Interviewing for customer service jobs? We’ve got you covered!

We’re going to look at 17 sample customer service representative interview

questions, including the top behavioral customer service interview questions.
These are the questions you can expect to hear in any customer service interview…
whether it’s a first phone interview or face-to-face interview.
Make sure you can answer ALL 17 before going into your interview. Let’s get
started…

Sample Customer Service Representative Interview

Questions 
1. “Do you have any previous customer service experience?”
Not everyone’s great at dealing with customers, and employers want to make sure
you’ll do a good job before they hire you.

So they’re going to want to know if you’ve done similar work before.

They’ll start by asking if you have any previous customer service experience, and if
you do, then the hiring manager will ask a lot more about it. 

They’re going to ask for details like:

 How you interacted with customers (phone, in-person, etc.)

 How many customers you served per day/week

 The types of customers you served (retail customer service, business

customers, etc.)

So brush up on your past experience and review your own resume when preparing
for your interviews.
Be ready to go into detail about everything you’ve done in the past in the field of
customer service.

If you don’t have any previous customer service experience, don’t worry. They
obviously liked SOMETHING on your resume or they wouldn’t have invited you to
interview.

So you can be direct and say, “no”.

Or if you have some other experience you think is relevant even if it wasn’t exactly
customer service, you can say, “no… but…” and then talk about what else you’ve
done and why you feel it’d help you succeed in this customer service job.
2. What does “good” customer service mean to you?
Next, the interviewer is going to want to see if you have a basic understanding of
the purpose of customer service. 

This is a tough interview question because it’s so open-ended.

I recommend saying something like the following:

“To me, great customer service is going above and beyond what a customer
expects to make sure they have an outstanding experience and want to tell friends
about how positive their interaction with our company was.”

It’s important to show that you know your job involves making sure customers are
happy with the company, not just you as a person.

You’ll notice a lot of customer service surveys say, “From 1-10, how likely are you to
recommend the company to a friend?”

And that’s how they evaluate their customer service representatives. 

They’re not asking customers, “Was Jake a nice guy when he helped you?”…

They’re asking whether you’d recommend the company. So that’s what your job
really is as a customer service representative – to help customers and give them a
positive impression of the company overall. 

3. “What motivates you in your career?”

Employers want to know what motivates you and keeps you going aside from
money… especially when you interview for a difficult/stressful job like customer
service representative positions. 

These jobs are DEFINITELY stressful at times. 

So employers want to make sure there’s something that will motivate you and keep
you going when a day gets difficult.

Don’t say “money” when you answer this question. 

They want to know what’s going to keep you motivated besides the paycheck. 
That’s what hiring managers are curious about this when they ask this question in a
customer service representative interview. 

Here’s some further reading on answering the “what motivates you” interview
question.

4. What are your career goals/Where do you see yourself in 2-5

years?
Most people don’t dream of being in customer service and don’t want to stay there
forever.

So employers are probably going to ask about your long-term goals in a customer
service representative interview. 

You don’t need to lie and say this is your dream job…

You just want to show that this customer service representative position fits
into your overall goals, even if it’s not where you want to be forever.
For example, do you want to become a manager? Learning the “ins and outs” of
customer service can boost your people skills and help you learn about a vital part
of the organization.

Want to work in sales eventually? You can say that you hope to build A+
interpersonal skills and communication skills, and you thought customer service
was a great place to build that foundation.
That’s the basic idea when answering this interview question. 

Further reading:

Answers for “what is your dream job?”

Answers for “where do you see yourself in 2-5 years?”

Must-Know Behavioral Customer Service Interview

Questions
Next, you’ll want to prepare for behavioral questions. These are questions that start
with phrases like, “tell me about a time you had to ___.”

Behavioral questions are very common for customer service representative jobs.

Employers want to make sure you can handle difficult situations with customers
BEFORE they hire you.
They also want to make sure you won’t do anything to harm the company’s
reputation, like yelling at a customer, walking out, etc. 
Here are some sample behavioral interview questions to make sure you’re ready to
answer for any customer service job:

5. “Tell me about a difficult customer you had to deal with and

how you handled it?”
For answering behavioral interview questions, I like the S.T.A.R. method.

