Top 30 Customer Service Interview Questions in 2024
Being a part of customer service comes with responsibilities such as speaking on behalf of the organization. The company that interviews you will be looking for qualities like the ability to reason and resolve a conflict. Since customer satisfaction improves the business’s overall revenue, interviews for that position are bound to be tough.
In this blog, we will list some common customer service interview questions to help you crack it and land your dream job of helping people. Let’s jump right into it.
Top 30 Customer Service Interview Questions.
1. What is your understanding of customer service and customer support?
Customer service aims to break the communication barrier between an organization and its customers. It focuses on attending to the needs of the customer. And therefore improves customer satisfaction and customer retention rates.
Whereas customer support deals with the technical issues, a customer faces with the product/service. For example, the support team helps the customer how to reinstall Windows in case of a boot failure.
2. What are the qualifications that make you a suitable candidate for this job?
By asking this kind of customer service interview questions, the organization is looking for relevant experience. Furthermore, they want to know your technical background for the job. You must limit your answer to these two aspects.
Be sure to only include the experiences that matter to this job. Make yourself look like the perfect candidate but be honest about your qualifications.
3. What is your version of effective customer service?
Good customer service solves the query/problem at hand in a gentle way. It allows for a respectful interaction between the customer and the rep. Furthermore, customer service must go all the way in helping the customer overcome the issue.
By maintaining good behavior, customer satisfaction goes up. You will be able to improve customer loyalty towards the organization. This is what good customer service must be; It must benefit both the customer and the organization.
4. Describe a typical day in a customer service personnel’s life?
Be sure to answer specifics and do not beat around the bush. The following are the points that you must include:
- Attending phone calls.
- Finding solutions to customer queries.
- Helping the customers with payments.
- Persuading customers to opt for the right product.
- Document the conversation made with the customer.
5. How does customer service benefit an organization/brand?
Without customer interactions, a business cannot further its revenue. Customer service is the face of the organization. The customer’s impression of the brand significantly depends on the interaction they have with the representative. Moreover, retaining customers is one of the most economical ways to grow an organization.
6. How will you respond to a question you do not know the answer to?
Customer service interview questions of this sort test your willingness to seek help and learn more. There are a few ways in which you can address this issue:
“I do not have adequate information on that. May I connect your call with a senior?”
“I am not quite sure. I’ll get back to you shortly after I gather the information.”
7. Define CSAT and NPS.
CSAT – Customer Satisfaction: The score is based on customer satisfaction by doing business with the organization.
NPS – Net Promoter Score: A score that signifies the likeability of the customer promoting a product/service.
8. How do you respond to a major issue that the customer complains about?
Your response should help calm the customer. You can follow the response below:
“I sincerely apologise on behalf of the company. I have notified our technical team as we speak. They will fix the problem within <Specify minutes>. If the problem persists, feel free to contact us at any time.”
Depending on the situation, you must also empathize with the customer for the inconvenience caused.
9. Give me an example of good customer service.
Do not use spun-up stories. Rather, you must use a popular brand/company’s recent success in handling an issue. You must begin with the years of quality customer service they have been providing. Then you can also quote a personal experience you had with the company to elaborate.
10. What is customer LTV?
LTV expands as Life Time Value. So, customer lifetime value predicts the revenue an organization can make by continuing business with a customer. It helps identify the customers who are more valuable to the business. Satisfactory customer service is sure to improve the retention rates of such customers.
11. Would you stop a co-worker from being rude towards the customer?
“My response will depend on the situation the representative is facing with the customer. After they end the call I’ll ask them to have a positive attitude towards the customer. If they always exhibit rude behaviour, I will have to notify the issue with the senior”
12. Elaborate on your experience in solving a tough situation?
Your answer must relate to the customer service sector. You can quote the problems and how you solved them in detail. But if you do not have any experience, try pointing out a situation that involves the skills of a customer service rep. For instance, solving problems within a project team showcases your interpersonal skills.
