Snow White has one among her 7 little friends, and they exist all over the place—grumpies. That’s what I like to call them. People who tend to answer with a negative statement, look at linings as gray, and always seem to have a glass half empty. They’re not in a hurry to help or give suggestions and never extend themselves more than they have to. They may be inherently grumpy or they may have a difficult time dealing with life’s challenges but regardless of the reason, grumpies should not be on the customer service front line.

The problem—grumpies are out there attempting to help customers in all sorts of venues. Recently, while waiting for a flight to New York, a grumpie in a San Francisco airport restaurant tried to provide customer service to me and failed completely. She seemed irritated that I asked for a menu, she couldn’t look me in the eye, and when I asked her if “they” had napkins, she answered with her back to me, “yes” and walked away. I waited for a moment, thinking she would grab a stack and toss them my way, but no. That was too much energy for grumpie girl to extend during her shift.

This grumpie girl’s lack of interest and friendliness was drastically contrasted by the radiant and enthusiastic service I experienced at an upscale chocolate shop at Bloomingdales in Manhattan. She anticipated my every thought, answered questions before I asked them, and offered ideas I wasn’t even thinking of—ideas that turned out be terrific. I left the chocolate boutique with two hand crafted chocolate dogs, a mini box of delicate marzipan fruits, and a few other truffles on top of that. Her smiles, positive and engaging demeanor and her excitement for the product and life in general made all the difference.

I’m sure the employees selected to represent the chocolate shop at Bloomingdales were hired carefully. No one is going to buy expensive hand crafted chocolates unless they are specifically in the market for this, they shop on a whim, or a trained and passionate rep woos you at the door. And it’s fair to say that the hiring protocol for waitresses at airport restaurants is not as selective. But it should be. Grumpies should be positioned in roles that are not customer facing. However, this isn’t always possible. When “profiling” is not an option, here are some ways you can energize the grumpies serving your customers on the front line:

• Team your grumpies with other reps who are not so grumpy. This will minimize any bad energy floating around your customers. Plus the not so grumpy reps can act as role models for the grumpy ones.
• Praise your grumpies as much as you can and kill them with kindness. Pollyanna was able to crack the toughest nuts in her town.
• Incorporate perks when possible in your staff’s work routine (e.g., offer an extra break to grumpies when they seem especially cranky, treat your grumpy rep to lunch).
• Grumpy people tend to be opinionated. Channel this tendency by allowing your grumpies on staff to voice their opinion during staff meetings. Listen and try to incorporate their feedback when appropriate.
• Give your grumpies time to check in when they start a shift. Don’t data dump or chat them up too much upon arrival. They might just need some time to warm up before they radiate a little warmth.

My girls love Snow White, and they even like Grumpy. The 7 dwarfs would not have been the same without him. I’m not saying that grumpy individuals should never be hired. There’s a workplace for everyone. I’m only in favor of creating and maintaining happy customers and grumpies may not be the perfect people to bring that happiness.

Please send me a customer service story you would like to share. If I use it for this column, we will send you a free copy of 10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Business Communicators, Carmine Gallo’s first book featuring several inspiring executives, professionals and other leaders who are extraordinary spokespeople.