Essential Interview Questions On Customer Service Representative
Q – 1 What are the main tasks of a customer service representative?
Ans- On a typical day a customer service representative’s tasks might include:
☛ Interacting with customers by phone, email, live chat or in person
☛ Answering questions, suggesting solutions to problems, providing information and giving instructions
☛ Making changes to customers’ accounts
☛ Arranging for product returns and refunds
☛ Keeping records of calls and other interactions
☛ Doing research in order to find solutions to problems
☛ Taking orders for products or services
Q – 2 List some customer service skills that matter?
Ans- The customer service skills that matter:
☛ Patience
☛ Attentiveness
☛ Clear Communication Skills
☛ Knowledge of the Product
☛ Ability to Use “Positive Language”
☛ Acting Skills
☛ Time Management Skills
☛ Ability to “Read” Customers
☛ A Calming Presence
☛ Goal Oriented Focus
☛ Ability to Handle Surprises
☛ Persuasion Skills
☛ Tenacity
☛ Closing Ability
☛ Willingness to Learn!
Q – 3 Why should you have ability to use positive language?
Ans- Sounds like fluffy nonsense, but your ability to make minor changes in your conversational patterns can truly go a long way in creating happy customers.
Language is a very important part of persuasion and people (especially customers) create perceptions about you and your company based off of the language that you use.
Q – 4 What do you know about our company?
Ans- Follow these steps before an interview to answer this question:
1) Visit the company website; look in the “about us” section and “careers” sections.
2) Visit the company’s LinkedIn page (you must have a LinkedIn account – its free to sign up) to view information about the company.
3) Google a keyword search phrase like “press releases” followed by the company name, you will find the most recent news stories shared by the company
Q – 5 What challenges are you looking for in this customer service position?
Ans- The best way to answer questions about the challenges you are seeking is to discuss how you would like to be able to effectively utilize your skills and experience if you were hired for the job. You can also mention that you are motivated by challenges, have the ability to effectively meet challenges, and have the flexibility and skills necessary to handle a challenging job.
Q – 6 Why should we hire you as customer service representative?
Ans- As you explain your compatibility with the job and company, be sure to portray yourself as that motivated, confident and energetic person, ever- ready to commit to the cause of the company.
Q – 7 What have you learned from mistakes as the customer service representative?
Ans- Candidates without specific examples often do not seem credible. However, the example shared should be fairly inconsequential, unintentional and a learned lesson should be gleaned from it. Moving ahead without group assistance while assigned to a group project meant to be collaborative is a good example.
Q – 8 Why do you want this customer service job?
Ans- First, identify a couple of key factors that make the role a great fit for you (e.g. I love customer support because I love the constant human interaction and the satisfaction that comes from helping someone solve a problem), then share why you love the company (e.g. I have always been passionate about education and I think you guys are doing great things, so I want to be a part of it).
Q – 9 Why did you leave your last job?
Ans- I have worked there for 04 years with much experience and skills. I want to be promoted but the Company do not offer me that opportunity.
Q – 10 How would you deny a request from a customer?
Ans- It is the right time for your diplomacy, characters and calmness to shine. A brilliant basic for your answer is a simple but not a complete explanation (as each the company’s policy). An important thing with all businesses is to be able to keep customer, particularly in the fierce argument so it is best to mention this customer faith (if nothing else, to admit that a call of complaint would be made when they were ready to take the time and effort in it).
Q – 11 How did you handle this if you have experienced a challenge with company systems or best practices, finding that they were not serving the needs of the customers?
Ans- Base on the quality of the job, you need to understand the products, services and systems and you should observe the actions from both sides: the company’s point of view as well as (more important) the customer’s.
Q – 12 Explain the philosophy of good customer service?
Ans- My career’s philosophy is to take responsibility to keep the customer in good relationship and bringing out a clearly experience for the individual customer by appraising the customer’s demands, by satisfying the customer’s requests, keeping the promises and listening to the customer’s needs.
Q – 13 What do you do, to get things moving if you are supervising on a public counter and there is lots of people waiting and more coming in?
Ans- I will build a quick line system. One line will helps anybody with jobs that can be done fast, while the other one for slower moving customer matters. One or two people are appointed to solve the customer’s issues. That decreases the numbers and pushes the difficult jobs faster. Quick service should be given to customers.
Q – 14 What would you do to handle negative comments from clients, most especially when they express anger, frustration or hostility?
Ans- Show your warm, friendly and professional character. Only express it and do not tell your customers about that. Keep it in mind and you should demonstrate your ability in controlling and your power so that you are authorized to make dialogue and you will not be bull- dozed or effected by the sentiment of the complainant.
Q – 15 How do you handle complaints from customers?
Ans- In order to make customers understand the process, I take them into each part and interpret clearly these guidelines. I do not show any ideas on the result of the complaint. This is the strict book method and it is the unique truly exact response.
Q – 16 How do you advise the customer if a customer is not sure what they need, and comes to you for advice about a product?
Ans- In order to find out what product characteristic or other demands which the customer requests, I make some related questions. It is usually useful to make a conversation, so you can examine any special requests, or preferences. Once I receive that information, I will tell the customer some ideas and show how they satisfy the customer’s needs.
