Customer Service Job Interview
Customer service positions are more in demand than ever before. Why? Automation.
More and more customer service roles such as retail positions, garage jobs and generic customer service roles are completed by machines and online automated systems. This means that more people are applying for the same position – competition is high for each customer service role.
The good news is…many customer service applicants don’t practice for their job. They rarely practice job interview techniques, they rarely prepare interview answers, and they never think to sell themselves.
This article will teach you to be ready for your next customer service job interview.
The key to passing job interviews in preparation and practice, this sounds obvious but is often overlooked, with the average interviewee spending around only 60 minutes preparing for their job interview.
This article will help you to prepare and to pass your next job interview in 2 separate ways.
1. You will learn 8 common asked interview questions for a customer service position
2. You will be given an explanation of the type of answer the interviewer is looking for ( a guide to what the employer wants you to discuss )
Customer Service Job Interview Questions
Job Interview Question 1:
“What experience do you have in customer service?”
In all customer service job interviews you will be asked, often at the interview start, to summarize your experience in customer service roles. There are a couple of key elements that you need to discuss during the job interview. Everything you say here has to be told from a positive perspective.
Summarise your experience and have a focus on the key skills required for this position;
- Customer service skills – how you make customers feel special
- To communicate with different people, while building rapport
- Able to up-sell, increase loyalty card membership and promote special offers
- To turnaround angry customers into complaint customers
- IT skills, use of retail technology
Job Interview Question 2:
“What would you say to an angry customer to make them stay loyal to the firm?”
Customer service example questions are common in customer service job interviews.
Most interviewees answer how they would listen to a customer and help to solve their problem. What you need to say when answering this interview question, to stand out, is a sentence about the situation.
Don’t just say the customer was angry, instead give detail of the circumstances (this was the interviewer will visualize the potential problem)
For situational job interview questions, answer using a real-life story or example
- state the situation – why the customer was angry/difficult
- explain how you remain calm and how this calmed down the customer
- discuss what you did to support the customer while following processes and procedure
- explain the outcome of the situation *ensure this is positive
Job Interview Question 3:
“Give an example of when you have up-sold to a customer?”
Up-selling in many customer service roles is a key job criteria. Employers want customer service staff to sell without selling. Your example here is when you have an up-sold to a customer by being friendly. A good example to use is selling customer loyalty cards/store cards. The reason why this example is strong is because you are getting a customer for life (or for as long as they keep the store card) which means the sales keep coming.
Job Interview Question 4:
“How do you make a customer relax?”
Many customers are wary of salespeople and customer service staff as they believe they are out to steal from them. Employers know this and want to employ staff who understand how to make a customer relax. This situation arises in situations when you as a customer service staff member doesn’t have a goal to sell.
Your example, which you should use when answering this type of interview question, should cover:
- how you listen patiently to the customer
- your approach – friendly and professional
- your attitude/manner
- the totality of you use to create the feeling of relaxation
- how you communicate
Job Interview Question 5:
“Give an example of how you have supported customers with disabilities?”
This question is commonly asked only in certain customer service niches, often a company that offers a service to the general public (not retail)
When answering a question about supporting customers with disabilities include how you checked what support they required, how you informed other staff members and if there is any additional information you need to be aware of
Job Interview Question 6:
“Why should we employ you?”
Think again about the job specification and the skills needed for this role.
Have a paragraph prepared highlighting how you will be able to complete the customer service duties and what you can bring to the team. Talk about your work ethic, your passion, your natural qualities – being able to relate to others, your friendly manner and your natural rapport building skills.
For customer service roles with a sales aspect, you need to discuss your ability to sell and meet targets. Always think about the job criteria and use these criteria as part of your job interview answer.
Job Interview Question 7:
“Do you know anything about this organisation?”
Often one of the first questions you will be asked during the customer service interview, employers want employees who will stay with the company, this question and answer will show the employer that you know the company’s history and feel they will be a good employer to work for.
It also shows the employer that you think ahead and carries out research. Answer this question with:
- The length the organisation has been operating for.
- How the company started
- What services/products the company offers
- Where they are going (have they won any new contracts)
- All this information is normally found on the internet; on the company home page or about us page.
Job Interview Question 8:
“Do you have any questions for me?”
Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.
