MAKNA “SERVICE WITH SMILE” : EMOTIONAL LABOR, EMOTIONAL DISPLAY DAN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGEN

Dini Meinastiti,

2009 | Tesis |

This research, using qualitative-phenomenology approach, tried to unravel how customer service officers giving meaning to the slogan “service with smile” and also to unravel their understandings on emotional labor, emotional display and emotional intelligence regarding the slogan “service with smile”, especially the impact to their psychological working conditions. There are six informants involved in this research. In-depth interviews were conducted to gain data from these informants. To make things easy, tape recorder was used to record these informant’s experiences. Data analysis were conducted in three ways: 1. understanding crucial or important statements; 2. giving meanings to the statements; 3. making a summary of statements; and 4. describing statements extensively. Data verification was done by using member check. Research findings showed that from the customer service officers’ point of view, the positive emotion on emotional labor and emotional display such as being friendly, emphatically, and giving sincere smile were binding and have less positive effect. These were experienced as dehumanization by the customer service officers, because being in that manner, they feel like robot with no negative emotions. Their knowledge on emotional labor, emotional display and emotional intelligence affected on how they gave meaning to the slogan “service with smile”. This slogan made them look mechanic, as if not having negative emotions. They then took this slogan as a routine of their daily work activities. External controls from the customers on how they behave and made these customers service officers worked with the feel of numbness. Key words : customer service, emotional labor, emotional display, service with smile, phenomenology, routine

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