Q – 17 What do you think a customer satisfaction is?
Ans- It means that how you should have to do in order to deal with customers in a proper or positive way. Each customer has different preference or demand so the key task of a customer service employee is what he/she must make for a variety of customers to understand that they are also take care of their problem.
Q – 18 What is a closing ability?
Ans- Being able to close with a customer means being able to end the conversation with confirmed satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) and with the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be).
Getting booted after a customer service call or before all of their problems have been addressed is the last thing that customers want, so be sure to take the time to confirm with customers that each and every issue they had on deck has been entirely resolved.
Q – 19 How do you deal with difficult customers?
Ans- I listen to the customer and concentrate on the customer’s matter. I do not argue or debate over any problems. I find out the useful solution, or other effective ideas that are comfortable with the customer.
Q – 20 Why should you be willingness to learn as a CSR?
Ans- Those who do not seek to improve what they do, whether it is building products, marketing businesses, or helping customers, will get left behind by the people willing to invest in their skills.
Q – 21 What is an ability to handle surprises?
Ans- Maybe the problem you encounter is not specifically covered in the company’s guidelines, or maybe the customer isn’t reacting how you thought they would.
Whatever the case, it is best to be able to think on your feet but it is even better to create guidelines for yourself in these sorts of situations.
Q – 22 What is tenacity?
Ans- Call it what you want, but a great work ethic and a willingness to do what needs to be done is a key skill when providing the kind of service that people talk about.
Remembering that your customers are people too, and knowing that putting in the extra effort will come back to you ten-fold should be your driving motivation to never “cheat” your customers with lazy service.
Q – 23 How does goal oriented focus help you as a CSR?
Ans- This may seem like a strange thing to list as a customer service skill, but I assure you that it is vitally important.
It leaves employees without goals and business goals and customer happiness can work hand-in-hand without resulting in poor service.
Q – 24 How are persuasion skills important?
Ans- Experienced customer support personnel know that oftentimes, you will get messages in your inbox that are more about the curiosity of your company’s product, rather than having problems with it.
It is not about making a sales pitch in each email, but it is about not letting potential customers slip away because you could not create a compelling message that your company’s product is worth purchasing.
Q – 25 What is a calming presence?
Ans- There is a lot of metaphors for this type of personality, “keeps their cool,” “staying cool under pressure,” etc. but it all represents the same thing the ability that some people have to stay calm and even influence others when things get a little hectic.
The best customer service reps know that they cannot let a heated customer force them to lose their cool, in fact it is their job to try to be the “rock” for a customer who thinks the world is falling down due to their current problem.
Q – 26 What is time management skill?
Ans- The trick here is that this should also be applied when realizing when you simply cannot help a customer. If you do not know the solution to a problem, the best kind of support member will get a customer over to someone who does.
Do not waste time trying to go above and beyond for a customer in an area where you will just end up wasting both of your time.
Q – 27 Why should you have an ability to “Read” customers?
Ans- You will not always be able to see customers face-to-face, and in many instances (nowadays) you will not even hear a customer’s voice.
That does not exempt you from understanding some basic principles of behavioral psychology and being able to “read” the customer’s current emotional state.
This is an important part of the personalization process as well, because it takes knowing your customers to create a personal experience for them.
Q – 28 Why should you have knowledge of the product?
Ans- The best forward-facing employees in your company will work on having a deep knowledge of how your product works.
It is not that every single team member should be able to build your product from scratch, but rather they should know the ins and outs of how your product works, just like a customer who uses it everyday would.
Q – 29 How are acting skills important for a CSR?
Ans- Every great customer service rep will have those basic acting skills necessary to maintain their usual cheery persona in spite of dealing with people who may be just plain grumpy.
Q – 30 What is attentiveness?
Ans- The ability to really listen to customers is so crucial for providing great service for a number of reasons.
Not only is it important to pay attention to individual customer interactions (watching the language/terms that they use to describe their problems), but it is also important to be mindful and attentive to the feedback that you receive at large.
Q – 31 What is clear communication skills?
Ans- It is okay to find out more about your customers, but make sure you are getting to the problem at hand quickly, customers do not need your life story or to hear about how your day is going.
More importantly, you need to be cautious about how some of your communication habits translate to customers and it is best to err on the side of caution whenever you find yourself questioning a situation.
Q – 32 Why should you have patience as a CSR?
Ans- Not only is patience important to customers, who often reach out to support when they are confused and frustrated, but it’s also important to the business at large. The great service beats fast service every single time. Yet patience should not be used as an excuse for slothful service either.
Q – 33 What is good customer service?
Ans- Good customer service means having thorough knowledge of your inventory, experience with your products, and being able to help customers make the best choices for them.
Q – 34 What is a customer service representative?
Ans- Customer service representatives interact with customers on behalf of an organization. They provide information about products and services, take orders, respond to customer complaints, and process returns. Many customer service representatives work in customer contact centers.
Q – 35 What is customer service?
Ans- Customer service is the service provided to customers before, during and after purchasing and using goods and services. Good customer service provides an experience that meets customer expectations. It produces satisfied customers. Bad customer service can generate complaints.