Customer Support Interview Questions And Answers
If youâre a hiring manager in customer service or customer support, you already know that crafting the perfect customer service job interview questions is difficult. And if youâre an aspiring or current customer service representative, you may be looking for advice on how to answer customer service interview questions.
No matter your role, this list of 17 customer service interview questions and answers will give you some new approaches to the customer service job interview. Consider adding several of these questions to your interview process so you can hone your interview process and get better results.
Give Me An Example Of A Time You Went To Great Lengths To Help A Customer
This question isnt necessarily about how the interviewee helped the customer. Its about who they are.
Is the answer ego-centric? Does it sound like theyre trying too hard to please you? Or does it sound like a genuine response told from a mature and self-analytical perspective? Look for the applicant who is authentic and reflective in their response. Watch out for respondents who overuse the words I and me, as well as anyone who broke rules to help customers. Neither is a good sign.
Knowledge About The Role Product And The Company
The aforementioned skills apply to all customer service jobs across different industries. But, if you want to excel at your interview, merely demonstrating these qualities wont cut it. You must be equally equipped with the knowledge of the particular role youre applying for, the product youre looking to service, and the company youre hoping to join. When you demonstrate prior subject-matter knowledge and expertise to your interviewer, it gives them the assurance that youll be an asset to their team.
Although its impossible to know everything about the role, the product, and the company before joining the job, whats important is that you do thorough research and try to go into the depth of what the role demands. Employers appreciate it when you make that effort to understand what their product does and illustrate how you can service it better than other competing candidates.
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What Are Your Personal Career Goals
This is a way to determine if a candidate is driven or not. The most driven candidates have a sense of where they would like to be in the next few years. Less driven candidates will say things like “I just want to work at a fun place,” or “I don’t really know.”
What to Look For in Good Answers
It’s fine for people to not know exactly where they want to be — many people don’t — but they should have researched various career paths or have some idea of where they might like to end up, and they should reference a career path, industry, or set of skills they want to add to their resume in the future.
Tips For Making The Most Of Your Support Interviews
When interviewing potential support hires, you always run the risk of repeating the same questions, receiving the same answers, having the same small talk, and then promptly forgetting all the important details.
The antidote? Think creatively, establish a system, and then stick to it. You wonât be left groping for questions, your interactions will be more memorable, and youâll be able to standardize the circumstances under which you assess candidates.
A strategic approach makes for less fuss, more focus, and leads to the best person possible joining your customer service team. Below, Cassie Marketos provides some useful tips for conducting better interviews.
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Tell Me About A Time You Went Above And Beyond What Was Expected To Please A Customer
Employers dont just want someone who does the bare minimum or sticks to their exact job description as a customer service representative.
So they ask behavioral questions like this one to see if youre able to really please customers and go above and beyond the basics.
If you have any previous customer service experience, be ready to go into detail about a time you got creative or put in the extra effort to please a customer.
For example, if you worked in a grocery store, what was something you did that they really didnt expect, and made their day?
Maybe you helped them find their lost child as the store was closing.
Maybe you special-ordered a product that you dont normally carry.
Think about those things that arent on the job description. Thats what to talk about when answering this interview question.
If youve never worked in a customer service role before, they might ask a similar question like, tell me about a time you went above and beyond what was expected of you at work?
So even if youve never worked in customer service, be ready to talk about a situation where you did more than what was expected in your job.
Why Should We Hire You For This Job
Here the interviewer wants to know if you have what it takes to handle the duties and responsibilities of this position.
Tip #1: Show that you are qualified for the job
Tip #2: Make sure you understand the requirements as advertised
Sample Answer
I have seven years experience as a customer service manager. I have successfully headed a team of fifteen members through various projects and achieved outstanding results. Thus, I have the relevant skills and experience needed to perform this role expertly and as expected.
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Get Ready For Your Customer Service Job Interview
You’ve got the customer service job interview. Well done! Prepare thoroughly using these common customer service interview questions and answers and be sure of standing out as the best candidate for the customer service job opportunity.
All customer service positions involve creating a positive relationship with the customer and ensuring the interaction the customer has is an efficient and satisfying experience. Expect interview questions that explore your ability to provide the right service to the customer.
Outline An Occasion When You Dealt With A Dissatisfied Customer
This interview question seeks to find out how you handle difficult situations. Although it is an unpredictable role, it is guaranteed that you will face some extremely angry, even hostile customers. In your answer, you must show that you didnt just deal with them, you ensured they were transformed from indignant to delighted.
