Interview questions for a customer service representative

Customer Service Representative Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

You’ve submitted your application, resume, and cover letter for a position as a customer service representative, and the hiring managers must’ve seen something they liked because they’ve invited you to an interview.

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Customer Service Representative Interview Questions (With Example Answers)
12 Common Customer Service Representative Interview Questions and Answers
How do I prepare for a customer service rep interview?
What are 3 important qualities of customer service?
What are 10 most common interview questions and answers?
Why should we hire you as a customer service representative?

Now it’s time to convince them that you’re the person they want on their team. To do this effectively, it’s a good idea to prepare for your interview by practicing your answers to commonly asked questions.

In this article, you’ll find a few sample questions and answers to help you get started.

12 Common Customer Service Representative Interview Questions and Answers

Tell me about your experience in customer service. This is an opportunity for your interviewer(s) to find out more about the skills and expertise that you bring to the table.
Be prepared to talk about your different positions in a general sense as well as more specific details such as the number of customers you interacted with each week.
If you don’t have experience in customer service, be honest about that. You can talk about what experience you do have and how it relates to customer service.
Example Answer:
“I first started working in customer service in 2016 when I was a receptionist at a local hardware store. I would respond to customers’ questions and complaints, and I realized I enjoyed helping people solve problems. In 2019, I started my current job as a customer service representative at a clothing company where I help about 300 customers a week.”
What does good customer service mean to you? Every company has its definition of good customer service, and your interviewers want to see if yours is compatible with theirs.
They also want to make sure that you know what you’re talking about, so worry less about matching their exact definition and more about showing that you work to provide excellent service.
Example Answer:
“Good customer service is being knowledgeable about the product and organization so that I’m able to offer recommendations and help customers as best as possible. It also means doing whatever it takes to help the customer, even if that means spending some extra time hunting down the answer”
“To do this at my current position, I spend time studying our new products and making sure I know who the experts are for each one so that I can give customers knowledgeable and fast service.”
How did you decide to begin working in customer service? Depending on the position you’re applying for and how much experience you have, you might see this question in several different forms.
The intent behind it will be the same, though: What motivates you and what do you enjoy about your work?
Example Answer:
“I had originally thought I wanted to go into management, but during my first job out of college, I filled in for a customer service representative one week and realized I loved getting to help people solve problems. I still get excited when a customer comes to me with a complicated issue that I need to untangle.”
Where do you see yourself in five years? Interviewers want to see that you have goals and drive. They also want to know where you want to end up in case they can help you get there. If you don’t want to be in customer service in five years, say so, but also talk about how this position fits into that goal.
Example Answer:
“In five years I would love to be managing a customer service department or at least be trained to do so.”
“I believe the best managers are those who have experience working in the positions they’re managing, which, in addition to gaining some more expertise in the field, is why I want to get some more experience working as a customer service representative.”
Why do you want to work for us? This commonly asked question is why it’s important to research the company and position you’re applying for before your interview.
Hiring managers want to know that you’re going to buy into the organization’s mission, vision, and values instead of just showing up to get a paycheck.
Example Answer:

