Customer Service Questions to Ask During an Interview for a Job
Companies hire customer service representatives to provide a face of the business to the public. The person hired as a customer rep needs to relate to members of the public, assist them with their questions and present a positive image of the company. The representative works for the company but wants to leave the customer feeling valued as well. Businesses hiring customer reps need to ask questions to evaluate an applicant's ability to meet a customer's needs.
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Dissatisfied Customers
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Every business encounters dissatisfied customers. The company expects the customer service representative to transform a dissatistied customer into a satisfied customer before she leaves. Asking an applicant about a time when he has dealt with an upset member of the public allows the interviewer to learn how the applicant handles his own stress while soothing customers' feelings. The interviewer can then determine whether the method used by the applicant fits in with the company's philosophy of customer satisfaction.
The Most Important Skill
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Customer service representatives should bring a variety of skills to a company. These include written communication skills, verbal communication skills, an outgoing personality and problem solving abilities. Written communication skills facilitate responding to clientele via email or letters. Asking an applicant about the most important skill he brings to the job can tell the interviewer a lot about the potential employee and help him evaluate how these skills fit in with the rest of the team.
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Above and Beyond
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Many companies boast that their employees do more to satisfy the customer, but not all customer service representatives perform. Ask an interviewee how he can show a client his willingness to go above and beyond his minimum duties to make sure the customer is satisfied. Most companies have limited budgets regarding how much the customer service representatives can do. A positive, creative answer to this question gives the interviewer a chance to ensure the applicant leaves a lasting impression on the public.
Multiple Managers
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Many customer service jobs require the employee to report to different managers at different times. Different managers in the same company often use varied management styles. The interviewer should ask questions about how the applicant works with different management styles in order to gauge how adaptable the applicant will be.
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