Situation. Task/Challenge. Action you took. Result.

That’s a good way to organize your answer.

So when you’re in a customer service job interview and they ask about a difficult
customer you encountered, you could say:

“It was Friday afternoon and we were about to close the store.” (Situation)
“A customer came to me extremely unhappy because __” (Task/Challenge)
“So I quickly did ___ and decided to offer her ___ to rectify the situation” (Action you
took)
“She was very grateful and completely understood after I explained ___. And she
was thrilled that I was able to give her ___ as compensation for her hassle. She
said she’d be back soon to shop again.” (Result).
I’d recommend using this method to break down your answer into smaller pieces
and tell clearer and better stories.

This is useful for any behavioral customer service interview question. 

6. “Tell me about a time you went above and beyond what was
expected to please a customer?”
Employers don’t just want someone who does the bare minimum or sticks to their
exact job description as a customer service representative.

So they ask behavioral questions like this one to see if you’re able to really please
customers and go above and beyond the basics.

If you have any previous customer service experience, be ready to go into detail
about a time you got creative or put in the extra effort to please a customer.

For example, if you worked in a grocery store, what was something you did that they
really didn’t expect, and made their day?

Maybe you helped them find their lost child as the store was closing.

Maybe you special-ordered a product that you don’t normally carry.

Think about those things that aren’t on the job description. That’s what to talk about
when answering this interview question. 

If you’ve never worked in a customer service role before, they might ask a
similar question like, “tell me about a time you went above and beyond what
was expected of you at work?”
So even if you’ve never worked in customer service, be ready to talk about a
situation where you did more than what was expected in your job.

Read sample answers to “Tell me about a time you went above and beyond” here.

7. “Tell me about a difficult day you experienced at work. What

happened and how did you handle it?”
You’re going to have difficult days as a customer service representative. 

So employers want to know that you’re resilient and can handle it.

They want to know that you won’t freak out, throw your uniform and quit.

So show them you know it’s not always easy being in customer service, but that
you’re able to stay professional and come back the next day no matter what
happens.

Use the S.T.A.R. method (mentioned earlier!) to tell a clear story about a day that
really didn’t go your way, and what you learned from it and how you turned it into a
positive experience.
What were you able to improve from that experience?

How did you make sure the customer was satisfied?

How did that experience help you avoid problems/mistakes/difficult situations later
in your career?

That’s the general approach I’d take when answering this type of question in your
customer service interview.

8.  “Give me an example of a time when you had to explain

something fairly complex to a frustrated client or coworker. How
did you make sure they understood you?”
Communicate skills are vital for any customer-facing job, so employers want to see
how you explain yourself and communicate.

They’ll judge this throughout the interview with EVERY answer you give them, too.

So make sure all of your answers are clear, concise, and to-the-point.

9. “Tell me about a time you thought you communicated clearly

but were misunderstood. What happened and how did you
handle the situation?”
This is another customer service interview question designed to measure your
communication skills and your ability to recover when things don’t go exactly as
planned.

They’re looking to hear a story showing your ability to solve a problem/issue after
your first attempt to communicate didn’t go so well.

If you work in customer service long enough, you’ll be misunderstood once or twice.
(No matter how great you are).

So the hiring manager or interviewer wants to see you can keep your cool and
recover even if a customer totally misunderstands you and gets upset. 

10. “Describe an instance when you had to improvise or think

on your feet to solve a problem”
Another part of being great at customer service is solving problems and improvising
on the spot.

Sometimes the unexpected happens.

A power outage.

An injury to a customer (if you’re in retail, etc.)

So try to use the S.T.A.R. method that we discussed earlier to tell a story of how
you improvised in the past to find a solution to an unexpected problem.

11. “Tell me about a time you were under a lot of stress at work
and how you dealt with it”
You’re likely to be asked about stressful situations in any customer service
interview. Mainly, because customer service jobs aren’t easy and usually do bring
some stress.