13. Is customer service related to customer churn rate?
Yes. Churn rate is the indicator of the number of customers a business loses over a period of time. There are many factors like quality of the product, diminishing purpose of service, etc.
However, experts identify poor customer service as the most significant factor for an increase in churn rate.
14. How do you handle a rude customer?
“I will not take the insults personally and maintain my calm. No matter the attitude of the customer, I will prioritise helping them.”
15. Define ticket routing.
Routing the customer query based on the question they ask is ticket routing. A customer service rep routes the call when the query is beyond their technical understanding of a product. Based on the difficulty level of the question, the rep will divert the call to the respective personnel.
16. Differentiate contact center and a call center.
A contact center tends to the queries of customers from various platforms. It includes telephone calls, messages, emails, live chats, social media, etc.
Whereas an inbound call center only tends to the customer’s needs through telephone calls.
17. Why is the first call important?
Customer service interview questions like these determine the importance you place on quality. It also tests your ability to represent the organization and not just you. Your answer should clarify that you will be as convincing and informative as possible. It should also convey that you understand the importance of customer’s time.
18. How would you manage your time spent with a customer?
“First, I will convey the crucial details. Then I will work on solving the query systematically. Explaining the procedure and asking the customer to address it immediately saves a lot of time for the customer as well as myself. Addressing one problem at a time is also an effective way to avoid confusion.”
19. How would you manage accent differences?
“I’ll strive hard to provide an appropriate answer for the client. If I am unable to grasp what the customer is trying to say, I will politely ask them to repeat their sentence. I will never assume and provide them with the wrong solutions.”
20. What is your opinion on introducing automation and software solutions?
“Undoubtedly, we must adapt to the modern trends. Furthermore, integrating customer support automation in our team proves effective. But, some problems require human attention. Hence, it would make a great addition to the team, but wouldn’t replace them. It will make the team more efficient.”
21. What’s the importance of documentation?
Documentation provides useful customer insights. Those insights are useful for improving the marketing strategies. Furthermore, they also provide ideas for the development of the product.
22. Why do you want to be a part of our team?
The answer to this interview question is solely based on your preferences. Try identifying what sets this company apart from others. You must research the recent advances the company has made. You will sound like a well-informed candidate if you clearly understand what the organization stands for.
23. What qualities do you have to be a valuable addition to the team?
This is the part where you boast about yourself. Try using the interview session as an example of your communication skills. And how your positive outlook and empathetic nature will help the team handle tough customers.
24. Would you break company rules if it helps a customer?
Understand that this is one of the customer service interview questions that they ask to confuse you. But you must never say that you will mess with the standard procedures put in place. You must affirm to them that you will never rely on unethical ways to improve customer satisfaction.
25. What is your favorite thing about being a part of the customer service team?
Talk about the positive feeling you get by helping others. If it is too cheesy for you, try saying that you can empathize with people easier than others. You must also be able to convey that you will be learning a lot of essential skills from being a customer service rep.
26. Is there anything you do not like about working as a customer service personnel?
“Stress is a given in this line of job. But, I still think that stress is not something to like. On the bright side, I might find a way to cope with stress by working as a customer service rep.”
27. Do you have experience with CRM tools?
If you do not, you must prep yourself about the working of a CRM before you attend the interview. You must clearly understand the applications of a powerful CRM tool. Also, take a look at some common functions a CRM tool has and how it helps in the customer service sector.
28. Are you comfortable with rotating shifts?
Again, it is a question whose answer is entirely your preference. Although, most companies prefer employees who are willing to work on any shifts.
29. What is your opinion on this organization’s products/services?
You must go through the organization’s product catalog or website to answer this question. Prepare by finding a product that truly interests you. Explain why you find that particular product interesting.
30. Where do you see yourself after five years?
A question that you must answer with care. You must imply that you would be working in the same sector. Furthermore, your answer should entail details of you aspiring to become a senior executive. It conveys that you are a person of passion.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, without customer service, most products we use may not be working as smoothly. Hence, understand that customer service plays a vital role in the success of an organization/brand.
