10 Call Center Simple Interview Question & Tips

Classic Call Center Interview Includes:-

Question 1:- Tell me about yourself?

Answer:-  “Tell me about yourself.” It’s one of the most common (and tricky) job interview questions. Even so, many job seekers don’t take the question seriously, thinking it’s just an icebreaker meant to put them at ease.

But they should carefully consider their response, because “tell me about yourself” is more than a throwaway opener for most interviewers. When hiring managers pose this open-ended question, they’re hoping candidates will offer insight about their goals and priorities, which gives them a better sense of who each job candidate really is.

And that’s not all: Interviewers also ask this question to evaluate how confident interviewees are, which in turn gives them a view of how new hires might present themselves to customers, clients and colleagues if they get the job.

As a job seeker, knowing how to answer, “tell me about yourself,” gives you a great opportunity to spotlight the skills and experience that make you the ideal candidate for the job. And because it’s a question that many hiring managers lead with, it's also your way to start off on the right foot. Here are a few more job interview tips to help you nail your response:

What you should not say

Many job candidates make the mistake of answering this question with talk of something personal. Some even launch into their life story, starting with their hometown and continuing on through their college graduation.

Alternately, others share descriptions of the problems in their current job, explaining that they applied for this position because their boss is a micromanager or their employer won’t allow them to work a flexible schedule.

And some job seekers simply summarize their resume, going point-by-point through their work experience and education history.

All three of these responses can quickly send your new-job dreams down the tubes. If you answer with either of the first two, hiring managers see a red flag — an indication that you’re not that serious about the position or simply trying to escape a bad situation at your current job.

And if you go with the third approach, you’re throwing away an opportunity. You can assume the interviewers read your resume before inviting you for the interview, and they don’t need you to walk them through it. 

Question 2:- Why did you leave your last job?

Answer:- “Why did you leave your last job?” Everyone knows to expect that question in an interview. However, getting to a good answer can be tricky, especially if the circumstances weren't rosy. Candidates tend to worry about saying the wrong thing. If you share that you left for a promotion elsewhere, will the prospective employer think you're greedy with a big ego? If you say that your style didn't mesh with your boss, will the hiring manager judge you as being difficult to work with? And this doesn't even include getting fired!

So, let's dive into this important topic. The truth is that everyone needs to be prepared to answer an interview question about leaving their past jobs

The “why did you leave your last job?” question could come in several different formats. Here are three versions that are most common:

• “Why are you looking for a new job now?” This question typically gets asked when you're employed while looking for a new opportunity.

• “Why did you leave your last job?” It's logical for the hiring manager to focus on your most recent job experience.

• “Why did you leave job X?” Sometimes, an earlier job departure might catch the hiring manager's attention. This is especially true if you had an unusually short stint there.

Why are they asking these questions?

The best place to begin your prep is by understanding what makes “Why did you leave your last job?” an important question. Time in an interview is always too short, which means an experienced hiring manager or HR professional doesn't waste a single minute on things that don't matter.

There are three big reasons why hiring managers need to understand why you left your last job:

1. To evaluate your reason for leaving. Professionals change jobs; there's nothing inherently wrong in that. The secret sauce is in how and why they do it. Did you just wake up one morning and decide you were done? Was the reason “reasonable”? What does it say about your values? Sure, the hiring manager wants to know what happened, but the real opportunity here is in getting insight into who you are as a person and as a professional.

2. To establish whether you made the decision to leave — or were let go. If you were laid off, the hiring manager needs to understand whether the reason was related to performance or integrity. They are also trying to gauge your attitude. Can you take responsibility for your side of what happened, or will you put all the blame on the employer?

3. Did you leave on good terms? Your ability to build and keep relationships says a lot about your diplomatic intelligence. So, if your former boss is your champion and a prominent reference, your candidacy automatically gets a boost.

 Question 3:- How do you handle calls from dissatisfied customers?

Answer:-   In order to be successful as a call center representative, you should know how to navigate handle challenging customer conversations. It is important to remain respectful and focused on the customer's needs while resolving their issue and creating a positive experience for the caller. In some cases, you may need to follow a certain protocol or bring in your supervisor to help you find a solution.

When answering this interview question, use the Star Method to describe the situation, illustrate what task you needed to complete, explain what action you took and provide the results of your efforts. You can use an example from your own experience or discuss a hypothetical scenario.