As always, provide an example of your skills in action. For instance, during your previous role, a customer was irate because they returned an item but didnt receive a refund. The companys policy clearly stated that because they didnt have a receipt, the best you could offer was store credit. In this case, you allowed the person to unleash a tirade and apologised for the inconvenience.
Also, you helped them find a gift for their husband at the store using the store credit. In the end, the angry customer thanked you and left in a good mood.
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Q What Were Your Biggest Concerns About The Products/services You Previously Supported
Who this question is for Experienced customer service candidates.
What employers are looking for in your answer This question is to help interviewers understand how honest you are with regard to your work. They want to know how effectively you can summarize the problems a product/service had without demeaning the company. They also want to see if you can recommend possible solutions to those problems.
How you should respond to this question The key to answering this question is to do so from the perspective of a customer. This can help the interviewer gauge your ability to understand customers pain points. Bring up instances when customers faced problems because of the product/service and explain how you handled the same.
Q How Would You Describe An Ideal Customer Service Experience
Who this question is for Both experienced and inexperienced customer service candidates.
What employers are looking for in your answer With this question, interviewers want to assess what your idea of good customer service is. They want to know whether your understanding of what qualifies as great customer service aligns with that of their organization.
How you should respond to this question The best way to start your answer to this question is with an example. Give an example of a customer service interaction you handled or share a memorable customer service experience you had with a brand. After that, point out specific qualities from that example that according to you made the customer service experience a delightful one.
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Tell Us About Yourself And Why You Are Interested In This Job
The interviewer wants to know about the qualities and skills that you possess that make you the right person for the job.
Tip #1: Describe yourself and why you want the job
Tip #2: State the skills and qualities you possess about customer service management
Sample Answer
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I am a self-driven, hardworking, and ambitious individual. I hold a bachelors degree in customer service management. In the past five years, I have acquired lots of skills including interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills, and the ability to produce outstanding results. I have leadership qualities, and I uphold high standards of professionalism when performing my duties. I am confident that my skills align with customer service management, and my education and experience will be very useful to the company.
Questions To Ask The Interviewer
One of the questions you may be asked during a job interview for a retail position is, “Do you have any questions for me?” Remember that interviewing works both ways, and asking questions is an opportunity to be sure the job is a good fit for you.
Have a list of questions ready to ask that will clarify the job requirements, your schedule, the flexibility of the position, and anything else that would help you decide whether you would want the job if it were offered to you. Only ask questions that have not already been addressed during the interview.
- How many hours per week do you expect that I would work?
- Do you schedule people for primarily the same hours every week, or do they vary greatly?
- How many sales associates are on the floor during a shift?
- Will I be part of a team or be working primarily independently?
- Can you describe for me a typical day in this position?
- What do you like best about working here and least about working here?
- When should I expect to hear from you?
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Customer Service Interview Question: What Are Your Weaknesses
It finally happened. You get a call to interview for that customer service job youve been hoping to get. But now youre nervous. Its been a while since your last interview. Or worse, you succumb to anxiety and flub your interview responses. But you are ready to Google your heart out and memorize your answers to the most frequently asked customer service job interview questions.
It seems easy enough. We are told over and over again to highlight our strengths. We are told to show interviewers our âbest side.â Put our best foot forward. Never be negative. Always be positive. And then that one question that has the potential to make or break a job candidateâs hiring chances gets asked:
âWhat Are Your Weaknesses?â
Of all the customer service interview questions that could be asked, this one seems like the easiest to answerâespecially based on all the mainstream advice regarding interview answers. But this is not the time to take the easy routeâsimply because taking this path can backfire spectacularly.
Customer Service Interview Questions And Answers
Creating a customer-centric, high performing customer service organization always starts with hiring great people.
No matter how finely tuned your processes are, how good your data is, or how well you’ve set up your canned responses, hiring the wrong team members will make your customer experience suffer — and fast.
In this article, we’ll cover what you need to screen for and what questions you can ask in your interview process to determine if a candidate is a good fit for your team.
The questions we include in this article are great examples, but if you need a more in-depth selection, check out this resource.
