Customer Service Representative Skills Interview
Author:
Haya Bakour, MSc I/OA Customer Service Representative interview assessing key skills required for success. We've also included a few motivation and values questions to help you make the best decisions about your candidates.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to our company as Customer Service Representative? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Fit and motivation to join the company
Explore tips
- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
Question
2
Active listening skills are really important to this role. When it comes to that skill set, what aspect are you best at, and can you share an example of how you've done this in a previous role?
What does this question reveal?
Ability to engage in active listening and understand how it contributes to success
Explore tips
- Clearly highlights their specific strengths in active listening
- Shares key active listening tactics (e.g. repeats information, asks clarification questions)
- Gains a deep understanding of the other person's needs by asking smart questions
- Uses evidence from past experience to justify their strengths
Question
3
Imagine you're speaking with a prospect and are having difficulty understanding their needs. You need to understand their needs to gain their interest in your product/service. How would you navigate that conversation?
What does this question reveal?
Use communication tactics to effectively share and obtain key customer information with
Explore tips
- Exhibits patience and calmly asks questions to clarify understanding
- Repeats back what they hear to ensure their understanding is accurate
- Takes note of non-verbal cues to gauge other's emotions/respond appropriately
- Is empathetic to the other person and values their unique needs
Question
4
Imagine you have joined us as a Customer Service Representative. How will you ensure you consistently provide a quality service to our customers?
What does this question reveal?
Successfully deliver high-quality customer service
Explore tips
- Shows they prioritize customer needs and high standards of customer service
- Shows they value consistency and have a strong work ethic
- Demonstrates a willingness to work with the customer to address their needs
- Discusses actively engaging with each customer to ensure a high-quality service
Question
5
What does 'customer-centric' mean to you? Tell me the ways you are customer-centric in your current role.
What does this question reveal?
Put the client's needs at the center of their work
Explore tips
- Discusses valuing the customer above everything else
- Discusses choosing the customer when making decisions that require trade-offs
- Exhibits customer empathy and an ability to engage in perspective-taking
- Discusses designing strategies around what the customer cares about
Question
6
Tell me about a time a customer tested your patience. How did you handle the situation?
What does this question reveal?
Keep calm with difficult people in challenging situations
Explore tips
- Shows they can stay calm and professional under challenging circumstances
- Shows they were empathetic and worked to understand the customer's motivations
- Shows they didn't take the situation personally
- Engaged the other person in an attempt to understand the underlying problem
Question
7
What would you do if a customer kept asking you the same questions?
What does this question reveal?
Handle repetitive tasks and exercises
Explore tips
- Shows they can provide professional customer service under any circumstance
- Discusses using simple, clear language to answer each aspect of the question
- Discusses investigating what has caused the misunderstanding
- Discusses explaining the answer in different ways (demos, visual help, etc.)
Question
8
In your past roles, how did you keep up to date with your company's product improvements? How did you communicate these new features to your customers?
What does this question reveal?
Stay up to date on product knowledge to enhance services
Explore tips
- Shares their process or system for keeping up-tp-date with product improvements
- Discusses internal processes for communicating between product and sales
- Consistently conducts research to up-to-date knowledge on product market trends
- Identifies how to tailor new services to client’s needs based on offerings
Question
9
What do you know about our company's [insert product]? What are its strongest points and limitations?
What does this question reveal?
Show knowledge of and interest in the company's product
Explore tips
- Demonstrates knowledge of the product's features, functionality, users, etc.
- Understands the nature/value of the product and why people use it
- Suggests limitations of the product and how it could be improved
- Exhibits an understanding of the product market
Question
10
Imagine the volume of customer queries is higher than usual. How would you balance maintaining quality with speed/quantity?
What does this question reveal?
Assess competing priorities and provide good service to all
Explore tips
- Shows they can juggle contending needs (e.g. quality versus resources available)
- Discusses prioritizing/adapting the service for different customer segments
- Discusses first response time versus resolution time
- Discusses using the Urgent-Important Matrix and SLAs to define priorities
Question
11
Imagine you are interacting with a potential client. How would you be sensitive to the client’s needs and feelings?
What does this question reveal?
Present in a manner that meets the client’s needs
Explore tips
- Demonstrates an ability to 'read between the lines'
- Discusses researching the client to tailor the communication/presentation style
- Discusses asking questions to understand the client’s needs
- Shows they can listen effectively and prioritize the client’s needs/feelings
Question
12
Describe a time you adapted your service to meet the needs of a potential customer. What did you change and why?
What does this question reveal?
Personalize their customer service approach
Explore tips
- Shows they can adapt to the needs of the customer
- Shows they can listen to and empathize with a customer's situation
- Clearly explains their reasoning (strategic customer, churn risk, etc.)
- Demonstrates an ability to be flexible and accommodating
Question
13
Imagine you join our company as a Customer Service Representative. What is one difference you anticipate with working here compared to your previous company? How will you prepare for or adapt to these changes?
What does this question reveal?
Adapt to change in new environments
Explore tips
- Identifies valid similarities and differences between organizations
- Is eager to experience differences and is motivated to succeed in a new context
- Quickly seeks out information to learn about anticipated changes
- Views the change as an opportunity to expand their learning and development
Question
14
Based on your past work history and professional experience, in what type of work environment were the happiest and most productive.
What does this question reveal?
Preferences for organizational culture and workstyle
Explore tips
- Discusses attributes that align with your organization
- References different organizational factors (people, place, work, etc.)
- Highlights the values that shaped the environment/culture
- Shares a story from past experience to support their claims
Question
15
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
