|October 24, 2024
Teacher Interview Questions And Answers: How To Prepare
In this guide we’ll share some of the most common teacher interview questions and answers you need to prepare for.... Read more...
£60
It’s a longstanding but crucial role at any company – customer service. In this guide, we’ll share some of the most common customer service interview questions and answers, to help you prepare for this key part of the candidate assessment process.
There’s a direct link between customer satisfaction and revenue. When a business improves their customer service, they tend to see a revenue boost too, according to several sources.
On the flip side, bad customer service can cost businesses big time. According to Qualtrics data, bad customer experiences could cost businesses worldwide $3.7 trillion (£2.95 trillion) annually.
In other words, customer service is a crucial role for most businesses. That means the interview process to recruit new talent is crucial – employers put a lot of thought into the questions they ask and have high expectations for the answers.
It also means that if you’re preparing for a customer service interview, you need to be ready for one or two tricky questions that may be tough to answer.
We’ll help you prepare – here are some of the most common customer service interview questions and sample answers in italics.
It may seem like an obvious and simple question…. But sometimes, questions like these are deceptively tricky to answer well.
Here the interviewer is checking that you’re in the profession for the right reasons, with a genuine desire for success or interest in the role and responsibilities. That’s what you need to convey in your answer.
Explain what you like about the role but also, why it’s right for you – give examples from your career or education so far to support your answer.
This question is straightforward to prepare for – and very embarrassing if you don’t have an answer.
Even if you’re applying for customer service roles at lots of companies, the details matter to employers. So make sure that by the time the interview comes around, you know what they do.
A similar question is… “Why do you want to work for us? This is a more likely version of the question, for companies without specific products and services, such as the hospitality sector for example. Here’s how to write a hospitality CV.
Detailed knowledge and/or enthusiasm really helps here – convince the interviewer that you want to provide customer service support for them specifically, not just any company.
This is a particularly important question to prepare for if applying for experienced customer service positions.
Naturally, there’s a wide range of customer service-related systems and tools out there, for example:
No matter where your experience lies, the key thing is to talk about how you have made use of technology to do your job successfully. That could mean efficiency benefits, more sales for the company, and so on.
If you haven’t used a system or tool that the employer is interested in, never lie on your CV or in an interview. Instead, talk about similar technology you do have experience in – or share an example of how you’re a fast learner and quick to adopt new systems.
Here the interviewer wants to assess your problem-solving skills and commitment to customer service even if there’s no quick resolution in sight.
Typical themes to consider mentioning in your answer include:
For example: “Thank you for your question. I can tell you that… [provide partial, relevant information].
“I’ll make sure to find out the rest for you. While I don’t have the exact answer at hand, I want to assure you that I’ll do my best to find the information you need.
I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. May I have your contact information so I can reach you with the information when I have it?”
Learn from seasoned industry experts with our 1-on-1 Interview Coaching service!
Not every customer service experience can be outstanding… But answering this question well shows interviewers that you have ideal outcomes in mind and understand some of the best practices to achieve them.
Break down the theory in detail – what are they key criteria for outstanding customer service, in your opinion? It helps if you can give a specific example – the STAR method is a great way to frame any sample answer.
In contrast, the interviewer could flip this question and ask about bad customer service experiences to avoid.
You could use an example you’ve witnessed before, perhaps in your personal life or from what you’ve seen in a previous role. Don’t just say what was bad about it – explain the reasons why and show an understanding of the potential repercussions.
If asked for an example of bad customer service you have delivered… Just give a minor example and crucially, explain what you learned from the experience and how you have improved since then.
If every customer service interaction were straightforward, companies wouldn’t need to invest so heavily in the support team. Handling difficult situations is a great way to differentiate yourself from your peers.
Again, try using the STAR method to frame your response – here’s a sample answer using the framework:
For further examples, read our full guide on answering this question – Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
Last but by no means least, this may be a common interview question in general, but it’s very relevant to customer service.
There is a stress management component to this question. For example:
There is some overlap in the typical response approach with the ‘Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation’ question mentioned above.
But in addition, try to stay calm and show confidence (but not arrogance) in your answer – let your demeanour reflect your ability to handle pressure. Don’t deny that you ever get stressed, don’t imply an over-reliance on delegation that suggests shirking responsibility, and so on.
For more details on how to answer this question, read our full guide – How do you work under pressure example answer.
We hope that these customer service interview questions and answers help you prepare for employers’ recruitment processes. For more practice, here are the common interview questions for all industries and how to answer them.
We also have several videos to help you prepare for popular interview questions including:
This guide is the latest in our series on sector-specific interviews. Recently we covered the most common teacher interview questions and answers too.
Want to secure more customer service interviews? For that, you’ll need a CV that does justice to your skills and career experiences so far!
Here’s how to write a customer service CV. But if you don’t feel confident creating an outstanding CV that will compete with the top candidates (or you just don’t have the time), we can help.
The team at PurpleCV are all experienced, CV writing pros who know how to deliver for all roles – including customer service. Check out just how many satisfied customers have left 5 Star reviews, here or at the bottom of this page!
Not only that – we also now offer tailored one-on-one interview coaching, helping you put those nerves at ease and the above advice into practice.
For more details, take a look at our Accessories page and for anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We value your privacy! Please take a moment to customise your cookie preferences. By clicking 'Accept,' you agree to the use of cookies for analytics and marketing purposes.