How To Prepare For A Customer Service Representative Interview

What Skills Do You Have That Will Be Useful In This Job

The interviewer could also word this customer service interview question as What skills can you bring to the job?

These customer service job interview questions are there to see if you would be a good fit for the job and how well you understand it. What are the attributes you will bring to the support team?

Would You Say You Are A People Person

Employers want to know if you enjoy working with people and if you can improve their customer engagement and loyalty.

What employers look for?

• Customer-focus

Answer:

Yes, I would say Im a people person. I enjoy interacting with customers and learning more about their needs so I can assist them better. I find it very fulfilling to be able to help others and make a difference in their day.

Tell Me Of An Instance You Made An Unhappy Customer Happy

Sometimes, it is not an easy task to please a customer. This question is aimed to determine how far you would go to help a customer or solve their problem even in the worst situations while abiding by the policies of the company.

Example:In my previous job, a customer was frustrated that they could not return a product and get a full refund. The policy of the company only allowed a refund when a product was brought back within 30 days after purchase, and the customer had extended this by three days. After calmly listening to the customer vent, I clearly explained to them how the policy worked and the reason for the strict 30-day margin. Since the customer had come all this way, I decided to help them out in their next purchase by offering a discount. The customer was grateful for my patience and the discount that went a long way to show that we cared.

Recommended Reading: How To Pass Coding Interview

What Does Good Customer Service Mean To You

What They Want to Know: Interviewers are eager to know what you consider to be quality customer service and how you would provide it to customers. Another variation of this question is, “What is good customer service?” In your answer, be prepared to give specific examples of good customer service, either from your work experience or from your personal experiences as a consumer.

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?

Read Also: A New York Times Poll On Women’s Issues Interviewed 1025

What Does Customer Service Mean To You

This interview question for a customer service representative is designed to see if your definition of customer service is in line with what the organization stands for. Your answer will tell the employer if youre a good match for the position and for their business.

Tips

• Check the companys mission statement to see their values and mention them in your response.
• Make sure you know the importance of customer service on the companys growth and how customer success affects the success of the business so that you can have some extra pointers to include in your answer.
• Ask yourself, Why is customer service something I want to do? Write down the answer alongside a specific example of when you provided exceptional customer service.

What The Interviewer Wants To Know

An interviewer asks the question, What is customer service? for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he or she wants to know that you are familiar with the retail/customer service lingo.

Terms like “customer service,””customer satisfaction,” and “customer loyalty” are all concepts that you should be familiar with if you are in this industry.

Secondly, interviewers want to be sure that you can identify the many parts that make up good customer service. After all, customer service is more than just being a friendly face, and employers want to make sure you know this.

If you show that you understand what makes good customer service, the interviewer will have confidence that you can handle the job.

Recommended Reading: How To Conduct A Telephone Interview

How Do You Handle A Situation In Which You Aren’t Sure How To Help A Customer

There will be times when a Customer Service Representative won’t know the best way to handle a situation. The goal of the question is to evaluate how the candidate deals with uncertain circumstances. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to ask for guidance and support when required
• Communication skills to identify the customer’s problem
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving ability

Example:

“When working with a customer, I always try first to exhaust all my information and resources. Often, if I can think creatively about the issue, I can develop a solution. If not, I will then go to my supervisor and ask for their opinion on what I should do. I have a few ideas ready and then ask for their guidance on the best course of action.”

Describe A Time You Collaborated With A Peer To Solve A Problem

Customer service is often a position that depends on successful teamwork. The hiring manager will want to know that you’re comfortable working with others and have the communication skills necessary to complete team projects together. When you provide your anecdote, make sure the problem, your action steps and your coworker’s contribution are all clearly stated.

Example:“We had a particularly busy day after the launch of a new product, and one of our point of sale machines went down, causing checkout lines to grow long. I discussed the issue with another rep, and we decided one of us would work the remaining POS system and the other would walk through the line, checking in with customers and offering a coupon as a thank you for their patience.”

Read Also: What Are The Common Questions In A Job Interview

Usual Questions To Expect During Interview For Customer Support Jobs

GENERAL

• Tell me about your previous work experience as a customer support represantative?
• What have you done to become a better customer service representative?
• What qualifications do you have that make you suitable for this position?
• What are the top qualities everyone who works in customer service needs to succeed?
• Why would you be a good fit for our company as a customer service representative?
• What do you know about our products and services?
• What have you done at your previous company to increase revenues, reduce costs or save time?
• What makes you a team player?
• Do you prefer to work in a team or alone?

SPECIFIC

Have You Ever Made A Frustrated Customer Happy

Your answer shows whether you are willing to go the extra mile to satisfy a customer as appeasing a frustrated customer is no small feat.

What employers look for?

• Stress tolerance

Answer:

At , there was a customer who was beside himself because hed been transferred from agent to agent and no one was able to assist him. I really wanted to help him, so I asked the previous agents for their reports on what transpired and then asked the customer to please explain what was the matter in an attempt to find out if there was a miscommunication issue somewhere or if the company got the wrong details. I found out what went wrong and was able to assist the customer who was relieved someone took the time to listen and help.

You May Like: Do’s And Don Ts Of Interview

Customer Service Interview Questions For Agents/representatives Working From Home

• Tell me about your favorite job youve ever worked? Can you also share your least favorite?
• How do you ensure your home office is good working environment?
• Do you prefer working within a structured more working schedule or do you prefer more flexibility? Why?
• How do you keep yourself motivated while working remotely?
• Have you ever worked a remote customer service job? What did you find most challenging?

What Was The Toughest Customer Service Case You’ve Ever Handled

In the answer to this question, you’re looking for positivity and empathy. A mediocre candidate will talk about how irrational the customer on this case was, or how frustrating they were to resolve the issue with.

