Customer Support Specialist Interview Preparation Guide

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In most cases, working as a customer service representative will also mean opening customer accounts or placing orders on a computer. Most companies for which you will work have their own proprietary software, so you will receive on-the-job training for this. However, you should be familiar with the basics of computers so that you can successfully manipulate the various programs, enter data, notate the customer’s account with the actions taken on the call and much more. “I have worked with computers for many years and I am very familiar with them. I can assure you that I will learn any software quickly and effectively” is a solid answer for this question.

Good customer service can be measured on following basis,

☛ Number of repeat customers
☛ Number and type of customer complaints received
☛ Number of referrals given by current customers
☛ Sales figure if service is product based
☛ Customer satisfaction surveys
☛ Benchmarking service with competitors
☛ Rate at which number of customers enrolled to your service
☛ Number of returns

Before doing survey for customer service satisfaction,

☛ First consider the objective of the survey
☛ Make your survey accessible online
☛ Keep open-ended questions and keep survey narrative
☛ Consider negative feedback equivalent to positive feedback it is equally important
☛ Select the survey method that can yield real information in real time
☛ Target putting questions that are relevant to service

While creating a customer newsletter, you need to include following –

☛ General information about your company
☛ Purpose of newsletter- Promotions, events, upcoming sales and new services/ products
☛ Any photos related to the content
☛ Any discount or coupons that may be included in your offer

If you don’t know the answer to the questions

☛ Never say, “I don’t know”. Instead say “ Hold on while I look for the information”
☛ Tell customer it’s a technical information and requires a specialist, I’ll get back to you shortly with some possible solution
☛ You can also tell customer like this –
☛ It’s a timely question and requires some time to gather XYZ information
☛ As per the latest information what we suggest to you….
☛ I can answer that in part, but like to consider it further and get back to you
☛ Do anything else that seems proactive while putting them on hold or passing note to colleagues, you can also keep them engaging by asking questions

In a previous client services role, I was asked a question relating to a loophole in our policy that I had no idea how to answer. I explained to the client that I was not exactly sure how that section of the policy worked in her specific case, and told her that I would check with my manager. I then contacted my team leader and explained the problem. He provided me with the correct solution, which I was then able to pass on to the client. I made sure to note where the answer could be found for quick reference in the future.

Yes. I tell myself to keep calm and to see things from a bigger perspective. On the other hand, I feel I work well under pressure because I like challenges and I tend to be the most focused in order to accomplished the goal.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory.

It is used for the temporary storage of data that is being worked on. ROM is Read-Only Memory and is used for permanent storage of data that should never be changed, like BIOS for example.

Identify one of the most difficult tasks as being the motivation of staff in trying circumstances.You can include planning and completing objectives on time and within budget.

Handling an irate customer is difficult whether you are doing so in person or on the telephone. As a customer service representative, you are the person who will be required to resolve issues on the customer’s behalf. This means that you will likely speak with several angry or even irate customers every day. “I will listen clearly and carefully, reassure the customer that I can handle the issue at hand, and then use all of my knowledge and resources to find the best and fastest solution to the problem. I will relay the solution to the customer in a pleasant tone and follow up with that customer to ensure that the resolution was implemented as planned” is a very impressive answer.

To turn down a request from a valued client, you have to

☛ Remain polite and well mannered
☛ Adhere to company’s policies
☛ Explain the situation or reason for denial
☛ Try to remain reliable to customer

A departed customer analysis can help your organization in following ways:

☛ Get valuable insight on why your customer departed from you
☛ Which competitor is being selected to replace your company service
☛ What was the expectation of your former clients
☛ Help to understand weakness and gaps within product line or services.

To deal with abusive customers,

☛ Give a positive response: Assure the customer that you are there to help him and tell them that you require certain information from them to carry forward
☛ Personalize the conversation: Personalize with the conversation and call the customer by name and refer to their company by name
☛ Declare your intent and boundaries: Let your customer know that you can solve the problem and their demands are reasonable. You should not allow customer to continue if they are too much aggressive; it’s time to use other strategies
☛ Transfer the call: The best way is to switch on the call to the most experienced personnel or supervisor. Sooner you transfer the call, the customer will calm down –it’s a natural psychology.
☛ Discontinue the conversation: Warn customer if he continues with abusive slang you will end the conversation. If the customer is still abusive even after speaking to them politely, it’s better to discontinue the conversation by telling them to contact the customer service complaint department for further discussion.

☛ Work with the customer not against him: Try to figure out the exact reason why he is not willing to pay without getting angry on him. Be friendly and try to come up with possible options and plans that might resolve the situation
☛ Communicate often in writing and document everything: Always start with a non-threatening written message asking for the prompt resolution by a specific date
☛ Don’t get personal or angry: Try to listen to customer with empathy it might be possible that your customer is in real financial crisis, so instead of losing your nerves try to handle situation with empathy
☛ Turn to collection service at last: Turning down to an attorney or collection agency should be your last resort. Also, remember that a collector takes a hefty portion of any recovery while legal steps will include the cost of hiring an attorney and other hidden charges.

I always got along well with my supervisors. I feel that it is important to have communication channels open and know the expectations. Every management has his or her unique style so it is important to know how to communicate and work towards forming a mutal level of respect.

Universal Serial Bus – the current version is 2.0. It allows the
connection of peripherals without the need to shut down the computer.

This question is intended to test your knowledge of the industry. You will need to have done some homework. You might look at topics like technological developments, economic challenges and changes in the market.

The key attributes of a call center executive are

☛ Friendly attitude
☛ Ask the right questions
☛ Accurate answers to the customer query
☛ Professional phone relationship
☛ Be the face of the organization
☛ View a customer’s complaint as an opportunity to gain the customer’s respect
☛ Resolve complaints patiently

Before implementing a CRM solution to your business, you need to take care of following things

☛ CRM strategy: CRM only works when there is clear picture of why the organization is doing it and how it really helps to improve customer service
☛ Choose the right CRM partner: A best CRM solutions are flexible and have a full integration capability with any other systems in your business
☛ Identify the highest priority: Implement CRM solution for the highest priority and return area first

For better customer service tools that are used

☛ Zendesk
☛ Assistly
☛ Zoho support
☛ Kayako
☛ Freshdesk
☛ Uservoice
☛ Conversocial
☛ Get Satisfaction etc.