Manage customer service in Canada

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customer service can make or break a business so how can you show that you're the right person for the job there are consistent themes that you can be sure most interviewers will definitely focus on when hiring for a customer service role hey everybody i'm sinead and coming up in this video we'll share 10 common questions recruiters ask during a customer service interview and of course we've got some example responses and if you listen closely to these answers you will understand what employers are looking for in this role and we'll also even share a bonus tip that many applicants don't even bother with but in the long run can make all the difference and with that in mind let's dive in customer service interview question number one why do you want to work here now you want to demonstrate knowledge of the company and share your personal interest in the role so an effective answer might be i'm actually a customer myself and i'm consistently impressed by the quality of your products and service in the rare instance i have an issue with an order i have been able to speak to a real person and have been really impressed with the fast solution oriented approach it's important to me that any company i represent is putting customers first and that's why i'm interested in this role now whatever the product or service is do your best to share some experience that you can personally relate to and to tie it back to the role at hand saying what you love about the company's customer service shows that you have done your homework and it also highlights what qualities you would emulate if you got the job now if you don't have a personal experience to share referencing something that you learned while doing your research can be just as effective moving on to customer service question number two why do you want to work in customer service now the goal here is to understand your motivation with this question the interviewer wants to know that you have a service-minded mentality and that you really truly enjoy helping others so a strong response would be naturally i am energized by people and i love to help where i can seeing the direct impact i can have in a customer is very rewarding to me there is a high level of responsibility in being the face or the voice of a company and i take pride in that role do you notice how this answer described motivation including feeling energized having a direct impact and a high level of responsibility these are personal attributes that could make you successful in many customer facing roles have these examples been helpful so far head down to the comments and let us know what questions you've gotten during your customer service job interviews and if you have found this video helpful so far be sure to give us a like subscribe to our channel and of course hit that notification bell so you never miss out on our weekly career advice okay question number three how would you handle a difficult or unhappy customer for a question asking about a challenging experience prepare a story following the star method and then relate that experience to the role at hand star stands for situation task action result the key to this approach is to explain your individual role in a situation and the impact and if you need some help doing just that be sure to check out this video right up here now here's a great example for how would you handle a difficult or unhappy customer i've worked in many roles where i've resolved customer dissatisfaction for example in my last role as a barista i once took a drive-through order for a customer who ordered a holiday frappuccino this was our most popular seasonal drink and personally one of my favorites too about 10 minutes later the customer called us in dissatisfaction and said that the drink had tasted burnt she wanted a full refund on her coffee although i took her order and did not make her drink i listened sincerely apologized thanked her for being a customer and then i did my best to make things right if given the opportunity to represent your organization i would handle difficult situations similar to this with empathy sincerity and kindness now are you ready to answer question number four with a standout response question number four what makes you a good fit for this customer service role not everybody's personality is suited for a customer service position employers want to know how self-aware you are and what qualities make you suitable for their position they're also looking to see if you can maintain your composure when things don't run smoothly so here is a great example i empathize with those in need of help and i'm mindful of company resources so in my previous role at a bakery there was a situation with an upset customer a cake did not meet her expectations even though i wasn't the representative who had taken her initial order and it did appear that there was actually nothing wrong with the cake i still felt it was my responsibility to make things right so i asked her why she was unhappy and it turns out it was about the presentation and not the actual cake itself i got that fixed right away no matter the problem at hand i always look for achievable solutions while showing compassion through my voice and body language now because our baker was totally slammed and just did not have the time to remake the cake i fixed the presentation myself and ultimately everybody benefited from this situation i believe this customer service approach would benefit your business as well oh yeah now notice the key traits being described here listening skills empathy and taking ownership which are all top traits for someone in this field all right let's move on to question number five tell us about a time when you made a mistake now this is a common question in all types of interviews in customer facing roles it's especially common because mistakes can have bigger consequences dissatisfied customers may rant on social media or they may even make a public scene yes so in answering explain a reasonable but not huge failure for example in the first week of my last job i was learning the computer automated phone system i received a questionable call and i needed to consult with my manager instead of placing the customer on hold i accidentally hung up on him and when the customer called back i could sense his frustration i apologize for the mistake and for adding to