1. Do you know what is customer service?
Customer Service first of all is knowing that the ‘customer is king', the ‘customer is always right'. Keeping the customer happy is the main role of a customer service agent. As you are usually the first point of contact, how you present yourself and your overall attitude is always remembered. Customer service is all about the customer and the service you provide, it will be your job to build positive relationships with them, making sure that their experience with the company is a confident one and in doing so the overall reputation of the company is increased.
2. Tell us how would your customer service team describe you as a manager?
Focus on the strengths and skills required to successfully manage a customer service team including clear communication, organizational and planning skills, people development and empowerment, motivational skills and problem-solving skills. Support your answer with examples of actual feedback you have received from team members.
3. Explain me how have you used data to improve the level of customer service?
How do you employ this data to achieve your customer service goals?
"I measured the number of repetitive support emails that were coming in and identified that a number of questions were consistently asked. I researched the benefit of setting up a knowledge base online to address these questions. It was cost effective to do this and has proved an efficient way of reducing these repetitive emails sent by customers."
4. Tell me is it possible to integrate CRM with social networking sites?
Yes, you can integrate CRM with social networking sites. It focusses on using social media to enhance customer engagement.
5. Tell me an example of how you have managed an under-performing staff member?
What process did you follow to understand the reasons for the poor performance, gain commitment to the need for change and resolve the issues?
6. Please explain why do you think people choose our company's products or services?
Here you must do some thorough research before the interview. First, find out what are the main products and services that the company provides. Second, do some research into their marketing plans to determine who they are targeting. The annual report should provide some details of their customer base and target market. The aim here is not only to impress them with your knowledge of their product but also to show an understanding of who their customers are.
7. Explain which computer/data entry/telecommunications systems are you familiar with?
Ideally, you will have had some experience with a dedicated customer service software package. If not, explain that you are proficient with Microsoft packages and using web based solutions and are confident that you will quickly learn how to use a new system.
8. Tell me some of the questions that help you decide whether you need a CRM system?
If you have following questions unanswered you might need CRM solution,
☛ Do you know how many customer service issues each customer has had, and why?
☛ Are you assured that all the leads in the sales pipeline are being followed up?
☛ Is your team communicating well with potential clients?
9. Tell me are you a team player? What types of team structure have you worked within?
Always answer that you are a team player, that you enjoy working as part of the team. Talk about previous teams you have worked in; mention the size of the team, who you reported to, what role you had and who the team leader reported to, for example, manager or director.
10. Why are you applying to work here as Customer Relationship Officer?
This is always a challenge to answer well. The interviewer wishes to see that you have done some research about the company. Mention the company's values and mission as being in line with your personal attitudes and goals in life.
11. What are your salary expectations as Customer Relationship Officer?
Many consider this question to be a loaded gun – dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced. Often times, an interviewee will start talking salary before they've had an opportunity to illustrate their skill set and value making any sort of leverage valueless. Here, knowledge is power, as salary often comes down to negotiation. Do some research into your industry to establish base rates of pay based on seniority and demand but keep in mind – your employer is hiring you for what they believe you are worth, and how much benefit they feel you will provide.
12. Tell me different types of CRM?
CRM types are classified into three categories
☛ Operational CRM
☛ Analytical CRM
☛ Collaborative CRM
13. Tell us what is your preferred management style?
Focus on utilizing different management styles to increase effectiveness in different situations and with different employees. Why do certain management styles work in particular scenarios?
"I find that it is most effective to have a variety of management styles and to use them appropriately. I have to adapt according to the team member and the situation. However one aspect of my management style that remains consistent is that I employ a hands-on approach.
I get a better appreciation for what my team does by spending time on the front lines, it builds a strong relationship with them and keeps me informed. I have found a participative approach to management helps build commitment and consensus among employees "
14. Tell us about the cost efficiencies you introduced in your last job?
Discuss how you identified the opportunity for cost saving and how you implemented appropriate measures to improve operational efficiency. Examples include:
☛ cross training employees to handle different functions
☛ scheduling employees according to call and query volumes
☛ introducing new technologies
☛ providing information via an interactive website or other digital channel
15. Why do you want to work in this industry as Customer Relationship Officer?
This is another important question from a common interview questions and answers asked by the interview board for a customer relationship manager. Here, interviewer wants to know that how bad you are willing to do this job so you must be really aware about this situation. By answering this question you should not say that you like this industry this is wrong way to handle this kind of question. You can rather say that I love to communicate with new people therefore, I am so passionate about this job or you can display your previous job experience or you can show you success story.