Example: “I had a customer who was very upset about his subscription service which did not meet his expectations. As the representative, I apologized for the inconvenience and assured him that I would research his issue. After gathering more details, I discovered he was having connectivity issues due to a lapse in updating his software. I explained the issue and the solution to update his software, but he explained that he was considering canceling his service altogether.

The customer agreed to a brief hold while I discussed with my supervisor possible reparation for the inconvenience. I was able to give the customer an additional month of service at no charge. The customer seemed pleased with my solution and thanked me for solving his issue. He even agreed to sign up for additional service with us.

Question4:- Why should we hire you for our company?

Answer:- Job interviews can be daunting. You will find yourself sitting in a room with the hiring manager, having to answer tough questions about your experience and qualifications for the position you are seeking with the company.

Throughout the interview, it’s important to deliver specific examples as often as you can. The more concrete examples you can give, the better you will be able to showcase your value to the hiring manager.

That brings me to one of the most challenging interview questions you could potentially face: Why should we hire you?

During the interview process, it is nearly inevitable that you will be asked to answer the question, “Why should we hire you?” At this moment, you need to proceed with caution.

After all, you are comparing yourself to other candidates and trying to set yourself apart from these unknown personas without seeming too boastful. You don’t want to risk derailing the interview process by talking too much and sounding like a show-off. 

The hiring manager is gauging your response to determine if you are the perfect person for this job. When asked, “why should we hire you?”, tread lightly and have a few different answers prepared in advance.

While the question might be archaic and intimidating, it is a favorite question among hiring managers, so it's important to be well-prepared.

Read the full job description in detail and think of a few skills that make you uniquely qualified to perform the job duties. While you cannot possibly know the qualifications of other applicants, now is the time to sell yourself and state the things that make you the best fit for the job. 

Question 5:- What are your strengths & Weekness?

Answer:-Interviews are all about honesty and confidence but they also need preparation. One question which regularly crops up in the interview script is “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” In this blog post, we have come up with some of the best answers to this frequently asked question on strengths and weaknesses.

Get prepared for some of the most frequently asked HR interview questions and answers.

Let us begin with “What are your strengths?”

Possible Answer #1

“I am a team player. It is a skill I picked up in school as a member and captain of the football team. I enjoy working in teams and have been often told by both supervisors and peers that I am the motivator of the group during stressful situations. In college, during a group presentation, one of the team members did not submit his bit of work. Given the short deadline, everybody was worried. Analyzing the situation, I called for a short meeting. I asked everyone to take equal parts of the unfinished business and we managed to hand in a great presentation.”

Possible Answer #2

“I am a quick learner. Over the past 2 years, I have worked in 3 different workplaces and this has worked well for me to improve my skills. I have honed my skills in copywriting, editing as well some core principles of Graphic Designing and Digital Marketing. I am quite comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite and I have basic knowledge of certain tools like Adobe Photoshop and Pixlr Editor. It is my motto to keep learning every day and I actively seek feedback to keep growing.”

Possible Answer #3

“I am very persistent and I love to negotiate. These are my core strengths I believe. From a persistence point of view, my performance has been praiseworthy for 3 years in a row now. Also, my manager would surely vouch for the fact that I am a consistent performer. I have received a bonus in every quarter, and this is a proof of my abilities. Besides, as I said, I have great negotiation skills. While negotiating, I can understand my own interests, why I want something and what I actually want; along with this, I can easily perceive the interests of the other party, which makes me a good negotiator!”

Possible Answer #4

“My greatest strength is experience enhancement. In other words, I love attending to people and making their experience better. Last year I underwent a rigorous 6-month long training which included problem solving workarounds in a real-world scenario. Within a very short span of time, I became permanent and was placed in direct client interfacing roles.”

Possible Answer #5

“I have the ability to work effectively with different kinds of people. Hence, I would say that organizational skills are one of the strongest points about me. I had to meet strict deadlines and coordinate with several departments simultaneously in order to deliver a project. I was ultimately able to deliver the project on schedule. In the end, this experience made me realise that I possess good organizational skills. But the entire episode also helped me to polish my time management skills and multi-tasking abilities side-by-side.”

Now, let’s move on to “What are your weaknesses?”

This question is generally asked with the intention of putting you on the spot. Do not try to hide behind a strength disguised as a weakness. Be genuine about your weaknesses and outline a plan of action you have taken to improve on the same.

