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Sample
Script
>>Sample
Interview Questions for Customer Service Reps
IMPORTANT
NOTICE: The information contained on this site is
meant as general information only. It should not be used
as a substitute for legal or professional
advice.
There
was a time when consumer affairs departments were solely
reactive. The job was to answer questions and resolve
problems. But increased competition and higher
expectations from customers have led companies to
require consumer affairs departments to take on a more
proactive role. Consumer affairs representatives are
spokespeople and even sales people in addition to
problem solvers. Consumer affairs professionals have
great influence on customer loyalty and purchasing
habits. Therefore, the hiring, selection and performance
of consumer affairs professionals is of extreme
importance to the overall success of organizations. We
have prepared a selection of interview questions to
equip you to hire capable, right-fit employees for the
critical consumer affairs role.
The
following questions are designed to elicit specific
examples of the core competencies of successful consumer
affairs professionals. All questions are open-ended and
call for the candidate to offer an illustration of their
performance in each of the core areas. You should take
detailed notes on the responses during the interview so
you can go back and review in greater detail.
Consider
setting the interview up like this:
“I’m going to ask you some questions and what I’m
looking for is specific examples that illustrate how you
have responded to specific situations in the past.
I’ll be taking notes as you talk, but you keep going.
Feel free to take your time and think about responses
before answering the questions.”
Customer
Service –
Clearly,
any candidate for a consumer affairs position must have
a customer service mindset. This includes anticipating
customers’ needs, completely answering questions,
having a positive attitude and understanding that the
customer is the reason you are in business.
-
What
does giving “excellent service” mean to you?
-
Tell
me about a time when you went above and beyond the
call of duty to serve a customer.
-
What
do you like most about being in customer service?
-
What
do you think is likely to be the difference between
success and mediocrity in this position?
Tolerance
for stress
- Candidates must demonstrate a healthy
response to stressful situations and an ability to
maintain control in the midst of chaos.
-
Describe
for me one of the most stressful situations you’ve
encountered in the workplace and how you responded
to that situation.
-
How
do you deal with the stress of constant and heavy
customer contact?
Decision-making
skills
– Consumer affairs professionals must be able
to work independently and make decisions that balance
the interest of the customer and the company and make
decisions that are cost effective.
-
Describe
a situation in which you had to consider
details/opinions from multiple sources in order to
make a final decision.
-
Describe
the process you recently used to make a critical
(bottom-line impacting, customer-impacting, etc.)
decision in the workplace.
Creative
problem solving skills
– Tough challenges for customers’ demands
quick and creative solutions. Your people need to be
able to think out-of-the box, think on their feet and
find creative ways to delight unhappy customers.
-
Describe
a tough challenge you faced that required you to
think out-of-the box (challenge assumptions, break
the rules) in order to solve the problem.
-
What
was one of the most creative ideas you’ve had
recently?
Ability
to effectively deal with difficult people
– Customers can be difficult and your employees
need to be able to respond to difficult behavior with
diplomacy and tact. Ideally, you’ll want professionals
who are skilled at defusing anger, creating rapport and
influencing behavior.
-
Customers
can, at times, be difficult. Please give me a
specific example of how you have handled a
demanding, angry or irate customer.
Little
need for control
– People who have a great need for control or
rigid structure might find consumer affairs work
challenging. Consumer affairs work is unpredictable,
chaotic and in a constant state of flux.
Motivational
fit
– In addition to the core competencies,
you’ll want candidates who are a “motivational
fit” for the job. Candidates should have a
customer-centered mindset, be comfortable with high call
volumes and high customer contact. Essentially, they
must be intrinsically motivated to work hard and succeed
in this extremely valuable position.
-
What
do you like most about being in a customer contact
position?
-
What
do you want from your next job that you’re not
getting from your current job?
-
What
part of your current job do you enjoy the most? The
least?
-
What
are some of the things in a job that motivate you?
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