any frustration and luckily he did understand and he also appreciated my sincere apology now because of this experience i learned quickly to write down a customer's phone number at the beginning of the call my process not only improved the customer experience but my service as a whole what a great response now it is also common along with our failures to be asked about our weaknesses as well which yes i know just doesn't seem fair but we got you covered for even more on how to talk about your weaknesses in an interview you can check out this video right up here all right let's move on to question number six tell me about a time when you received bad customer service well all of us have been customers so this is actually an easy question to prepare for share a specific example using that star method and then share how that experience has shaped your definition of good customer service for example the other day i was using a self checkout station at the grocery store with each item the scanner paused and said help is on the way a few minutes later a representative came over to my station and asked if i needed help with anything but was unaware of my checkout challenges now from this experience i learned that while we can't always solve every customer problem we can pay attention to our surroundings and watch for customer issues if i had simply felt seen and heard in that situation i would have felt 10 times better notice how the story was harmless and also relatable but also optimistic in tone there was also no ranting just simple frustration and a nuanced understanding of the core problem bad customer service all right let's move on to customer service question number seven tell me about your scheduling requirements so in addition to finding someone who has the skills to be a customer service representative recruiters may also have to fill particular shifts including nights and or weekends so pay close attention to job postings to see if specific hours are mentioned and then be prepared to be asked about your preferences an example might sound like i have school on mondays wednesdays and fridays on those days i'm available between 7 a.m and 12 p.m and from 3 p.m to 6 p.m i have no schedule restrictions on the weekends and i am eager to maximize my availability so you want to be honest about your availability again setting expectations is key but also you don't want to be so busy that you come across as inflexible all right moving on to question number eight give an example of a time when you worked under pressure companies with customer facing roles can experience peak periods during the holidays special occasions or events these fast-paced environments can test how you perform in high pressure situations so when answering this question you want to assure the recruiter that you don't let stress impact how you treat your customers especially your body language and tone of voice for our answer let's use the star method again for example my old company ships flowers nationwide so naturally valentine's day was always busy we'd often end up delivering shipments late but last year we actually delivered every flower arrangement on time we worked together as a team taking breaks and covering for each other when needed we even followed up with every customer over the phone to ensure that online orders were entered correctly saving time from correcting mistakes later although every valentine's day was high pressure we did our best as a team to anticipate the unexpected while delivering excellent customer service along the way so you see almost every job has periods of stress one customer engagement is the job but it's your customer who will see how you handle that stress so it's important to show self-awareness in how you handle demanding situations all right let's move on to customer service interview question number nine tell me about a time when you went above and beyond for a customer now this is actually a question that you should try to address in an interview in order to showcase your superior skills whether or not you're asked here's a great example answer in a past role i had a regular customer who came into our clothing store about once a month over time i had learned that she was a business reporter for the local newspaper on one occasion she called the store needing a wardrobe refresh and she asked for a virtual personal shopper now we didn't have that service but i picked out a few pieces of clothing that i thought she would like based on her previous purchases and at the time we did not offer home delivery but i asked our delivery service to drop off her items she was so grateful for the service and as a result she included our store in an article about local businesses with stellar customer service so a small gesture can make a really big difference okay last question for you guys this is one of those questions that seems so simple yet difficult to answer question number 10 do you have any questions for me this is your opportunity to interview the company so make sure that you are strategic in what you ask to show off what you already know as well as assess if this job is actually right for you since you're often given the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview a good way to leave a strong final impression is to ask i noticed you get tons of five-star customer reviews which speaks highly of your team how would you describe your most successful employee now with that question you're showing that you've done your homework and you're sincerely interested in not just getting the job but also doing it well this is a golden opportunity to learn what qualities the employer values most whatever their answer is listen for positive traits that you also possess and once they've wrapped up their response mentally notate the qualities mentioned and how they relate to the attributes you own now you know how to answer some of the most common customer service interview questions and if you found this video helpful be sure to hit the like button down below subscribe to our channel right over here and of course hit that notification bell so you never miss out on our weekly career advice and then you can click right over here for even more career advice because we got you covered and to find out how to answer the tough question why did you leave your last job you gotta check out this video right up here i'm sinead thank you all so much for watching and i'll see you next time