But, what if they don't feel positive and what if they don�t attempt to change those feelings through deep acting? Or, is it possible that those other feelings might leak out no matter how hard they try to be positive? Should we consider monitoring for "positive display of emotion" and give the agents feedback each time they display any negative feelings? Do we expect agents to "paint a happy face" at all times and will we hold them accountable for it?

Unfortunately, research in inconclusive concerning emotional leakage. Some research shows that individuals often �leak� their true emotions when attempting to disguise them. The premise is that people are capable of controlling only so much - feelings leak out through behaviors that are less controllable. For example, an agent may say "I'm sorry" in a less-than-convincing voice tone no matter how hard he tries not to. Other research suggests that employee feelings do not "leak out" and affect their displayed emotions. My guess is that the answer varies depending on the situation.

1. How often do your agents feel they have to mask true emotions? (I would think that the more often they have to mask emotion the harder it becomes.)
   
2. How big is the gap between what the agent really feels and what he or she is asked to display? (Wouldn't the bigger the discrepancy between what is felt and what is supposed to be displayed cause more volatility in the situation?)
   
3. How prominent are your "display rules" in the minds of your agents? (If the agents perceive you to be extremely focused on the rules, then they will attempt to avoid overtly displaying inner feelings at all costs.
   

Let's all think through the answers to these questions for our call center. Let's communicate our expectations about displayed emotions to our agents. Next time you listen to a call, see if you can hear inner feelings being expressed inappropriately. If you can, seek out root causes for the failure and devise actions to deal with it.