Employers know you’ll be better able to deliver good customer service if you don’t
let the stress get to you, so they ask interview questions about the topic.

To sell yourself in the customer service interview, prepare an example of a high-

stress situation, ideally involving a customer, and how you got through it.
Try to show the hiring manager that you’ve seen plenty of tough, stressful situations
before and it doesn’t phase you. Make your answer as closely related to the job
you’ll be performing for this hiring manager in order to demonstrate that you’ll be a
great customer service representative in their role.

Read full sample answers and more tips on this question here.

12. “Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work, what

happened?”
This question isn’t specific to customer service jobs, but it’s most commonly asked
when interviewing for a customer service representative role.

Hiring managers know that everyone makes a mistake from time to time. With this
question, they want to hear that you can own up to it, be accountable, and not let it
affect your ability to bounce back and deliver great service for each new customer
that comes in.

One trick to answering: You can name a mistake that you made involving your
interactions and work with other team members, rather than a customer.

Most hiring managers for a customer service-oriented role care about pleasing the
customer above all else, since negative reviews and word of mouth can harm a
business long-term.

So if you’re able to share a minor mistake involving another team member, you can
avoid casting any doubt on your ability to deliver good customer service in your
interview.
Read sample answers to this question here.

13. “When you’re working with a large number of customers, it’s

tricky to deliver excellent service to all. How do you go about
prioritizing customers’ needs?”
There isn’t one correct way to prioritize in a customer service job.

It depends a lot on your industry and whether you interact face-to-face with
customers, whether you’re working in an office and talking to customers on the
phone, etc.

Your goal in your answer should be to explain how you try to remain fair and use
your best judgment to keep all customers satisfied.

Try to show hiring managers that you’ve been in tricky situations in the past (ideally
as a customer service representative) and that know how to handle it without
panicking.

Example Answer:
“I try to be fair and treat our customers equally. Of course, if there’s a large client
that is crucial to our business I am going to make sure they’re well taken care of,
but I want every customer to feel like they’re important to us. In any situation or
challenge, I maintain excellent communication. I’m not always able to handle every
customer request the instant it comes in, but I respond and give a timeframe for
how soon I can handle it. I show that I understand their concern and that I’m
working on taking action to resolve it. This goes a long way to keeping customers
happy. One more thing I do in my response is invite them to follow up if they have
any further concerns or need an update. That way they feel comfortable checking
in, and aren’t left waiting anxiously without an answer.”

14. “Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult

client. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?”
Employers want to know you can do some quick problem solving to help a difficult
customer (or calm an angry customer).
And they want to see you can help a customer in this situation while also staying
within the company’s policies and guidelines.

If you are applying to a service industry job, like a server or retail worker, the
flexibility to do whatever it takes to appease an unsatisfied customer is usually
larger than if you are working in a corporate environment. Either way, the customer
should come first, so they want to hear that you retained their business and did
everything possible to make sure they were satisfied.

Example Answer:
“My last job was in a call center for a large e-commerce company, and a customer
called in yelling about an email he had sent us. He said that he had emailed us
three days ago and we hadn’t responded, in regard to an item that arrived broken. I
apologized and told him I understood his frustration. He was still very loud and
upset but I asked him if he could please hold for two minutes while I look into the
issue. I looked in our records and saw that the email had been overlooked by
another associate. I put in the request for a replacement to be sent out immediately.
I got back on the phone and reassured him that his replacement was on the way. I
explained when he could expect to receive it. He seemed satisfied once I was able
to tell him when the new item will arrive. Staying calm and showing him I
understood why he was frustrated was what kept the call under control and kept
him from getting more hostile.”

15. “Tell me about a time a customer was pleased with your

service”
There are a few important things you should cover in your answer. First,
demonstrate your skill and your ability to do high quality work in your field. Then
show that you have excellent communication and are dedicated to customer
service. If you can end your story by saying the experience led to more business for
the company, that’s ideal (but don’t worry if you can’t).

