Even though it is likely that you’ll be asked some of the more common interview questions, there are still many questions that you should be prepared to answer. It is important to arrive on time and dress appropriately, but most importantly, to be confident in your responses!
In order for you to prepare for an interview for a support center agent position, research the company and the job description. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before the interview so that you are alert and prepared. You will also want to make sure that you are aware of any questions that could potentially be asked.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Research the company and its products/services before the interview. |
| Prepare answers to common call center interview questions. |
| Showcase strong communication and customer service skills. |
| Provide specific examples of successful customer issue resolution. |
| Express willingness to learn and adapt in a fast-paced environment. |
| Highlight problem-solving abilities and ability to handle challenging situations. |
| Emphasize your enthusiasm for helping customers. |
| Familiarize yourself with call center software and tools. |
| Demonstrate professionalism and the ability to work well under pressure. |
| Prioritize tasks and meet targets effectively. |
General Interview Questions
What Are Your Weaknesses?
It’s a controversial question that some hiring managers love and others swear off, but it’s one of the most popular “general” questions you can expect when going for a job in customer support. In fact, you may even see it pop up more than once in an interview process.
The best method for answering this question is to follow the STAR model: situation, task, action, result. Here’s how that will look in your answer: “For example, my greatest weakness is [something relevant to the position]. For example, I don’t have much experience with [a required skill] yet. To fix this weakness, I’ve done [the action you took]. As a result of taking that action.
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Why Do You Want To Work For Our Company?
This question is common among all kinds of employers: they want to make sure their employees are enthusiastic about the company they’re working for. If you’ve done your research and know where this company stands compared to its competitors (and how it impacts customers) then hopefully that should be easy enough to explain!
Customer Service Interview Questions
What’s Your Definition Of Customer Service?
To me, customer service is the ability to listen and respond to a customer’s needs in a way that works for them. This includes listening to what they say, asking questions to make sure you understand them and then responding in a way that makes them feel heard and understood.
Why Do You Want To Move From Customer Service To Technical Support?
I want to move over because I think it’s going to be more challenging and more rewarding than my current role. It will also allow me to grow as an individual by learning about different technologies and how they work together to create a product or service. I’m curious by nature and enjoy learning new things. I also have a technical background and would like to work in a role that better suits my skill set.
How Do You Handle An Angry Customer?
I can usually tell if a customer is angry just by the tone of their voice. So I would start by asking the customer to relax, and then I would take a step back and let them vent. If they still seem upset after that, I would ask if there’s anything else I can do for them.
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How Do You Handle A Customer Who Is Not Happy With Your Service?
If they’re unhappy with their service, I’m going to try my best to make sure they leave satisfied. Sometimes this means refunding their money or giving them something extra as a token of apology, but it really depends on what happened.
Describe A Time When You Went Above And Beyond For A Customer?
I was working at a retail store and the customer was having trouble finding what they were looking for. I took the time to walk them through the store and show them where things were located.
What Have You Done To Improve Customer Service In The Past?
At my last job, we used to have this really annoying website glitch where all of our customers would get redirected back to the homepage whenever they tried to place an order online. We didn’t know how or why this happened, but it was really frustrating! So what we did was create a survey where customers could submit their feedback on why they were being redirected or why they weren’t able to place an order.
When Was The Last Time That You Had A Difficult Interaction With Someone, And How Did You React?
I think the last time that I had a difficult interaction with someone was when I was out to dinner with my family a few weeks ago. The waitress seemed to be in a bad mood and didn’t have much patience for us. I just kept thinking that she wasn’t getting paid enough to deal with people like us, so I decided to just try to make the best of it and tip her well. The next time we go out, if she’s working again, I’m going to remember how hard it is for her and treat her like a human being instead of an object.
Behavioral Or Situational Interview Questions
Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. How did you handle the situation? How did the customer react? How did you feel about the outcome?
A time when I had to deal with a difficult customer was when an angry customer came into the store screaming that they had been waiting for over an hour for their item to be processed.
I went up to her and asked her what happened, and she said that the machine wasn’t working correctly. I explained to her that it was new, and it takes a little bit longer to process items than our old machines did. She then asked me why we hadn’t replaced them sooner, and I explained that we had been working on getting new machines for about a year now, but it takes a lot of time and effort to get new machines approved by our company.
She seemed satisfied with my answer, so I told her that if she wanted anything else from us while she waited, we would be happy to assist her. She thanked me before leaving the store.
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The Time When You Helped A Customer Find The Best Solution
This is an opportunity to talk about your ability to walk customers through complex solutions and keep them engaged in the process. Your interviewer will want to know that you can find a way out of almost any situation and that you’re not afraid to take charge.
The most effective technicians will be able to quickly break down complex concepts into simple steps for customers as well as confidently explain how and why those solutions work. In many cases, individuals who are new to a product or service will be looking for someone who can help them understand it from the ground up, so keep this in mind when walking through your example.
The Time When You Went Above And Beyond For A Customer
Here, your interviewer is trying to gauge how far you’re willing to go for their company’s customers and whether or not you expect extra benefits in return for going the extra mile. While it’s great if you’ve found ways to help your company be more efficient while helping customers, what they’re really looking for here is confirmation that making customers happy is its own reward and that working hard on behalf of their company’s clientele makes helping even more fulfilling than getting a bonus at the end of a quarter or year.