Possible Answer#1

“I am not very good at computer applications and shortcuts. But I have obtained enough skills to do meaningful work at present. Although I deliver my work bang on time at the last moment, I must admit that my speed is slow. However, I have been taking classes and practising hard to sharpen my skills so I can work more efficiently. I  really want to be a fast programmer in the future and have a better coding speed than my peers.”

Possible Answer#2

“I struggle to manage my time sometimes and cut too close to the deadlines. To overcome this, I have started using post-its and hourly entries in my calendar to remind me of my tasks. To add to this, I have begun organizing my time into daily tasks, weekly tasks, and long terms tasks  in order to prioritize.”

Possible Answer#3

“I am a very shy person and often cannot question authority in group meetings. When I spoke of this with my manager, he suggested that I send in questions via email post the meeting. I decided to extend the opportunity to everybody else at the workplace. So if anyone had any questions they would write to me. I would then collate them and send them to the required authority. I was able to set a new practice in office!”

Possible Answer#4

“My communication style can be sometimes blunt and harsh. Feedback is amazing but constructive feedback can make miracles happen. Hence, I am learning to reserve my judgment and write down my blunt criticism before I say it aloud. This has allowed me to communicate well and build strong professional relationships.”

Possible Answer#5

“I struggle with maintaining a good work-life balance. This used to put immense stress on me. I have now taken up weekly dance classes and do pottery on the weekends. This has given me avenues to de-stress and maintain high productivity levels.”

Following are our profile-wise customised answers to the interview question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Possible Answer#1

A fresher’s answer to the question

“During the college years, I was heavily involved in college events and activities. My greatest strength is my ability to multi-task. I played on the Football Team, was on the organizing committee of the college cultural festival and the Economics Department Events Committee. With all the activities, I managed to keep an 8.5 GPA all through my final year! Talking about my weakness, I lack assertiveness. My inability to say no can put a lot of stress on my time and my ability. However, I am learning to be more vocal about my capacity and prioritize tasks.”

Possible Answer#2

Sample answer for a software tester

“My thirst for knowledge is my greatest strength. I have worked as a Software Tester for the past 4 years and completed various certifications. My ex-manager observed my curiosity and facilitated greater learning by making me Project Lead on 3 projects last year. My greatest weakness is public speaking. Over the years, my love for the computer has developed me into quite a nerd! Given how important communication skills are, I decided to join a theatre group to help me relax in group settings and lose my stage fright.”

Possible Answer#3

How an academician-cum-trainer will approach this question

“My ability to motivate people is what I consider my biggest strength. As a trainer, I have learned how to work with different groups of people and identify training needs. Similarly, as an academician, I have many people approaching me for guidance and I really pride myself on this. My greatest weakness is that I play by the rules too strictly. This can hamper my progress on a project because I focus on doing the job correctly rather than meeting my deadline. However, the habit of asking my peers to check in with me helps me expedite my own work.”

Possible Answer#4

HR professional’s answer to their weaknesses

“I am a very hospitable person. I have always personally believed that but this has been professionally validated by my supervisor in my annual report. People have this image of HR professionals as cold and indifferent personnel, so meeting me is like a breath of fresh air for most! My greatest weakness is my Finance skills. I have not had too much exposure of the Finance end of the business but decided to take a Coursera online program on HR Finance to equip myself.”

Possible Answer#5

What would a sales professional say his strengths and weaknesses are?

“My greatest asset is my persistence. This skill is really highlighted and celebrated in the field of sales and I love it! If a certain strategy is not working, I am keen to understand the obstacles and work on them. In the past 2 years as a sales executive, I have taken home a bonus every quarter and this drives me to perform better. About my weaknesses, I have spoken to my supervisor to help me understand my shortcomings. He advised that my writing skills and paperwork filing were lacking and I have consciously started working on this feedback.”

Possible Answer#6

Sample of the answer given by an academic counselor

“My analytical ability has developed as my core strength. In the field of academic counselling, I have the fortune to meet different kids every day with varied interests and dreams. The ability to analyze their situation, chart out an academic plan and counselling them is thrilling and rewarding. In the last 6 months, I have been able to send 50 kids to medical colleges in Russia and China and really count this as a remarkable feat given how difficult the field of medicine is. As for my weakness, it is definitely time management! I love working in this field and used to work long hours. But now I remind myself to take timely breaks through the day for snacks and a short walk.”

These sample answers should help you tackle the question “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”. So do not be intimidated by the hiring manager and give them no cause to worry. List your strength and weaknesses smartly.

