Dear Ms. Ina
I am applying for a customer service representative position. Please give me possible questions and best answers which I may encounter during my interview... hope to hear from you very soon... Thanks and God bless.....
Ruby
Dear Ruby,
For a customer service representative position, the following questions may be asked:
- What past experience have you had in customer service?
- You can describe your external customers - the ones who buy your company’s products and services.
- You can describe your internal customers - your boss, your department mates, the person or department who needs the output of your work -- you know, the ones who could not get their jobs done, if you don’t do yours well first.
- What do you know about the current job?
- Research on the job description. Call the HR department. Look up the job position on the internet. Ask HR what products or services you will be handling. Also ask what aspect of customer service are they looking at - sales, helpdesk, repairs, complaints.
- What do you know about our company?
- Ask for a brochure when you submit your application form. Read the usual things companies put on their walls - mission statements, products, customers.
- If they have no brochure, ask the HR representative a few questions.
- Why are you interested in customer service?
- You may say that you like being around people. You like helping them. You like the challenge of turning No to Yes.
You have, however, to be sure about one thing that you ARE into people. You have to be, if you want to succeed or thrive in customer service. If you are the type who gets tired explaining things over and over, or if you are very sensitive about people’s comments, or if you think customers are a bother, look for a job that requires only minimal human interface.
I like to ask the following questions because it’s difficult for the interviewee to bluff and invent details. I can ask any number of follow ups that are not answerable by yes or no, but will give me detail about a situation. Also, they tell me about the interviewee’s skill and level of interest in the position. It takes long, but mostly, it helps me decide right away whether to shortlist this person for the next interview, or not. You just have to tell the truth. There are no “best answers.” The best answer is the one that tells me that you have the skills I’m looking for, or that at least, you are a work in progress and can learn quickly.
- Describe to me the customers you’ve had in your previous job/s. I want to find out what customers you’re used to handling.
- Describe the most challenging customer service experience you’ve had. In what ways did that challenge you? How did the customer respond to your action? Anything else more challenging?
- Tell me about a specific experience that shows how you’ve handled difficult people. Why did you choose this experience? How has this experience helped you in handling succeeding customers? Tell me how you applied what you learned from this experience to other experiences.
- Describe to me a situation where you have had to handle several challenging job requirements at the same time. What did you do to handle it? Were you able to submit everything on schedule? How did customers respond to what you delivered? Were you happy with your work?
- What was the most fulfilling customer service experience you’ve had as a service giver? What aspect of it made you feel fulfilled?
- What was the most complicated product you’ve handled? How did you present it to a customer?
- Describe an experience where you had a customer who couldn’t understand instructions about how to use your product. What did you do? How did customer respond?
- Tell me about your biggest customer. (Or, tell me about a customer who has made repeat orders with you.) Why does he keep ordering? How long has he been your customer? What do you know about him other than what he orders? How many repeat orders? What does he like about your product? Does he order from other customer reps also? What products has this person bought because you suggested something to him other than what he has ordered?
- Describe a situation where you had to refuse a customer request because of company policy. We always teach in customer service class to NEVER say the words COMPANY POLICY to a customer. You have to devise creative ways of saying “it can’t be done because the boss says so.” Usually, however, company policy is there to ensure fairness to all customers and to protect the interests of the company.
- Tell me about a specific situation where you had to explain a company error, a delay, or a defect. What I what to find out here is how you can still maintain friendly relations with the customer even if he’s mad that you forgot to include sales tax computations in the bill - and that now, he actually has to pay 12% more and wait for twenty minutes more as you redo the transaction.
- Tell me about a specific situation where a customer said negative personal things about you. How did you handle it? What was the end result of that transaction?
There is an old joke that goes: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practice, my dear, practice!”
May your practicing bear much fruit.
Dear Ms. Ina,
Is it proper to follow up on my job application?
Geena
Dear Geena,
Of course it is. You may say that you submitted your application or were interviewed on such and such date and would like to know the status of your application. It shows your interest. If they have no updates, you may ask: “When may I call again?” Then call again on that day. If they say they’d rather call you, then you may leave it at that. Or you may call again and ask, “Hi, I’d like to know if such-and-such position has already been filled?” If it has not been filled, you may ask if interviews have been scheduled for you. If you have not been shortlisted, you may also ask why and tell them, it’s for your own learning process about what to do next time.
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