The Time When You Created A Positive Experience For A Customer
This question is specifically designed to determine what kind of communication skills you have with clients over the phone or online via chat or email support systems.
It also helps reveal how much empathy and compassion you have towards others, especially those who may be feeling frustrated by technical issues they don’t fully understand yet need to be fixed immediately in order to continue with their own projects at work or simply maintain their daily routines without disruption (think: home internet cuts out right before dinner; mom needs computer fixed so she can check on grandma during social distancing).
Here too, make sure not only do I have good written skills but also that my speaking voice sounds friendly!
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Self-Assessment Questions
While you can’t predict what support center agent interview questions your employer will ask, here are some you should expect:
What is your greatest weakness? No one likes to talk about their weaknesses in an interview, so approach this question thoughtfully.
This is a chance to show a little humility and emphasize how you’re working to improve. Keep it brief and make sure your answer doesn’t focus on a skill that’s essential to the job (if you’re applying for a remote technical support position, obviously don’t say that you have trouble communicating!).
How would your coworkers describe you? While this question may seem like it could be answered with “the funny one!” or “the really energetic one!” try something more specific. After all, everyone considers themselves the funny ones.
Instead, try saying something along the lines of “friends tell me I have a knack for figuring out what people need and finishing things quickly without sacrificing quality work.” When in doubt: be genuine and infuse humor where appropriate.
What do you know about our company? If ever there was a time to research an organization top-to-bottom before stepping into an interview room, it’s now.
Be prepared by reading every article from their website including their blog posts and talking points from their About page or ‘Our Story’ section. Knowing the background of the people at the table will ensure that there are no surprises during the interview process.
If you’re preparing for a support center agent interview, it’s essential to be well-prepared. Check out our comprehensive list of Support Center Agent Interview Questions & Answers to help you confidently navigate the interview process and increase your chances of securing the job.
Questions To Ask The Interviewer
Allow me to share with you the best questions to ask an interviewer when you’re asked if you have any questions.
What Kind Of Training Does The Company Provide?
You want a comprehensive answer here, including what kind of training is available for personal development and career growth. This question shows that you are proactive about developing your skills in order to be an asset to the company.
What Are The Long-Term Prospects For The Role?
This question will tell you whether this role is just a temporary stepping stone on your way up the ladder or if it’s designed as more of a dead-end job.
What Are The Current Priorities Of The Company?
The interviewer might not be able to disclose everything they’re working on, but they should have some general information they can share with you. If nothing else, this will give them a chance to explain what they love about working at their company, which could make them more receptive during your interview process.
What Are The Opportunities For Career Progression?
Asking this will show that you are looking ahead toward opportunities for promotion and growth within the company something that many companies look for when hiring new employees! And who knows: maybe there really isn’t much opportunity for career progression at their company, and knowing this information early on might help save lots of time down line.
What’s it like working at [insert name here]? This question shows that you’re curious about their culture and excited about potentially joining their team!
Preparation Is Key
Whether you’re a seasoned support agent or just starting out, you’ve probably heard about how important preparation is for an interview. To ensure that you and the interviewer are on the same page, it’s essential to come prepared with your own questions and research on the company.
This can help you avoid making common faux pas like not knowing what role they’re hiring for or even mispronouncing the name of their product!
If this seems like a lot to keep straight in one day, don’t worry; we’ve collected some tips that will help make sure you have everything covered when it comes time for your interview.
Conclusion
With these steps, you’re now as prepared as anyone could possibly be to ace your support center agent interview. Once you’ve gotten the job, practice and preparation will become even more important.
Since technical issues are constantly popping up that need troubleshooting, it’s crucial that support center agents stay on their toes. While there’s the potential for stress in this environment, staying calm and approaching each issue with a positive attitude can help keep things moving in the right direction.
Best of luck!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on interview questions for call center agents:
10 Interview Questions to Ask When Hiring All-Star Call Center Agents: Discover insightful interview questions designed to help you identify and hire top-performing call center agents.
10 Call Center Interview Questions & Tips: Explore a list of essential call center interview questions and valuable tips to help you prepare for a successful interview.
14 Commonly Asked Job Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them): Gain insights into commonly asked job interview questions, including those relevant to call center positions, along with tips on how to provide effective answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Key To Providing Excellent Customer Service?
The key to providing excellent customer service is to create a positive experience for the customer by providing a solution to their problem. You can do this by being polite, and friendly and answering their questions as quickly and as best you can. If you’re not able to assist them, then direct them to someone who can.
How Do You Build Customer Loyalty?
You can build customer loyalty by showing the customer you are confident that your company’s product or service will meet their needs so they don’t have any reason to try out another company’s product or service.
Also, if they approach you with an issue and you make it right for them, they will be more likely in the future to take their business back with your company rather than another one.
What Is Your Preferred Method Of Communication?
I prefer email, but I can also handle IM, text, or phone calls.
How Do You Handle A Customer Who Is Angry Or Upset?
I try to remember that everyone has their own way of communicating and that it’s not up to me to judge them for being upset or angry. Instead, I take the time to consider what might be causing their frustration and see if there are any ways I can help them resolve it.
How Do You Deal With Customers Who Are Rude?
I try to remember that every customer deserves to be treated with respect regardless of how they act towards me. If a customer is rude, I try my best to stay calm and professional while helping them find a solution to their problem.
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