Customer Service Sample Interview Questions
Hiring all-star customer service representatives can be a challenging task. You may find yourself wondering how you can effectively separate self-motivated applicants from those who might not take their job responsibilities seriously. Since you want every member of your service team to become an asset to your company rather than a liability, it is important to ask the right questions during the interview process. Here are some customer service sample interview questions that will give you a good look into the qualifications and compatibility of each interviewee.
What Do You Know About This Company
Serious applicants should always research a company’s products and services before applying, which is why one of the most important customer service sample interview questions is: ïWhat do you know about this companyï
If an interviewee knows a lot about the goods you offer or the things your company does on a daily basis, then you can rest assured that they are serious about being considered for a job opening.
Tell Me About Your Past Customer Service Experience
Yes, we know this is not technically a question, but requests for background information can seem more conversational than queries. In this case, inviting an applicant to tell you about their past customer service experience encourages them to respond in greater detail, rather than briefly answering a direct question. Pay close attention to their response to this request, since it will reveal much about their qualifications as well as their overall attitude towards customer service responsibilities.
How Have You Resolved a Difficult Customer Problem
The ideal service representative should feel comfortable speaking with combative customers and resolving problems as quickly as possible, so customer service sample interview questions like this one should not alarm them. It is important for applicants to be able to tell you about at least one circumstance when they solved a difficult customer problem. If they are new-hires with no previous customer service experience, you may invite them to tell you about how they resolved a problem or a conflict involving a friend, family member or acquaintance.
What Makes You a Good Candidate
This should be an easy question for most applicants to answer, and will give you some insight into how competent and skilled they are in the areas of conflict resolution, communication, problem solving and de-escalation. ïWhat makes you a good candidateï may be one of the most telling customer service sample interview questions you could ask.
What Customer Service Systems Have You Used
This is an important query if you want to minimize the training involved with teaching new-hires your company’s customer service system. If you don’t mind training applicants from scratch, this question may not be as important to you.
What Do You Enjoy Most About Customer Service
Every service representative applicant should be able to answer this question with ease. If they noticeably hesitate or seem unconvinced of their own answer, they may not truly enjoy working with customers.
Are You a Team Player
Every member of your customer service team should ideally be able to self-motivate and work on their own, but they should also be willing team players. The ability to work well with a team is paramount essential for meeting team goals and creating a positive work environment for fellow co-workers.
What Have You Done to Improve Companies You Have Worked for in the Past
You might want to encourage a focused answer to this question by asking how the applicant has provided improvements in specific areas, such as:
-Cost reduction
-Increased revenue
-Improved efficiency
You want all-star employees, which means you need to hire team members who are constantly striving to better their departments and their companies.
What Have You Done to Improve Your Service Skills
The answers to this question will reveal how important professional improvement is to the applicant you are interviewing. Individuals who strive to improve their skills and become more valuable employees are more likely to be the type of individuals who will be worthy of future promotions in your company.
What Are Your Scheduling Goals and Restraints
If you have specific hours that need to be filled, it is important to make sure the candidate you are interviewing is able to work during those hours. You may even want to ask if they would be willing to work additional shifts during busy seasons or to fill in for a sick co-worker.
While these customer service sample interview questions are a great starting-point towards identifying great representatives for your team, you can find many more helpful hiring tools and resources right here at Mighty Recruiter.