16. Explain me what would you do if a co-worker were rude to customers?
Say that it depends on the structure of the team and how long the co-worker has been at the company. If somebody new, you might speak to them to suggest that they maintain a more professional attitude. If you feel that this might cause confrontation, inform the team leader of your concerns.
17. What are your weaknesses as Customer Relationship Officer?
Another tricky one. The purpose of this question is to see how you view and evaluate yourself.
One the one hand, if you suggest you don't have any weaknesses, your interviewer will almost certainly see you as a lair, egotistical, or both.
Don't fall into the trap of trying to present a positive skill in disguise as a weakness, like “I work too hard” or “I am a perfectionist”. Any experienced interviewer will see through this in a heartbeat.
Additionally, revealing that “I'm not really a morning person and have been known to come in late” raises immediate and obvious red flags.
The trick here is to respond realistically by mentioning a small, work related weakness and what you are doing or have done to overcome it.
18. Tell me how CRM can be helpful in handling emails from customers?
CRM can be helpful in
☛ Sorting emails from customers by workflow-enabled email processing capabilities
☛ Automatically route emails to appropriate users based on workflow rules
☛ Manage multiple attachments in emails
☛ Sending replies to customer automatically
☛ Associating emails with respective customers and incidents
19. Explain me what is the most challenging situation you worked on and failed at?
This question is geared towards understanding the level of complexity that you can handle, or have handled in the past, and how you approach the problem. This becomes a 2-fold question because the interviewer inherently expects you to also talk about how you'd resolve the situation differently today.
20. Tell me what is most important - a good product or friendly, fast service?
Say that a good product should not result in customer complaints so products are always most important. If unexpected problems do occur, however, it is important to quickly resolve them.
If you have first-hand experience talk about this, otherwise say that you have not had to deal with angry customers but if it did arise you would remain calm and professional and listen to the complaint and try to provide a response that addresses their problems. It is important to not take it personally and to always apologise to the customer.
An easy question to answer well with one caveat – don't slam your fellow interviewee's. On the one hand, you have an opportunity to really stand out from the pack. Alternatively, You shouldn't assume the skills of other applicants. Focus on your own strengths, and if the interviewer hasn't given you an opportunity to mention that one “slam dunk” quality about yourself, now would be the time.
Is there a wrong way to answer this question? Consider the responses below:
☛ “I really need a job right now”
☛ “I need the money”
☛ “Your office is really close to my house”
☛ “I've always been interested in what you guys do”
23. Tell me how do you retain a customer whose getting ready to leave you because of your price?
Such customers often demand an extremely low price for your products or services. A price which is possibly impossible to sell at. In such scenarios, it's always helpful to do an ROI analysis with the customer. They might spend only 50% of what they're spending now, by going to a competitor, but with that additional cost, you're providing XYZ services / features that no one else can, a dedicated and highly motivated customer support team which thrives on customer satisfaction, the confidence and guarantee of your time tested and proven solution that is COMPLETE in all respects, and the confidence that you'd come to their rescue ANYTIME they need help.
This answer can also be customized based on the specific industry in question.
It's important to remember that you may not always be able to retain a customer in such circumstances. However, never engage in an aggressive standoff, or bad mouth your competition. Hold your ground and trust your product. This customer will come back if you genuinely provide a superior solution.
24. Tell us what are your strengths and weaknesses when interacting with customers?
Ideally, you should already know what to say here. Remember, your weaknesses must always be used to your advantage - nobody has any true weaknesses in interviews. Your strengths could be that you are good at listening and always patient. A weakness should ideally be related to the role, such as sometimes being too helpful and providing more advice than a customer actually requested. Go on to say that you are careful to ensure that you concisely answer their questions.
Answer that if you cannot personally resolve a problem you always inform the customer that you will investigate and get back to them. Then ask the team leader or other experienced co-workers for advice on how to deal with this specific issue before calling back.
This can be a great way to stand out from other applicants and demonstrate initiative. Almost every company will have a website, Facebook page, Instagram account, or some sort of digital footprint. Spend a bit of time doing some online research:
☛ If they have a website, check out their “About us” or “Culture/Mission/Vision” pages.
☛ Who are some of the principal people who work there? Who are the founders?
☛ What sorts of things does this company care about? Do they donate to a particular cause or charity? Which one(s)?
☛ What are their core values? Which of their core values resonate with you?
☛ Has the company been in the news recently or have they won any awards (Social Media can be a great place to find this information).
"I identified that we were not getting the feedback we needed from customers. To ensure we knew about all the experiences our customers have we had to create an easily accessible way for them to give us feedback.
