What are Common Customer Service Interview Questions?

When facing a job interview for a position in customer service, questions relating to public service and how the potential employee will handle certain situations will most likely arise. Some of the common customer service interview questions generally will reveal how the individual will respond to customer inquiries, concerns, and complaints. The interviewer is also likely to ask why the individual is interested in this type of work. Other common customer service interview questions may focus on why the person left his former job and what relevant experience he has in the field of customer service.

When a potential employee schedules a job interview, it is helpful to prepare for customer service interview questions ahead of time. Most often, the interviewer will ask the potential employee about his goals. The interviewer is trying to evaluate how ambitious and hard-working the job candidate is, and how his goals fit in with the company. The candidate might also be asked about his qualifications and education.

One of the relevant customer service interview questions might be "What does good customer service mean to you?" Most often, the person conducting the interview is looking for a well-defined answer that demonstrates how the job candidate envisions this type of work. Another customer service interview questions may be "How did you learn of our company and how informed are you of what we do?" This question probably requires some prior research and knowledge of the company in order to provide a positive and thorough answer.

Probably one of the most common customer service interview questions is "Can you give me an example of how you have delivered great customer service to a customer in the past?" In this instance, it helps to have a well-thought-out response in mind. Typically, an interviewer will also ask how the job candidate would react under pressure and deadlines.

There are several other customer service interview questions a candidate might face, depending on the position and the general style of the interview itself. For instance, the interviewer may throw a hypothetical question to the potential employee. An interviewer might ask a candidate what he might do if a customer complained about a sales representative's attitude, or a price discrepancy. This conjecture might give the interviewer an idea of how the individual reacts under spontaneous situations.

Finally, an interviewer may question a job candidate about how he'd handle customer service inquiries to which he didn't know the answer. The interviewer might ask "If a customer asked you a question you were uncertain of, what would be your reply?" This might reveal whether the employee would fabricate a false answer, seek an answer from a co-worker who had the correct information, or brush off the customer's concerns altogether.

Other miscellaneous questions may involve how the person feels about teamwork as opposed to working alone. He may also be asked how a job candidate might resolve other issues such as co-workers who are disobeying company regulations. Questions regarding salary expectations may be asked as well. Finally, the interviewer may invite the potential employee to ask him some questions of his own.