Sample customer service interview questions

You made it to the next step and now you’re shipping your products all around the globe. But with success and growth comes the need to expand your staff. Specifically, you need to hire a team of customer service representatives to answer questions, handle returns, and keep everyone happy. No pressure, right?

As you begin your recruiting efforts, it’s important to know the right customer service interview questions to ask, but first you need to make sure you’re bringing in the right candidates for the job. We’ll discuss how.

First, target the right candidates

Customer service reps typically are the only members of your company who interact with your customers on a day-to-day basis, so you want to hire the right people as the face of your company to the world. The first step is to craft an effective customer service representative job description for your posting that will target the top candidates while filtering out those who are unlikely to be the right fit. It will also help you determine which questions to ask during the interview process.

Make sure you include the following elements in your job posting:

An introduction that helps the job seeker imagine what it might be like to work for your company and gets them interested in the job.
A detailed bullet-point list of job duties and responsibilities.
The work hours, benefits, perks, and anything that makes your workplace stand apart from the competition.
A clear call to action that tells candidates exactly how to apply for the job, such as clicking on a link or sending their resume via email.

If your job description is well-written and makes your workplace stand out from the rest, you’re doing it right. But it can be a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff. After selecting your top picks, the next step—interviewing candidates—can help you determine their attitude, emotional IQ, and cultural fit.

Customer service interview questions

Every organization has its own unique needs and workplace situation, so make sure you really think about the type of service rep you’d like to hire for your company. Also keep in mind that the way they answer questions is at least as important as the answer itself, especially for this kind of a role.

The following interview questions will help you prepare and get the most out of your interviews when hiring customer service reps.

Questions pertaining to skills, availability, etc.

Tell me about your previous work experience in customer service.
Why would you be a good fit for our company as a customer service rep?
What do you know about this company’s products and services?
What makes you a great candidate for this customer service rep job in particular?
What type of customer service systems have you used? What is your level of familiarity with them?
What have you done to be a better customer service representative?
What have you done at your present (or last) company to increase revenues, reduce costs, or save time?
What have you done recently to improve your skills as a customer service rep?
What type of schedule are you looking to work?
Would you be available to work additional shifts?

Questions assessing emotional intelligence, attitude, culture, etc.

What are your strengths and weaknesses when interacting with customers?
What do you enjoy about working in customer service?
Tell me about a time that you helped resolve a particularly difficult customer issue.
Talk about a time when you were unable to help the customer with their problem. What was the issue and how did you handle the situation?
Do you consider yourself a team player?
What type of team structure have you worked within in the past?
What type of team structure suits you best?

Find your best employees with Monster as your guide

Knowing the best customer service interview questions to ask is a key element to finding the right rep. But it’s also essential to a successful recruitment process. Hiring the right people can make all the difference in your company’s success, so it pays to get all the help you can. Sign up for the Monster Hiring Solutions e-newsletter, and we’ll send you tips on the latest recruiting trends, interview strategies, and more.