One way we resolved this was with a phone survey at the end of a service call. By creating a means for customers to provide immediate feedback it was easier to learn what needed improvement."
Such accounts have to be handled with Kid Gloves. Make sure this is a high touch account that's given highest levels of priority and only the best service. It's important to engage your champions and sponsors in helping you identify new champions. Encourage a peer-to-peer discussion to spread the word about your products and services within the extended groups. Frequently reach out to such new sponsors and restate the value proposition that the other groups are leveraging. Make your communications relevant for the audience and connect at a level that's most important to them.
29. Explain me what are some popular CRM software?
Some top popular CRM software are
☛ SAP CRM
☛ Salesforce
☛ Oracle CRM on Demand
☛ OnContact
☛ Sage Act
☛ Prophet
☛ AIM CRM
☛ Relenta
☛ Webasyst
☛ Sugar CRM
A large part of this answer would have to be borrowed from above. Customizing a solution completely just for one customer doesn't make 100% business sense, especially if you're in a SaaS environment. You're in the business to provide an out-of-the-box solution, and the customization's wouldn't help any other customer in your kitty. This change may help you acquire this one large customer, but wouldn't fit in at all in to your long term product plans.
Here are a few things that are extremely critical for any RM or Account Manager to keep in mind before going in for such a presentation:
1. Be absolutely clear about the pain points that you're going to address.
2. Before getting deeper in to your presentation, get a sign off from the attendees on the agenda of the meeting.
3. Be thorough in your background research of the client. This research could vary based on the stage you're approaching them in.
4. Provide a crisp and clear solution, and leave them with specific action items at the end of the presentation. This ensures they come back to you and the engagement continues.
5. Don't give away all that you have in your bag right away. Weigh your answers and ask probing questions.
32. Top 11 Customer Relationship Officer Job Interview Questions:
☛ How would you handle negative feedback from a client?
☛ How would you handle a situation where a customer has asked for some service or product that is in violation of the company's policies and is against the better interests of the company?
☛ What would be the most important service skill that you would need to have in your day to day business?
☛ How would you initiate contact with the clients and customers?
☛ What would you do if you had to turn down a request from a valued customer?
☛ A customer is repeatedly using abusive language, but he has a valid point; what would you do?
☛ If you have to change any current activities in the company, how would go about doing it?
☛ Do you have any computer or technical knowledge?
☛ Do you have the necessary technical know-how for information and data transferring?
☛ Describe any intimidating situation you experienced in your previous job; did you handle it?
☛ Describe any unpleasant situation that your colleague was in. Did you intervene? What did you do?
33. Role-specific Customer Relationship Officer Job Interview Questions:
☛ Are you familiar with Salesforce.com? What other CRM software have you used?
☛ What type of reports do you create to keep track of your work? How often do you report to your manager?
☛ What are the most effective engagement techniques you've used to manage client relationships?
☛ This role requires contacting multiple clients on a daily basis. How do you prioritize which clients to contact?
☛ What steps do you take to convert a non-responsive customer? When do you stop trying to convert the customer?
☛ What are the key things you want to highlight when preparing presentations for clients or managers?
34. Operational and Situational Customer Relationship Officer Job Interview Questions:
☛ If you're contacting a new client for the first time, what information do you need prior to your communication?
☛ We are launching a new product next month. When would you send a newsletter to our customers to inform them about its features? Would you send the newsletter to all customers or select the ones who are more likely to use the product? Why?
☛ A small client requests new features in a short time. How would you respond to this request?
☛ A long-term customer complains to you about product prices and is about to end your business relationship. What measures would you take to retain them?
☛ A customer is willing to immediately pay double as much if you implement specific product features. You know that these features won't be helpful for them in the long-term, but your revenues will increase significantly. How would you handle this situation?
35. Professional Customer Relationship Officer Job Interview Questions:
☛ 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 do you enjoy about working in customer service?
☛ What are your strengths and weaknesses when interacting with customers?
☛ What have you done to be a better customer service representative?
☛ What have you done at your present/last company to increase revenues, reduce costs or save time?
☛ Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a particularly difficult customer issue.
☛ Talk about a time when you were unable to help a customer. What was the issue and how did you handle the situation?
☛ What type of customer service systems have you used? What is your level of familiarity with them?
☛ Do you consider yourself a team player?
☛ What type of organizational structure have you worked within previously?
☛ What type of organizational structure suits you best?
☛ What have you done recently to improve your skills as customer service rep?
☛ What type of schedule are you looking to work?
☛ Would you be available to work additional shifts?
