Interviewing for customer service working session exercise

Interviewing for Customer Service – a Working SessionExercise

Job Description Characteristics

1. What background are we looking for?

2. What skills are we looking for?

3. What behaviors are we looking for?

4. Describe your favorite CSR/TSR (without names). What makes them good at this job and/or good at being a teammate?

Mary Cruse [email protected]

Interviewing for Customer Service – a Working Session

Interview Questions

Once we know what we’re looking for, we need to agree on what questions to ask and which of us asks them in order to make sure we cover all the necessary bases. Please review these questions and note questions you particularly like or would want us to be sure we ask.

Background: (Select 2 questions you like the best)

1. What were major responsibilities in each position held?

2. What were the circumstances of movement between positions held?

3. What were the circumstances of movement between companies?

4. Why did you leave your last job? (This is similar to #3 and may be asked in a later interview if someone else is doing screening and checking all the movement between companies.)

5. Why have/haven’t you held so many jobs in recent times?

6. Describe specific job assignments that you found satisfying or dissatisfying.

Or you can ask this question this way… Describe the job you have held in the past that was most gratifying or most dissatisfying.

7. Based on how the job has been described (and the others you’ve spoken to), what is the most important asset you would bring to the team?

Customer Service: (Select 4 questions you like the best)

1. In your busiest position, how many calls did you take in a day? (Alternative – how many tickets did you take/close in a day?)

2. What position was the hardest for you to learn? How did you gain the knowledge in order to be successful?

3. What is your definition of customer service?

4. Is the customer always right?

5. Why do you want to do customer service?

6. Tell me about a time when you had particularly good/poor customer service. What specifically made it so?

7. What do you do with a customer who can’t be satisfied?


8. Tell me about a time when you went out of your way to meet a customer’s needs.

9. Describe a time when you didn’t handle a customer as well as you could have. What happened? What was the result? What would you do differently if you could do it over?

Behavioral: (select 8 questions you like the best)

1. CULTURE - What personal values do you bring to the workplace?

2. CONFLICT - Tell me about a time when you didn’t agree with a policy or procedure. What did you do?

3. STRESS - What causes you stress/frustration on the job and when you feel that stress/frustration coming on, what do you do to make it go away?

4. CULTURE/TEAM ALIGNMENT – Think of your favorite manager. What qualities made them excel in their ability to lead? Give examples of how they used these qualities in a way that was best for you.

5. DECISION MAKING - Tell me about a time when a customer demanded you do something that you know you weren’t authorized to do, yet you agreed with what they wanted. What did you do?

6. DECISION MAKING – How do you go about making important decisions?

7. DECISION MAKING/TEAMWORK/POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT – Tell me about a time when you had to support a decision or goal you didn’t agree with. What were the circumstances and what did you do.

8. TEAMWORK – Give me an example of how you have shared your functional or technical knowledge with others.

9. TEAMWORK – What is your definition of a team (get them to go beyond the standard response of “a group of people working toward a common goal”)? Do you all have to be friends to work effectively? If no, how do you work with people you aren’t friends with?

10. TEAMWORK – What approach do you use to openly discuss issues with others on your team? Give me an example of when you did this and the results.

11. TEAMWORK – Tell me about the most successful team you have been on. What made it so successful?

12. RESULTS ORIENTATION – Tell me about a time when you wanted to give up but didn’t. How did you stay motivated and keep your focus on the goal?

13. RESULTS ORIENTATION – How is your performance currently measured? What criteria are you help accountable for?

14. RESULTS ORIENTATION – What aspects of your job do you consider most crucial?


15. RESULTS ORIENTATION – What is your definition of success? How have you been successful in the past?

16. MULTITASK ABILITY – How well can you multi-task? Describe to me a situation that shows you performing at that level.

17. INTEGRITY – Tell me about a time when you saw something going on in the workplace that was unfair to someone. What did you see? What did you do?

18. INTEGRITY/TEAMWORK – Tell me about a time when someone you worked with made a mistake. What did you do?

19. INTERPERSONAL/CONFLICT – Tell me about a difficult situation with another person. How did you handle it?

20. INTERPERSONAL/CONFLICT – What has been your biggest challenge in working with others?

21. INTERPERSONAL – Think of the best people you know at relationship building. What makes them the best?

22. INTERPERSONAL/MATURITY – How do you maintain your composure when you are in the hot seat?

23. MATURITY – How do you like to receive criticism? How do you usually handle criticism?

24. MATURITY – In your current/last position, what has been your greatest learning experience? (See if they can get past the technical skills and talk about personal development.)

25. MATURITY/DECISION MAKING – Give me an example of a time when you feel you used good judgment. What was the outcome?

26. SELF MOTIVATION/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT – In a previous performance review, describe an area requiring improvement and what you did to improve in that area.

27. SELF MOTIVATION/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT – There is much to learn in this position. Describe the different things you would do to learn the technical information for this job.

28. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – What professional affiliations do you have? Why did you get involved and what are you doing in those organizations?

29. OPEN ENDED – What do you like to do when you are not at work?

30. OPEN ENDED – Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know from reading your resume?

MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS1. SELF MOTIVATION/INITIATIVE - Describe a situation in which you demonstrated

independent initiative.


2. LEADERSHIP FLEXIBILITY - Describe a time when you had to alter your leadership style to be more effective.

3. LEADERSHIP STYLE - Describe the situation in which you are most comfortable as a leader.

4. MANAGEMENT 101 - What’s the difference between management and leadership? ….can also be asked…How would you describe your philosophy about management?

5. MANAGEMENT 101 - Describe your management style. Describe your leadership style. (you need to look for the difference.)

6. INTERVIEWING STYLE/DISCERNMENT - Have you ever hired anyone? What qualities do you seek?

7. LEADERSHIP MATURITY - Have you managed people in any of the positions you have held?

8. LEADERSHIP MATURITY - How do you deal with difficult people?

9. LEADERSHIP MATURITY - How do you deal with poor performers?

10. LEADERSHIP/VISION - How would you define leadership (different from defining their own leadership style)? How would you rate yourself as a leader?

11. DECISION MAKING - Tell me about a time that you made a critical decision without supervision?

12. PRIORITIZATION - Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a challenging project in your job?

Closing: (Select 2 questions you like the best)

1. Flexibility – Shifts are set and don’t change very often. When they do, we strive to give at least 2 weeks’ notice. However, there may be times when OT is needed with very short notice. Would this be a problem for you?

2. Salary expectations.

3. Availability – how much notice would you need to give your current employer?

4. Tell me what you want me to remember about you?


Interviewing for customer service working session exercise

Business

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