1. What Does Customer Service Mean to You?

“To me, customer service means ensuring that the client or customer has the best
experience possible. I’ve learned that by listening to the customer’s desires, concerns,
and perspective, I’m able to figure out the best way to solve any issues that come up. I
especially enjoy when I get to help a customer find a solution they didn’t even realize
was possible—one that makes them happy and keeps them as a satisfied customer.”

2. What’s One Time You Worked With a Difficult Customer and How Did You
Resolve the Situation?

“I’m not looking for someone to magically fix the situation, just looking for someone to
take ownership over it,”

“I was working in phone support for a major internet service provider, and a customer
came into the phone call already very angry and upset that their computer was not
staying connected to Wi-Fi. They were yelling and threatening to cancel their account.
I took a minute and listened to them explain their issue, and it turned out that they
were a student who was stressed about a project deadline being switched. I knew I had
to help them quickly reconnect so that they could complete their assignment on time
without added stress. So I told them that I understood their situation was frustrating
and then asked if I could go through a few standard questions to figure out the most
likely culprit. It turned out that their router had recently been moved to a less optimal
location and not every bedroom in the house was getting a steady signal. I stayed on
the line while they returned the router to its original location and verified that their
connection immediately improved before wishing them luck on their project and
hanging up.”
3. Tell Me About a Time You Assisted a Customer Who’d Worked With Multiple
Agents and Didn’t Get the Help They Needed.

“In my current role, my company doesn’t allow calls to be transferred between support
reps on the same level, only up the chain to managers or to different departments.
However, if this came up, I know that I would want to do everything I could to be the
one to solve the customer’s issue and avoid transferring them again. First, I would try
to get all of the information possible from the transferring rep. Second, I would ask the
customer if they could tell me about the issue again in their own words. The goal
would be to identify whether there was any miscommunication. If there was, I’d follow
the standard steps based on this new information. If not, I would go back to the very
basic details—things as simple as verifying the customer’s address is correct and their
billing address matches their current address—to ensure we weren’t missing anything.
If I needed to go to someone else for assistance, I would try to keep the customer on my
line if at all possible while I got the information I needed. That way I could advocate
for them and they could feel like someone was really on their side in helping to solve
their problem.”

4. What Is Your Preferred Method of Communication?

“While I enjoy communicating with people in a number of different ways, I really feel
like communicating over the phone or in person helps me pick up on different tones
and nuances that might be missed in a text-based communication. In the past, I’ve
found that it’s been easier for me to form a connection with the customer when we’re
communicating in real time, rather than over email, social media, or even chat, which
can all have lag times between responses.”
​5. What Do You Know About [Our Product or Our Company]?

Spend time ​researching the company​ and its products and be prepared to speak about
them. What’s really key here is showing that you’re invested enough in this opportunity
to learn about the company and do your homework before the interview.

“I’ve been using your company’s makeup for years. I tried a lot of competitors before
finding your products, and not only is yours the same quality as competitors at a
lower price, but it’s also the only brand that doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. I really
like how your company kept customers like me in mind when designing your
products.”

6. How Do You Keep Yourself Motivated When People Are Being Mean to You?

You understand the downsides of a customer service job but that the upsides far
outweigh them for you. The biggest mistake you can make in your interview would be
complaining about customers and other people. You might explain that you’re
somebody who can handle being yelled at when you recognize that the anger isn’t
directed at you and can empathize with the customer’s complaints.

“If I know someone’s anger isn’t really directed at me, I tend to not get very
emotionally affected by them taking their frustrations out on me. I understand that to
them, I represent a company that has done something they see as wrong. It’s my job to
try to help them and try to improve their idea of the company. So I make sure they feel
heard, usually by allowing them to vent for a minute before getting into the service
part of customer service. However, on days when it feels like I’m only getting angry
customers, sometimes I like to unwind by blasting my favorite music on the drive
home.”
7. If You’re an Experienced Customer Service Representative: Do You Have
Experience with [Salesforce, Other Programs]?

Before you go into your interview, reread the job posting and note any software or other
specialized tools mentioned. If you don’t have experience with the particular tool or
software you’re asked about, you can still answer this question.

“I don’t have experience with Salesforce, but I have always been good at picking up on
new software quickly. When I started my last job, for example, I had never used a
point of sale (POS) system before, but within a few weeks I was able to learn enough
that I could troubleshoot problems and even answer other employees’ questions about
how to use it.”

8. If You Have Some Customer-Facing Experience: Why Do You Want to

Transition Into Customer Support?

“In my job as a hotel receptionist, I handle a lot of different tasks, but the most
rewarding part of my job is when I have a customer (or potential customer) call in or
walk up to my desk with an issue that they need help solving. I love being able to draw
on my knowledge of the hotel and the surrounding area to make sure somebody has
the best vacation possible, and I want to transition into a role where this sort of
interaction is the bulk of my job. In my two years in hospitality, I’ve become a strong
communicator both when it comes to listening and understanding people’s problems
and when it comes to giving people directions—whether that’s directions to a physical
location or helping customers with the hotel’s online booking system. I want to bring
all of that experience to a company that values customer service as much as yours
does.”
9. If You Have No Customer-Facing Experience at All: What Drew You to Apply to
This Job?

“I’ve always been a people person who loves helping others. In college, I was in a
student group that put together a lot of fundraisers and charity events. I was often the
one in charge of calling vendors and locations because I was so good on the phone, and
during the events themselves, I was usually the go-to person for any attendees,
vendors, or fellow club members who had problems because I was good at thinking on
my feet. For example, at a flea market fundraiser we planned to raise money for a
nearby soup kitchen, we realized at the last minute that we didn’t have enough tables. I
decided to call the soup kitchen and not only did they have extra tables, but they were
also able to send them over in the van they used to pick up donations. I’d be really
excited to put all those skills to use in a customer service role for a company whose
mission I support—and I’m passionate about Run By Sun’s goal of spreading solar
energy use.”