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They Want To Make Sure Youre A Cultural Fit
Cultural fit is vital because employers want to ensure that your personality aligns with the company or teams core values. In fact, employees who fit well with their company and colleagues demonstrated superior job performance and greater job satisfaction. For example, someone who works poorly with others isnt a great cultural fit for a customer service team thats highly collaborative. For staff required to troubleshoot issues, a lack of empathy or impatience with strangers is a disaster for developing a service-based culture.
Ultimately, avoiding a bad hire from the get-go is more cost- and time-efficient. Its also better for the job candidate to find a job more suited to their personality and values. Remember, this interview isnât a one-way street. You are interviewing the company as well. Make a note to figure out if that work environment appeals to you as well.
Hr Professionals & Hiring Managers Share The Most Useful Customer Service Interview Questions For Managers
The Team at CallMiner
Managers play an integral role in ensuring high quality customer service, from hiring and training call center agents to monitoring performance, keeping tabs on vital and keeping agents motivated every day.
While technology such as automated scorecards, speech analytics, and other tools enable managers to monitor agent performance objectively, customer service managers must be highly organized and have the ability to provide constructive feedback to motivate their teams to achieve continuous improvement. Excellent customer service managers can help their teams navigate challenging situations and resolve concerns for frustrated customers, as theyre often the first point of contact when a call is escalated. Exceptional managers foster a sense of ownership among their teams, contributing to employee satisfaction and reducing agent turnover meaning less time spent interviewing, hiring, and training new customer service agents.
Download our white paper, Understanding How Interaction Analytics Can Reduce Agent Attrition, to learn more about how interaction analytics can help your management team reduce agent turnover.
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Be Honest With Yourself:
This means making sure youre actually a suitable candidate for a customer service representative position before ever setting foot in a hiring managers office.
While this might seem like a no-brainer tip, this is a critical step you should take even before applying for a customer service position, much less accepting an opportunity to interview. Go back over our list of desirable traits for a customer representative and ask yourself honestly if these all apply to you.
Customer representative jobs arent always easy and even people who truly posses all the traits and love the job have off days, but for people who have secured these positions without really knowing what the job entails or ensuring theyre the right fit, the job can be downright miserable.
What Customer Service Programs Are You Familiar With Using
Depending upon the role and company, a Customer Service Representative may require experience using customer relationship management software. The goal of the question is to determine if the candidate has CRM software experience. What to look for in an answer:
- Basic computer skills to use a CRM program effectively
- Attention to detail and accuracy when using software
- Communication skills
Example:
“In my previous roles, I have used various CRM software, including ZenDesk, Salesforce Sales Cloud, and TeamSupport. I also have experience using company-specific software for booking appointments, recording purchases, and managing basic customer information for email marketing and sales promotions.”
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Customer Service Interview Tips How To Pass A Customer Service Job Interview
If you have a job interview coming up where you are required to interact or deal with customers, you will be asked a series of questions that assess your ability to provide excellent customer service. The following four tips will help you to prepare fully for your customer service job interview.
CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB INTERVIEW TIP #1
Regardless of the customer service position you are being interviewed for, make sure you understand the definition of good customer service, you know how to deal with a customer complaint, and you have an example of when you provided excellent service to a customer.
CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB INTERVIEW TIP #2
There are nine very important skills needed to work in customer service. It is important you talk about these in your answers to the interview questions. Heres the nine skills we believe are THE more important in any customer facing role:
- Excellent Communication Skills.
- Responding to Customer Queries and Problems in a Timely Manner.
- Dealing with Customer Complaints Effectively and Efficiently.
- Having a Thorough Knowledge of Products and Services Being Flexible & Adaptable.
- Continually Improve and Developing in the Role.
CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB INTERVIEW TIP #3
Although it is important to have at least one strong example of when you have provided excellent customer service at work, you should also have examples ready of what you believe constitutes poor customer service.
CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB INTERVIEW TIP #4
How To Ace Your Customer Service Job Interview
Preparing for Your Customer Service Interview Customer Service Representative Interview Questions
So you have been fortunate enough to land a job interview in the Customer Service arena. Congratulations! Obviously, you passed the first hurdle with an excellent resume. You must have great qualifications and communication skills that led to you getting a customer service i nterviewin the first place.
Whether you will be starting out working from home or going into a call center, you need to present yourself professionally, by looking and sounding your best! Remember that as a customer service representative, you need to be calm and responsivethe very same skills you will need in a customer service job. The best way to ace your interview is simple: Be prepared!
Now it’s time to take the steps that will have you negotiating your salary and accepting that job offer.
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