Example Answer:
“I worked with a difficult customer to resolve a few issues they were having with
their internet service. I stayed patient and took the time to fully understand the
issue, and then came back to them promptly with a solution. They had spoken to a
few other customer service representatives in the past who didn’t take the time to
address the whole issue, so the problem kept occurring. After the issue was fixed,
the company went out of the way to tell my manager how satisfied they were with
the service I gave them. Later that year they signed a contract to expand our
service into three more of their office locations for a total of $70,000 in revenue for
our company.”

16. “Give me an example where you did not meet a client’s

expectations. What happened and how did you attempt to fix
the situation?”
To answer this customer service interview question, think of a misunderstanding or
a time you or your team failed to deliver what the client expected.

Explain what happened, how you corrected it, and what you learned from the
situation that you still use today with your next customer.

Example Answer:
“We had a brand new web design client and I was asked to handle their first project,
along with another junior designer. I took the lead but wasn’t on the initial
conference call due to a conflict in my schedule. So I relied on the junior designer to
talk with their website manager and gather the specifications for the project. My
colleague misunderstood a few of their requests and didn’t ask enough questions
so it resulted in us having to schedule another call and do a few revisions on our
initial work. The project turned out great in the end and the client was happy, but it
cost us valuable time. I learned that if I am responsible for a project, I need to be
communicating with the client first-hand to understand their needs and then
delegating tasks after.”

17. “Describe a time when it was especially important to make a

good impression on a client. How did you approach things?”
With this question and answer, make sure you show them you’re willing to do
whatever it takes to help the company if you’re hired. Chances are they put the
client first if they’re asking this, so you need to show that you do the same if you
want them to feel comfortable offering you the job.

Example Answer:
“I had been working as an account manager for two years in my previous company
when the person who managed our largest account resigned. The account was
given to me. The client had a lot of special requests that I needed to learn about. I
spent time reviewing the previous notes in the account, and I scheduled a call to get
acquainted with our contact in the company to introduce myself. I was attentive and
set expectations for what I would deliver, and was able to keep the client very
happy. They actually gave us 20% more business later that year.”

Conclusion: Acing Your Customer Service Job

Interview
If you follow the advice above and practice these common customer service job
interview questions, you’ll be better prepared than most candidates, and you’ll give
yourself a great shot at getting the job offer!

If you want more help succeeding in your interviews, here are two additional free
resources to help yyou

Your List of the Most Important Customer Service

Skills (According to Data)
1. Persuasive Speaking Skills. Think of the most persuasive speaker in your organisation
2. Empathy
3. Adaptability
4. Ability to Use Positive Language
5. Clear Communication Skills
6. Self-Control
7. Taking Responsibility
8. Patience

WHAT IS COSTUMER SERVICE?

 Customer service is the support you offer your customers — both before and after they buy and use your
products or services — that helps them have an easy and enjoyable experience with you. Offering amazing
customer service is important if you want to retain customers and grow your business.
 Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during, and
after a purchase. This makes it an important part on the value chain of
clients. Each industry requires different levels of customer service, but at the
end, the idea of a well performed service is that of increasing revenues.
  Good customer service typically means providing timely, attentive, upbeat
service to a customer, and making sure their needs are met in a manner that
reflects positively on the company or business.
 Customer service is the direct one-on-one interaction between a consumer
making a purchase and a representative of the company that is selling it.
DIFFERENT BETWEEN BPO and CALL CENTER
BPO is the abbreviation for business process outsourcing, which refers to when companies outsource business
processes to a third-party (external) company. The primary goal is to cut costs, free up time, and focus on core
aspects of the business.

A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for receiving or transmitting
a large volume of enquiries by telephone. An inbound call centre is operated by a
company to administer incoming product or service support or information
enquiries from consumers
The key difference is a BPO Company performs back office tasks of any business
like customer support or accounting functions, whereas a Call Centre Company
handles just telephone calls. BPO: The process of outsourcing a specific function
of any business to a third party is Business Processing Outsourcing.

Quantrics Background Check

Quantrics is a captive BPO company fully owned by Bell, the largest and most
established telecommunications company in Canada.
Quantrics is a technology company serving the telecommunications sector. It
specializes in IT development (business intelligence, web and mobile application),
shared services support, and customer experience.