perceived service quality by signalling incompetence or lack of confidence. Eduardo’s study indicates that when employees skilfully balance both humour types, with a predominance of affiliative humour, customers seem to appreciate the service the most .
Indeed, it is not just about cracking jokes but finding the sweet spot that resonates with customers. As Eduardo notices, “finding such a balance is particularly hard with customers that do not appreciate humour. They perceive the highest service quality when FLEs affiliative humour usage exceeds the self-defeating humour usage by a small, ‘optimal’ amount”. Eduardo shows us that in customer service, a well-placed laugh can be more than just a chuckle – it can be a strategy for success. His contribution also paves the way for further explorations into the sequential use of humour styles or cultural variations.
Currently, Eduardo is conducting experimental work on leader humour effects and two cross-cultural studies about organizational practices for an ageing workforce.
