Why You Should Hire Bartenders for Technical Support

When putting together an excellent technical support team, it’s tempting to focus on candidates’ technical abilities. While those skills are crucial, there’s so much more to consider.

Beyond technical expertise, you want team members who can truly connect with customers, simplify complex ideas into digestible chunks, and genuinely care about what clients need. Imagine having individuals who excel in interpersonal skills, are skilled at problem-solving, and communicate effectively — all while remaining calm during challenging situations.

That’s exactly why bringing bartenders onto your team is such a brilliant idea!

Masters of De-escalation and Empathy

Bartenders are truly talented at diffusing tense situations. They’ve finely tuned their ability to navigate tricky interactions with grace and empathy, making them exceptional for customer support roles.

Rather than simply reacting, they anticipate.

They gauge body language, tone, and facial expressions to proactively engage with customers. This is incredibly beneficial for understanding customer questions, understanding that a frustrated voice often masks feelings of overwhelm or confusion.

Picture a bartender managing an upset customer who’s just spilled a drink while simultaneously serving another patron. This is similar to handling an intense support chat while seamlessly logging a bug report in the background.

Even more, bartenders are experienced in setting boundaries — whether it’s turning away last-call drink requests or navigating unusual beverage orders. They maintain a positive rapport with customers, which is vital for support agents who may occasionally have to decline certain requests, giving the customer bad news, like, “That’s outside our support scope,” without upsetting the customer.

This ability fosters trust, a vital component in technical support where positive exchanges are essential.

Just as bartenders clearly convey drink orders and recommendations, they also excel at breaking down intricate information in a friendly manner. For example, they can describe the taste of a drink, recommend which wine pairs best with the customer’s meal, and explain why.

Breaking down technical issues into understandable information for non-technical users is an essential aspect of customer support.

They create welcoming environments when they do this, and that significantly improves the customer experience. Their warm disposition and engaging nature ensure that every interaction feels pleasant and supportive!

Bartenders are adept at recognizing subtle customer cues and remain consistently attuned to their needs and desires.

This innate ability allows them to tailor their approach to a diverse range of personalities. In technical support, agents interact with a broad spectrum of users, from mommy bloggers to big “D” Developers, making the skill to adapt one’s communication style invaluable. Bartenders can seamlessly engage a high-powered corporate lawyer while also connecting with a first-time bar patron — a perfect analogy for enterprise users and novice hobbyists.

The Art of Context Switching Under Fire

In the dynamic setting of a bar, bartenders must think quickly, balancing multiple tasks with ease. They easily move from crafting intricate cocktails to addressing customer concerns and managing orders, all while maintaining a smile and a positive demeanor, often putting on a show while doing all of that.

These skills translate into customer support, where agents frequently juggle support requests through chat, phone, and email while referencing knowledge bases and documenting bugs.

Bartenders are fantastic at prioritization even in chaotic environments; they can follow a standard drink recipe while crafting customized solutions based on customers’ vague preferences. Just as a standard recipe or troubleshooting guide lays the foundation, true talent lies in improvisation — much like when a customer requests “something with vodka, but not too sweet.” This is just like how technical support agents use troubleshooting guides while thinking creatively to resolve each user’s unique and complex challenges.

Transforming Support into a Business Asset

A skilled bartender doesn’t merely take orders; they engage actively with patrons to suggest the best choices, upsell premium options, or entice customers with delectable desserts. This proactive mindset directly contributes to customer success and retention in a support environment.

A bartender who transitions into a support role sees each interaction as an opportunity to shine — they can recommend complementary products, guide customers toward upgrades, and highlight features that users might miss.

These agents become essential links between the customer and the product. They are aware of real-time issues that can significantly influence customer satisfaction and business success. Moreover, bartenders naturally report operational problems, just as they do when they notice malfunctioning taps or service issues — they’ve consistently demonstrated a drive to enhance the overall flow.

Embracing the Possibilities

Adding bartenders to your technical support team means you’ll be adding soft skills to your team that are just as necessary as the technical skills. Their abilities enhance customer interactions, drive business success, and create a more positive overall experience. Adopting this unconventional view can unlock the full potential of your support team. You’ll be creating a team that makes every customer leave happy, increases brand loyalty, and ultimately, helps your business’s bottom line.

Embrace the Possibilities! Hiring bartenders for technical support isn’t just a strategy; it’s a game-changer!

The Interview Blueprint

The key to finding the right candidates is in the interview process! While it’s necessary to evaluate their technical skills, don’t forget to focus on their soft skills and cultural fit, too—this applies to all candidates, regardless of whether they have a background in bartending or not.

Here are 13 engaging questions to consider asking in your next interview, designed to uncover top talent and foster a vibrant, cohesive team.

• Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news (e.g., ‘the kitchen is closed’) but needed the customer to leave happy.
• How do you prioritize different needs—a complex drink order, a payment, a spill, a new customer, and a complaint—in a 30-second window?
• Tell us about a time when you had to use coping strategies to remain compassionate when dealing with a high-pressure situation regarding a customer.  
• Do you think creativity is important in the field of tech support?  Why or why not?
• Can you provide an example of a situation where you applied creative or innovative thinking to overcome frustration with a product or process?
• How do you deal with problems when you don’t have access to all the necessary information?  Can you describe a specific instance when this happened?
• Have you ever anticipated potential problems and developed steps to avoid them?
• What would you do if a customer found it challenging to understand the data you were presenting?
• If you could have changed one thing to improve the culture at your current job, what would it be?
• Tell me about a time when you felt like a hero at work.
• What qualities do you admire most about yourself?

Bonus Questions

Here are some questions that I really like to ask during an interview:

How would you describe what a database is to your 9-year-old niece in three sentences or less?

This question helps you determine if they can take technical concepts and translate them in a way that anybody of any skill level can understand.

How would you direct someone else on how to cook an omelet?

This shows you how they would walk a customer through a technical issue. How deeply do they go into the process? Do they assume people know certain information from the start? Do they ask questions about what the person wants in their omelet?

What song best describes your work ethic?

I love to ask this question in an interview! It provides me with great insight into the candidate, including how quickly they think on their feet, how easily they adapt, and how they perceive themselves in the workplace.

Let me know in the comments some of your favorite interview questions!