EQ not IQ: Better Customer Service
Through Emotional Intelligence
So what will I talk about!
 What is Emotional
Intelligence- EQ?
 Why is EQ important
to customer service?
 How can we increase
our EQ?
Beginning Exercise
What is EQ?
Emotional Intelligence is
the ability to
“recognize the
meaning of emotions
and their relationships,
and to reason and
problem solve on the
basis of them.”
(Mayer, Caruso, Salovey: 1999)
Development of Emotional Intelligence
 1930s – Edward Thorndike – Social
Intelligence
 1970s – Howard Gardner – Multiple
Intelligences
 1990s – Peter Salovey and John
Mayer – “Emotional Intelligence”
 1995 – Daniel Goleman – Emotional
Intelligence - popularized
Ability versus Competencies
 Emotional Intelligence
 Gardner (1999): multiple intelligences
 Goleman (1995): Competency based model – five
competencies
 Mayer, Caruso & Salovey (1999): 4 Branch
Ability-Based Model
 Reuven Bar-On (2006,2007): Trait-based model –
five meta-factors and fifteen sub-factors
EQ and Customer Service
 Measure of the customer
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experience / satisfaction
Experiential consumption
Social sharing / Marketing
Diffusing volatile situations
Professional interactions
Stressful work situations
Why is EQ important to libraries?
Information Seeking / Reference
Transactions
Why is EQ important in Libraries?
 Information Seeking / Library Anxiety
 Kuhlthau (2004) – Affective nature of information seeking –
Zones of Intervention – Information Counselor
 Mellon (1986)– Library anxiety – fear, helplessness, dread,
confusion, and isolation
 Keefer (1993) – Hungry Rats Syndrome – libraries should work
on “strengthening the human aspect of the reference setting”
Steps to Developing Emotional
Intelligence
 Become emotionally literate – label feelings, rather than
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people or situations
Distinguish between thoughts and feelings
Take more responsibility for feelings and understand the role
of emotions in your life
Use your feelings to help make decisions
Control irrational thoughts
Identify emotional triggers
Monitor emotional responses
Validate other feelings of other people
•How do people’s
emotions affect
meetings /
interactions?
•How can moods affect
decision making?
•Are we always aware
of our moods?
•Are we stuck with
our moods?
•What power do we
have over our moods?
•What can you do to
change your mood?
EQ Awareness Activity
 I am going to show several
different pictures.
 Write down your first
impressions or thoughts when
you see the pictures.
 Write down how you feel
about the image.
Debriefing Questions
 Are your thoughts the same as the others in the room?
 What do you think influenced your thoughts?
 What impact can our preconceived thoughts have on an
encounter or situation?
 In the workplace, do we have preconceived thoughts about
people or encounters?
 What impact can these preconceived thoughts have on
coworkers? Customers?
 How can being aware of our preconceived thoughts help us in
situations and encounters? Can they hurt us?
EQ Development Plan
 Self-Awareness – What will you do to understand
yourself better?
 Self-Management –What will you do to motivate
yourself and your emotions better?
 Social Awareness – What will you do to become aware of
others’ feelings, needs, and concerns?
 Relationship Management – What will you to do nurture
and influence others?
Recommended Reading
 Coaching for Emotional Intelligence:The Secret to Developing the Star Potential
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inYour Employees by Bob Wall (2006)
Educating People to Be Emotionally Intelligent by Reuven Bar-On (2007)
Emotional Intelligence:Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
(1995)
Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life by Joseph Ciarrochi (2006)
The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and Use the Four Key
Emotional Skills of Leadership by David R. Caruso and Peter Salovey
(2004)
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel
Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee (2004)
Quick Emotional Intelligence Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Team Exercises
That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes by Adele B. Lynn (2007)