Tips to Help You Nail Your Customer Service Interview

Soaring customer demands and highly competitive markets have made customer service the topmost sought-after skill for 2022. Consumers now have so many options that businesses are desperate to stand out from their competitors. This means the competition is hot for job seekers too, so you need to make sure you have that discernable edge in your customer service interview!

So, you’ve landed a customer service interview – congratulations! Whether you have held customer service roles in the past or if this will be your first time, preparation is key to leaving your mark on hiring managers. We have compiled some tips on what to research in advance, as well as pointers for some of the more frequently asked customer service interview questions.

Do Your Research

You are sure to learn a lot about the company during your interview, but the best way to eradicate nerves is to do your research beforehand. This will ensure there are little to no surprises (of the bad variety), meaning you can show up feeling calm and confident.

Having good knowledge of the company’s products and services will offer insight into the possible challenges of their customer service role. This will help you to better frame some of your responses to their questions. Understanding the company culture is also essential here – not only will it help you tailor your answers, but it also helps you decide if the role is a good fit for you.

There are lots of online resources you can use to do this research. We suggest checking out the following:

Company Website

This is the best place to start. Here you can review information on their products/services and company values. You can usually find this information in their ‘About Us’ section.

Social Media

Have a browse of their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. These will give you a good idea of how the company wants to portray itself. LinkedIn is also a good place to find information on your interviewer!

Glassdoor

You will find an abundance of reviews here from past and present employees. These will offer great insight into the culture. Some reviewers even post questions they were asked in their interview (and to those people, we are eternally grateful). 

The more research you do on the company, the more confident you will feel stepping into that interview room. A positive first impression is key to developing good relationships with customers, so introductions with your interviewer will provide them with a good indication of your capability to establish rapport.

Prepare for Commonly Asked Customer Service Interview Questions

Now you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to tackle some commonly asked customer service interview questions. The way you react to these will reveal to the interviewer how well you can handle being put on the spot in real-life situations (and in customer service jobs, you are put on the spot A LOT). Below we have listed 5 recurring questions and exactly what your interviewer hopes to learn from them. 

1. Why do you want to work in customer service?

What they want to know: This type of question will pop up in most interviews. It is trying to assess whether you legitimately want to work in customer service. When answering this question, bear in mind that the interviewer doesn’t want to know why you want any customer service job, they want to know why you want their job in particular. Therefore, your reasons should match up with the values of their role and company

2. What are the most important skills needed for a customer service role?

What they want to know: The interviewer is eager to know if the skills you consider to be important align with the requirements of their role. Generally, they want candidates with awesome communication and active listening skills, adaptability, empathy and good time management. Ensure you read their job advert/description so you can accurately answer this question.

3. What is the best customer service you have received?

What they want to know: This is asked to determine if you understand the difference between above-par and below-par customer service. A similar question may be something along the lines of ‘tell me about a time you provided great customer service’. In both instances, make sure you have specific examples prepared.

4. How would you deal with an unreasonable customer?

What they want to know: This question is used to establish your problem-solving abilities. The interviewer will also want to know that you can remain calm in these situations and that you have active listening skills. Again, using a specific example would be helpful for this question.

5. What would you do if you did not know how to answer to a customer’s question?

What they want to know: This is testing your resourcefulness. They want to know that you are capable of using on-hand resources to find an answer. Additionally, they want to gauge if you are comfortable asking for help from your colleagues – which is perfectly okay. If you have previous customer service experience, try and remember the steps you took when this last happened to you.

A lot of customer service interview questions can seem very similar, which isn’t a bad thing! Once you have a good understanding of the qualities hiring managers are looking for, you should be able to answer their many variations. Pair this with solid knowledge of the company and culture and we are certain you will leave your interview feeling accomplished and assured.

Additional Resources

• Have you already secured some customer service interviews but want to keep your job hunt going? Have a peruse of our customer service roles and apply for any that are of interest to you.
• Interviewing for other roles that aren’t customer service related? Or maybe you want additional advice to help you nail your customer service interview? Take a look at our handy general interview tips section.
• After you have successfully landed your shiny new customer service job, check out our tips on how to make the best first impression with your new employer.
• Stumbled across this blog and not entirely sure how you got here? Welcome to our website!