A worker’s emotional state influences customer service, which influences levels
of repeat business and of customer satisfaction. 112 Providing high-quality customer
service makes demands on employees because it often puts them in a
state of emotional dissonance. Over time, this state can lead to job burnout,
declines in job performance, and lower job satisfaction. 113
Employees’ emotions can transfer to the customer. Studies indicate a
matching effect between employee and customer emotions called emotional
contagion—the “catching” of emotions from others. 114 How does it work? The
primary explanation is that when someone experiences positive emotions and
laughs and smiles at you, you tend to respond positively. Emotional contagion
is important because customers who catch the positive moods or emotions
of employees shop longer. But are negative emotions and moods contagious,
too? Absolutely. When an employee feels unfairly treated by a customer, for
example, it’s harder for him to display the positive emotions his organization
expects of him.