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| Top Answers to 121 Job Interview Questions | Interview Excellence: 12 Step Program to Job Interview Success | Winning at Customer Services and Call Center Job Interviews |
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Price: £9.95 Buy Paperback Buy eBook |
Price: £9.95 Buy Paperback Buy eBook |
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Job Interview: Customer Service and Call Centre Job Interview Questions
By Annette Lewis
Having interviewed for a range of Customer Services and Call Centre positions I am very familiar with the different types of interview questions you will come across.
Some will be directed towards discovering how capable you are and whether you possess the essential skills such as communication and customer handling, while others aim to find out how committed you are and how long you will stay in the role.
This article gives an insight into the industry and highlights some potential questions asked at customer services or call centre interviews.
All about Customer Services and Call Centre Jobs
Almost all modern organisations have some form of Customer Service function. This can range from the receptionist who meets and greets visitors, right up to a dedicated call centre with 1,000’s of employees.
The activity of Customer Servicing refers to the behaviours and actions an organisation undertakes during its interaction with its customers and can be present at all times, before, during and after a transaction.
The task of the Customer Service function is to make this interaction as easy and smooth as possible, generating goodwill and in turn encouraging loyalty and repeat purchases.
A career in this sector can certainly be rewarding. While some may find the task of dealing with people stressful, for others there is a sense of achievement in ‘helping’ and making sure that customers get what they want.
Many jobs are specifically ‘customer facing’ which refers to the situation where the customer is being interacted with directly, for example in the branch of a bank or over the telephone or internet.
In others, such as 'back office' roles, the employee never has to deal directly with the customer. For example, when processing a credit card application, the front end sale may have been completed in a live environment with a sales agent, after which the application is sent to a processing centre where the details are input into a computer and credit reference checks performed. Even though this individual never sees the customer, they are still part of the customer service chain.
The Job Interview: Interview Questions to Expect
A candidate at a job interview for a Customer Service or Call Centre role can be asked a whole array of standard interview questions such as: ‘Tell me about yourself’, ‘What will you bring to the role?’, ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?’.
No change from any other interview, however, they will also be asked some very specific question relating to their ability to manage customer relationships.
For example, how would you answer these questions?
Interview Question 2: 'Tell me about a time when you gave effective customer service.'
Interview Question 3: 'Imagine that a customer calls to complain about not receiving documentation connected with their new account. How would you respond to this customer and what would you do to resolve the situation?'
Interview Question 4: 'Have you ever dealt with a company that provided first-class customer service? What aspects made it so good and how would you apply the same principles in this role?'
Interview Question 5: 'Working in this face-to-face customer service environment, how would you demonstrate that you are listening to a customer?'
Interview Question 6: 'Talk me through an example of how you have used data to improve your teams productivity'
* Questions taken from the InterviewGOLD™ Interview System. Click here for more.
So how would you have answered these questions? While it is possible to train an employee in the basics of the job, it is very difficult to instill the empathy and sensitivity required to be an excellent Customer Service employee; these can only come through experience and this is what these questions set out to discover.
In addition, remember you may be asked Competency Based Interview Questions exploring core skills such as Communication, Achieving Results, Building Relationships, Interpersonal Skills, Use of Initiative, Leadership and Supervision and Team Working.
How to Succeed in Customer Services Interviews
So, how would you answer tough interview questions such as 'What are your weaknesses?' or 'Why should we hire you instead of the other candidates?'.
And, how confident do you feel about answering Competency Based or Behavioural questions, both very commonly used at present.
For expert help with answering these difficult questions, we recommend InterviewGOLD™ a great online interview skills course that has helped thousands of candidates get jobs.
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About the Author
Annette Lewis is an accredited interviewer and has recruited for many organisations within Healthcare, Education, Customer Services and Banking.
