#call center interview questions

#Call center interview questions and answer

Call Center interview questions and answers

The main purpose of this question is to see if you have some of those qualities which employers look for in their employees like – dedicated, performance oriented, hard working, creative etc.

Work and pressure are always going to co-exist. It might be the pressure at work or on personal front but you should be able to deal with it.

By asking this question the interviewer tries to analyze if the candidate will leave the job for a couple of thousands. Recruiting a candidate costs money to the company.

Are you patient, give an example to show this

Patience is considered as a strength, by showing you are patient you are letting the interviewer know that you know what to expect and that you are prepared for it.

Show that you are able to maintain a positive attitude and a high performance standard under pressure and can face of challenges head on. Describe a situation when you used appropriate methods to overcome provocation and stress and exhibit that you are able to keep patience when faced with a difficult customer.

Can you work in shifts/rotational shifts?

Call Centers provide 24*7 support to customers, so if you want to make a career in this industry, make sure you are ready to work in shifts. You will not only work at odd times, but your shifts will rotate on weekly, fortnightly, or daily basis. So be prepared to say yes to this question and be open to working in shifts.

Can you work under pressure?

Here again they are checking your patience level, so you need to provide some examples to answer this question, some sample answers:

• In any job one has to face with stressful situations that require them to work under pressure on a daily basis and with time one learns to manage stress. For most of us it is just part of the job

• I like the challenge of working under pressure, but proper planning and time management skills can take the pressure of.

• I work well under pressure. But I do not panic when faced with stressful situations. Instead of reacting to a situation, I analyze the situation and try to come up with an optimal solution.

What motivates you to work in a call centre?

You need to again show them that you know what does a call center do and you would enjoy working at one. Some of the following would be good reasons:

• I like to deal with customers over the phone and develop my customer service skills

• The call center industry is booming

• I like the type of work done in call centers and the salary provided by call centers is decent and I look forward to a long term career in this industry, as it is bound to grow and will provide long term career stability.

What do you know about BPO?

BPO is an abbreviation of Business Process Outsourcing. It could be outsourcing of various processes, such as, manufacturing, call centers, IT, and others.

There are 2 types of Call Centers:

• Inbound– Here agents receive calls from customers

What is the difference between inbound process and outbound process?

• Inquiries or requests for information

• Placing orders, in product purchases

• Applications for services

• Filing complaints

Outbound customer service agents make calls to random potential customers to sell a service or product. These agents can also be called as telemarketing executives.

What will you do when a customer is abusive/irritated?

When you work at a call center you will come across irritated, angry, and abusive customers, you can say you will do that following to handle them:

• Listen to them and empathize with their situation

• Apologize and take ownership of the problem and give a solution

• Approach them and ask for a reason for their displeasure

• If they insist on talking to your manager, get him on line ASAP

• Follow up after giving the solution and ask for feedback

Rate yourself on communication skills

Communications skills are one of the key skills an interviewer looks for in an interviewee

• Be confident and say "I would give myself an 8+ for communication skills, and I am improving on it."

• You could tell them to get in touch with references who think you are good and say: "My previous Manager who rated my communication skills gave me a 9."

• Give a range to be on a safe side: "Anywhere between 8-10"

Sell a product

Pen/Watch are common products as they come handy. Sales is one of the most difficult jobs and you need o prove that you can sell the product to someone who does not actually need it, you need to:

• Focus on how the product’s features and how it addresses your potential customer’s needs

• Be persuasive, confident, and lively

• Do not list down the features of the pen, be creative and think about the situation when you will need a pen desperately

• One such example would be, signing a check; you could give a blank check to the interviewer with your sign and ask him how it would be like to have a pen in this situation.

• You will need to consider your customer’s concerns and how to handle them. Your interviewer might counter your points, but keep your cool and focus on addressing those concern. Show your willingness to take up the challenge.

What is your current CTC and what are your expectations?

Be honest about your CTC, as you will have to produce you salary slip as a proof of employment

Be realistic when you state your expected CTC, you can ask for a 20-30% hike

If you are underpaid at your current company you can look for the standard salary paid for the

experience you have and ask for that amount.

Are you planning to go for further studies?

Be transparent in your answer.

If you are pursuing further studies, say so. Tell them why you want to go for that course

If you are taking up a distance education course or a part time course, they should know. They might not even hire you if you say you are going for higher studies.

If well qualified, why do you want to work in a call centre

This is a very important answer, as you will need to convince them with your tone, answer, and expressions. Some of the answers could be:

• I want to work in a call center because it is a fast growing industry. Call centers provide a good working environment, and a good salary to maintain a good lifestyle, and offer great opportunities to develop my skills.

• Call centers provide a work hard, play hard environment, with rewards, and job satisfaction

What is the difference between BPO and call centre?

A BPO is responsible for executing a process of another business organization/unit. That means a business process is outsourced to save on costs or increase productivity.

A call centre handles telephone calls; it could be handling customer complaints coming over a telephone.

What is back office?

Back office manages a company’s technology, services, or human resources. Back office is involved administration/services that are not seen by customers.

How to impress your customer?

When selling a product remember that you are the one (your company) who created the solution, so you know your customer’s problem better than anyone else.

When you have no answer, or don’t know an answer, make something up. A customer will always be impressed by someone who knows everything.

Do not make them wait or leave them to assume what you’ll do.

Create a niche around your product/service that you offer, you need to know why your customers come to you.

What does customer service mean to you?

• Professional

• Courteous

• Friendly

• Helpful

How long will you stay in our company?

You should ensure that you give an impression that you will pay back more than what you take from the

company:

• You can say I will stay here as far as I see an opportunity for growth, as I am looking for a stability in work place

• If they stress on number of years say 3-4 years, and more if I can explore new challenges/growth opportunities

• Show them that you want to grow vertically and that is possible when you stay in a company for long and not when you switch jobs frequently.

What do you expect from us, as an employer?

The employer is interviewing you to see what you can do for the company, but now wants to know what you want from them, be reasonable and not very demanding, if you want to be hired:

• Say whether you want to work alone or in a team?

• You can express how would you want to be motivated?

You can also say the following:

• A company that encourages learning

• A company that encourages open culture

Tell us about your qualities that affect this job

You need to exhibit qualities that will affect the job you will be hired for, following points will help:

• I believe in hard work and honesty, and these two are very important characteristics that a call center executive must possess.

• I am confident and patient, so I can handle difficult customers

• I like talking to different type of people and possess strong communication skills, and I can understand human nature quickly, this is again a very crucial skill for customer service professionals