“I want to work for a company that puts the customer first and focuses on building loyalty over making sales, so when I heard from several friends in the industry that your company is one of the best at doing that, I knew I wanted to work here.”
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? This is one of the most classic interview questions, so it’s a good idea to be ready for it. Be honest about both your strengths and weaknesses, but remember to talk about what you’re doing to overcome your weak points as well.
Example Answer:
“I’m good at defusing frustrated customers by showing them empathy and providing great service. At my last job, my colleagues would even send their angrier clients to me to handle. My greatest weakness, though, is trying to handle too much on my own. I hesitate to ask for help, which makes things take longer than they should.”
“I’ve started getting into the habit of going to my coworkers or other experts as soon as I realize I’m not going to find the answer in a short amount of time researching. This is helping me strike the balance between looking up information for myself and tapping into others’ knowledge.”
Tell me about a time you made a mistake while at work. What did you do? Everyone makes mistakes, so your interviewers aren’t asking if you make mistakes or not; they just want to know how you respond when you do make a mistake.
Be detailed in your answer and mention the steps you’ve taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Example Answer:
“At my last position, I was helping a customer decide which of two products she wanted to buy. I accidentally got the prices mixed up, so when she went to make her purchase and saw the price was higher than she thought, she was understandably upset.”
“I realized what had happened, apologized, and explained everything to her. I talked to my manager to apologize to him and to see what we could do. He permitted me to offer her a discount and free shipping, which I did. The customer accepted and even came back to buy another item.”
“Now I make sure I double-check all of the details about each product as I’m talking to customers, and it hasn’t happened since.”
Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult customer. What did you do to resolve the situation? Your potential employer can’t necessarily see you in action before they hire you, but questions like these allow them to get some kind of picture of how you operate.
Make sure you lay out the situation, the problem, the steps you took to solve it, and the result of your actions in your answer.
Example Answer:
“During the time I worked at The Wilson Company, I had a customer come into the store and start berating me with complaints about how the product he had ordered three weeks ago hadn’t arrived yet. I calmly apologized and looked up the order number. It had gotten lost in the mail, so I explained this and apologized again.”
“I saw that we had the item in stock, so I offered to give him a replacement right then and there at a 10% discount for the inconvenience. He quickly calmed down and expressed his thanks, and even though he was still grumbling on the way out, I saw that he ordered another product the next day.”
How do you keep your calm and stay motivated when customers are rude or even mean to you?
Interviewers want to know that you can handle the negative aspects of working in customer service and that you won’t come to them with your letter of resignation after you have a few unpleasant encounters.
Again, be specific in your answer to give them as complete a picture as possible.
Example Answer:
“I actively remind myself that the customers aren’t mad at me personally, so I’m better able to put myself in their shoes and see why they’re so frustrated. Even if it doesn’t make sense to me, I sometimes pretend that they’re just having a horrible day and that this is where they can vent.”
“After I hear them out, I take a deep breath and make it my goal to make their days better with my friendly attitude and service. If I can’t, I don’t take that personally either, because I know that some people just can’t be pleased, and that’s okay. I just may go for an extra-long run that evening to blow off some steam.”
If you don’t know how to help a customer, what would you do? Interviewers want to see that you can think quickly, research well, and know when to ask for help. They also want to see that you can do this without frustrating the customer.

Example Answer:
“I would first tell the customer something like, ‘That’s a great question, let me find the answer for you.’ If I can tell it’s going to be more than a few minutes, I’ll let them know how long I think it will take and offer to call them back.”
“I’ll then start doing my research and talking to my nearby coworkers and manager. If I still can’t find the answer, I’d start reaching out to other departments that may have it. Once I solved the problem, I’d immediately contact the customer with the information.”
Tell me about a time you worked with colleagues from different departments within the company. Companies are healthiest when they have good collaboration between departments, so hiring managers want employees who have experience working with people from other disciplines.

Whether you have prior customer service experience or not, talk about a time you worked with a diverse group to reach a common goal.
Example Answer:
“At my first job, I worked closely with our marketing department to provide reports on common questions that customers contacted us about. They’d then create resources that would allow customers to find the answers to those questions themselves and would help us find the information more quickly.”
Why are you the best person for this job? Interviewers ask this question to find out what sets you apart as a candidate, so tell them what makes you unique.
Just make sure you frame it so that you’re explaining how you’d add value to their company instead of just talking about how awesome you are.
Example Answer:
“From my understanding, this position is a combination of sales and customer service responsibilities. With my background in both marketing and customer service, I believe I’d be able to successfully fulfill and balance both of these roles.”

How do I prepare for a customer service rep interview?

Have a positive, upbeat demeanor during the interview, since those are qualities that most companies will look for in people providing customer service. Look for opportunities to demonstrate that you understand how to provide effective customer service, and that, in particular, you are aware of the company's needs.

What are 3 important qualities of customer service?

Essentially, the 3 important qualities of customer service center around three “p”s: professionalism, patience, and a “people-first” attitude. Although customer service varies from customer to customer, as long as you're following these guidelines, you're on the right track.

What are 10 most common interview questions and answers?

Answers to 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions.

What Are Your Weaknesses? ... .

Why Should We Hire You? ... .

Why Do You Want to Work Here? ... .

What Are Your Goals? ... .

Why Did You Leave (or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job? ... .

When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job? ... .

What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't?.

Why should we hire you as a customer service representative?

"Because I have the experience and expertise in the area of customer support that is required in this position." This is a time to let the customer (the interviewer) know what your product and (YOU) can do for them and why they should listen to what you have to offer.