Posted by CV Nation on
When interviewing for call centre jobs, interviewers are looking for evidence of your customer service and communication skills. They also want to know if you’re capable of operating to high standards in fast-paced call centre environments.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to answer your questions to convey your ability to do exactly that.
This guide includes 20 of the most common job interview questions for call centre jobs, as well as example answers and job interview tips.
The goal of this question is to break the ice and learn a bit about your background.
When answering this question, use your answer to show why you’re an ideal candidate for the job. You could do this by touching on your experience or your achievements.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘I have been employed as a call centre advisor for over 12 years. I love working in call centres because I am a natural communicator and problem-solver. I take pleasure in solving problems for customers and I always go the extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction.
Most recently, I was employed as a customer service advisor at Example Company. In this role, I trained 35 new employees in customer service processes and received a 92% satisfaction rating from customers.’
Interviewers ask this question to determine if you’re aligned with their company’s culture and values. This question also lets them know if you have done your research.
When answering this question, give a reason why you specifically want to work the company. This may be related to the company’s internal growth opportunities, their culture and values etc.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘I want to work for your company because of the opportunities for promotion and professional growth. During my career, I have always taken steps to improve my capabilities and develop professionally. It would be fantastic to work for a company that rewards that with promotion to more senior roles.’
As a call centre operative, you will be sure to receive calls from irate customers. Interviewers want to know that you can handle such calls in the most appropriate manner, deescalating the situation and maintaining your composure.
When answering this question, show how found a solution to the customer’s problem. If you can demonstrate your ability to solve customers’ problems and deescalate situations, you’ll make a positive impression on interviewers.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘When employed as a call centre operative at Example Company, I took a call from a customer who was very irate that his software solution was not working as expected. I listened to him and learned about the problem, before informing him that I would try my best to ensure the issue was rectified. I asked him to hold while I called the Technical department. After speaking with a software engineer, I determined that the issue could be fixed. I managed to get the customer a replacement product while he was waiting for his software to be repaired. As a result of the efforts I took to help the customer, he left positive reviews online.’
Interviewers ask this question to see if you understand what good customer service is and if you can deliver it. They want to know if you’re able to solve problems for customers in an efficient, professional manner.
Customer service is one of the most important skills for call centre jobs, so if you can demonstrate your ability to deliver good customer service you’ll make a positive impression on interviewers.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘For me, good customer service is the going the extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction. It’s also being able to find solutions to their problems in a swift manner.
While employed in my last role as a call centre advisor, I always went above and beyond to make sure customers were satisfied with their interaction with me. I also maintained a polite, professional demeanour on a consistent basis.’
As a call centre operative, your work will largely be about solving problems for customers. Whether it’s issues related to products, payment or service, you’ll always have problems to solve.
Interviewers ask this question because they want to know if you can solve problems efficiently while maintaining a professional demeanour.
Consider using the STAR method when answering this question. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. With the STAR method, you start by describing the situation you faced, followed by the task at hand, the action you took and the end result.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘While employed as a call centre advisor at Example Company, I received a call from a customer who had a problem with his new mobile phone. The screen had gone blank, and the customer was becoming irate. I informed the customer that I would do my best to look into the issue. I put him on hold and contacted the appropriate department. It turned out that there was a glitch with some of the phones. I arranged for the customer’s phone to be repaired and managed to get him a replacement while he was waiting for it to be fixed. In the end, the customer was satisfied and thanked me for my assistance.’
This is a question that may be asked to employees who are looking to land their first job in a call centre. Interviewers ask this question because they want to know if you have what it takes to operate in fast-paced, challenging call centre environments.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘I want to work in a call centre because communication and customer service are among my strongest skills. While I have never worked in a call centre, I do have experience helping customers. I am adept at listening to people to understand their needs and going the extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction.’
As a customer service advisor, you will be aware that there are some problems that you can’t solve for customers.
With this question interviewers want to know how you would deal with a problem that can’t be solved and whether you would go about it in the right way.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘While I was employed a call centre advisor at Example Company, I encountered a customer who wanted his money back for the holiday he had booked. The booking was non-refundable, so I informed the customer that I could not refund him for the holiday. He then became very irate. I asked him to hold while I spoke to my supervisor. My supervisor informed me that, while I couldn’t give him his money back, I could offer him 30 percent off his next booking. When I informed the customer of this, he was still unhappy, but he accepted the offer.’
This question isn’t designed to trick you into talking about your shortcomings. It’s simply asked to determine if you have the self-awareness to identify your weaknesses and improve on them.
Avoid describing weaknesses that would prevent you from performing your job. For example, as a call centre advisor, you wouldn’t want to highlight communication or customer service as a weakness.
View our guide to answering job interview questions about weaknesses, which includes 12 example weaknesses.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘One of my biggest weaknesses is saying no. Sometimes, colleagues come to me and ask me to help them. I often say yes, which hampers my own work. To combat this, I have started using a time management application, which tells me exactly how much work I can take on.’
This is a question that may be asked to those pursuing call centre manager roles.
As a call centre manager, you might be responsible for training staff while managing call centre operations. As such, interviewers may want to know that you’re capable of training staff to high standards.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘I have over eight years’ experience training new and existing call centre staff. Through high-quality training, I have led call centre teams to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction.
In my last role as call centre manager at Example Company, I trained all new employees in call centre processes and internal policies. I also provided ongoing training to existing employees to ensure they possessed the skills to deliver high-quality customer service.’
If you’re interviewing for a job while still employed by another company, interviewers may ask why you want to leave your current job,
Sometimes, a good way to answer this question is to focus on career progression or the opportunity to contribute to the success of the company you’re interviewing with.
Here is an example answer to this question:
‘I am leaving my current job because there are no opportunities for internal promotion and career progression. One of the reasons I applied for this job is because the company rewards good performance and ability with internal promotion.’
Interviewers may ask about your salary expectations. They ask this question to see if your salary expectations match their own.
Rather than giving a specific number, consider giving a range. For example, you could give a salary range of between twenty-thousand pounds and thirty-thousand pounds. This will give you room for negotiation later if you feel you need it.
Interviewers usually ask if you have any questions for them at the end of interviews. This is a chance for you to gain insight into the job.
Always ask at least one question to show you are enthusiastic and actually care about the position.
Questions that you could ask the interviewer include:
- What do people enjoy most about working at your company?
- Could you tell me about the opportunities for professional growth at your company?
- What career paths do you see for people who are employed in this role?
We hope you have found this guide to call centre interview questions helpful. For more help with your call centre job interview, view our guide to customer service interview questions. This guide includes 15 of the most common customer service interview questions, as well as example answers and interview tips.