What to Look For in Good Answers

A great candidate will not speak ill about the customer, but will show how they empathized and did their best to come to a resolution that worked for them — and they’ll spell out the problem-solving strategies they used along the way.

Read Also: How To Best Answer Interview Questions

How Do You Balance Local Volume With Internal Responsibilities Like Follow

Customer service representatives need to balance customer interaction and internal responsibilities. Sometimes the work can increase and the interviewer wants to know if you have organizing skills and time management skills.

Example:In my previous job, I found that team collaboration and use of customer service tools will help in managing my workload.

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.

Also Check: How To Prepare For A Marketing Interview

What Can Improve Our Customer Service

Interviewers point of view:

This is where the interviewer wants to check if youre thinking proactively and how well youre informed about new trends and practices. Make sure to check throughly how this company is handling support requests and think of diffrenet ways to make it easier and more efficient.

Answer example:

Ive noticed that you have email customer support and that youre very active on social media, so it may be a good idea to introduce additional live chat customer support on your website and integrate it in an omnichannel platform. In this way customers will be able to reach you faster, youll be able to provide real time support on your website and keep your customers engaged and scrolling through your website content.

What Are You Hoping To Do In Five Years

Hiring managers want to know what your career ambitions are. Depending on the company and the specifics of the position, they might be looking for someone who plans to stay with the company and progress through the ranks. Be honest about your trajectory and thoughtful about how this position will support your career goals when you answer.

Example:“I would love to work as a manager in this company in the next five years. I think working in customer service is absolutely vital since I’ll get such a great feel for what customers need and want. I enjoy the responsibilities of working as a customer service representative, so I think this position is a great fit for me and my career ambitions.”

Recommended Reading: Where To Watch Harry And Meghan Interview

How Well You Know The Company Youre Applying To

5. Sell me our companys most popular product right now.

Why they ask this:

Remember how we told you in the tips and tricks that it was a good idea to learn everything you could about the company and their products before you go into the interview? This question is why. The hiring manager wants to know if you know what youre getting into and how much you want this position.

What you should focus on:

Make sure youre genuinely enthusiastic about both the product and the company and demonstrate a knowledge beyond what any applicant could know simply based on a general awareness of the product. Youll not only showing motivation and enthusiasm, youre also proving that you already know how to do the job youre applying for.

6. Tell me why you want to work here.

Why they ask this:

This answer also relies on the homework you did ahead of the interview. While it might seem like the hiring manager wants you to list the benefits of the job what theyre really asking is, Why do you believe youll be a good fit for this company?

What you should focus on:

Dont focus on what the company will be providing you. Focus instead on what youre bringing to the company and how it specifically aligns to the job youre applying to, the company mission and culture.

If you want a more in-depth explanation of how to answer this question, check out our article Why Do You Want to Work Here?

What Does Customer Delight Mean To You

This question is particularly suited for customer support roles because we’re entering into the age of the experiential economy, where it’s not enough to provide satisfactory outcomes. Customers are wowed when teams go above and beyond.

What to Look For in Good Answers

The candidate should be able to articulate the difference between a good and an “above and beyond” outcome. Even better if they can relate this to what customers want and expect from brands in this regard.

Also Check: What To Say In A Phone Interview For A Job

What Would You Do If You Did Not Know How To Help A Customer

The interviewer wants to recognize your ability to be resourceful, and how you communicate with the customer and colleagues when resolving an issue. A personal example is an added advantage. Even after undergoing extensive training and experience, there usually are unique circumstances that surpass your knowledge. The interviewer wants to know if you can calmly respond in such a situation, and how you would go about the situation.

Example:If I dont know an answer or am unsure about what to do, I dont pretend to know more than I do. I would ask the customer to wait while I double-check my work or even ask for assistance from a coworker or manager. One time, a customer could not get their computer to start working, and after I walked them through the standard reboot steps, it still did not turn on. I apologized and asked for a few minutes to clarify some details. I went through my notes without finding a solution. Then I asked a more experienced colleague. With his help, the problem was quickly solved and I updated my notes.

Typically, questions asked during a customer service interview include common questions, personality questions or those about customer service. Common questions could be about your educational background, skills or employment history, whereas personality questions are about your values and your work ethic.

In This Case Your Interviewer Is The Customer

Are you looking for a customer service job? Be ready to talk about your skills and experience during the job interview. Prepare your customer service interview answers to the interview questions on this list:

• Tell me about your previous work experience in customer service.
• Why would you be a good fit for our company as a customer service rep?
• What do you know about this company’s products and services?
• What makes you a great candidate for this customer service rep job in particular?
• What do you enjoy about working in customer service?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses when interacting with customers?
• What have you done to be a better customer service representative?
• What have you done at your present/last company to increase revenues, reduce costs or save time?
• Talk about a time when you were unable to help a customer. What was the issue and how did you handle the situation?
• What type of customer service systems have you used? What is your level of familiarity with them?
• Do you consider yourself a team player?
• What type of organizational structure have you worked within previously?
• What type of organizational structure suits you best?
• What have you done recently to improve your skills as customer service rep?
• What type of schedule are you looking to work?
• Would you be available to work additional shifts?

Also Check: How To Bring A Resume To An Interview

Can You Tell Me About A Time You Received Poor Customer Service How Could It Have Gone Better

Practically everyone has had a poor customer service experience, but this question is particularly good for support and service roles because they will have the chance to answer through the lens of their professional experience.

What to Look For in Good Answers

Candidates should be able to tell their story in an engaging way, convey what they needed from the customer service experience, and where the organization fell short. The best candidates will also demonstrate empathy and problem solving by stating what they would’ve done instead if the roles were reversed. Be sure to pay attention to what they say they wish the outcome would’ve been as well as this will tell a lot about a candidate.