All the best ?

Question 6:- How would you handle negative feedback from angry clients?

Answer:-Every business owner wants to see only positive reviews and comments about their organization. The truth is that we don’t live in a perfect world, and you will get negative customer feedback, however hard you try to please your customer. There’s no way around it: bad reviews happen.

Negative reviews of your business can be painful, both emotionally and financially. Here are 8 powerful ways you can turn negative feedback into positive engagement.

1. Listen carefully

The best way to receive negative feedback is to listen and actually hear what’s being said.

There’s no question that not interrupting and listening carefully is the right thing to do when you’re getting negative feedback.

Distinguish the accuracy of the feedback from the quality of its presentation. Few people are skilled at presenting criticism in a way that makes the recipient feel comfortable accepting what’s being said as worthwhile information and learning from it.

2. Distancing your emotional self

Don’t take negative feedback as a personal attack. Don’t get defensive.

It’s human nature to react when we get negative feedback. The key is distancing your emotional self and taking the remarks as you would listen to a doctor’s advice that you eat less salt. Next, accept the negative feedback with openness and gratitude.

3. Don’t try to prove someone is wrong

Try to prove someone wrong and we become close-minded to the useful information that may be hidden in the poorly presented feedback.

When your criticizer is factually wrong, the response “You’re wrong!” won’t ever be helpful. Not even if you can prove it. The key is to listen to the other person without planning your reply. Simply nodding until the other person has completely finished will make sure that your counterpart has said everything intended.

4. Ask questions

Question can help the other individual communicate clearly whatever his or her core message may be

Asking questions helps eliminate the appearance of defensiveness and keeps us from immediately jumping in to justify our actions. If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis.

5. Putting yourself in the shoes of a customer

You can’t always deliver solutions, but you can always deliver empathy.

By putting yourself in the shoes of a customer, you also get the context that helps you do your job. Try to understand what your customer is going through and the impact the problem is having on their day. Convey that you deeply understand how the customer feels. Use phrases like “I’d be frustrated, too.”

6. Ask for time

Take time to collect your thoughts. Think carefully about what you plan to say and what impact it will have.

While it is essential to respond quickly, it is equally important not to react defensively and to allow just a little time to respond appropriately. Don’t wait days, but do wait until you have absorbed what has been said and determined how fair the criticism is. If you are answering negative feedback telephonically or via email, your comments will be relatively private. If you are responding via social media be aware that other people will see your comments and this may lead to further negative comment.

7. Apologize

Even if you didn’t do whatever made them upset, you can still genuinely be apologetic for the way your customer feels.

Don’t over-apologize. Apologize once if necessary, sincerely and maturely. Remember that criticism and negative feedback are a fact of life. Learn from your mistakes, and move on.

8. Resolve the issue quickly & fix the process

Get to the bottom of why the mistake occurred, without blaming anyone; focus on fixing the process so that it doesn’t happen again.

Try using 5 Whys technique to determine the root cause, e.g.:

Problem: Your client is refusing to pay for the leaflets you printed for them.

• Why? The delivery was late, so the leaflets couldn’t be used.
• Why? The job took longer than we anticipated.
• Why? We ran out of printer ink.
• Why? The ink was all used up on a big, last-minute order.
• Why? We didn’t have enough in stock, and we couldn’t order it in quickly enough

Counter-measure: We need to find a supplier who can deliver ink at very short notice.

Question 7:- How to deal with abusive/slang using customer? 

Answer:-   Below mentioned is the points how 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 specific 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 the 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 the 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 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.

Question 8:- How do you deal with the question you don’t know the answer that customer asked?

Answer:- 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 the customer it’s technical information and requires a specialist. I’ll get back to you shortly with some possible solution

You can also tell customer following –

• 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 a note to colleagues. You can also keep them engaged by asking questions

Question 9:-  What would you do if the customer says that it took you long to resolve an issue?Answer:-  If a customer says that it took you long to resolve an issue,

• First, ensure to the customer, that you are not far from him, and was busy with his task all the time 

• You have to give him an expression that he or she is the only customer you are worried for.
• If required give him the explanation of the whole operational path and the areas where the task can get slower

Question 10:- How to deal with customers who deny paying for service/product?

Answer:-  Below mentioned is how to deal with customer who paying for service product.

• 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
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• 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 a situation with empathy
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• 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.

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