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Customer Service Manager Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Customer Service Manager interview questions and answers.

  1. What customer service and management tools are you familiar with? See answer
  2. How do you decide what information to include when speaking with customers or staff? See answer
  3. Multiple team members tell you about customer complaints regarding a particular product defect. How would you respond? See answer
  4. What qualities and skills do you look for in a customer service candidate? See answer
  5. Why is the customer service department in an organisation important? See answer
  6. Tell me about a time when you took on extra responsibilities to help a customer service team achieve their goals? See answer
  7. How often do you usually review customer feedback or complaints? See answer
  8. As a customer service manager, did you work closely with the sales department? See answer
  9. How would you describe your customer service management style? See answer
  10. As a customer service manager, how do you implement changes such as new schedules or new incident reporting procedures?
  11. Talk about a time as a customer service manager when you improved a difficult customer’s experience.
  12. As a customer service manager, what’s the most challenging part of providing constructive feedback to an employee who needs to improve their performance?
  13. How do you teach customer service employees about the company’s products and services so that they can help customers?
  14. If you receive several complaints about a customer service representative’s attitude, how would you approach the situation?
  15. A customer service representative has an idea for streamlining the department’s reporting process. Would you consider their proposal?
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Customer Service Manager Interview Questions and Answers

As a customer service manager, how do you implement changes such as new schedules or new incident reporting procedures?  

Change is an important component of any company. As businesses grow, candidates should show that they're willing to initiate changes in the workplace. The best answers will include an example of how the applicant oversaw changes and information about the results of those changes. In an answer, look for:

  • An understanding of company protocols and procedures as well as their importance
  • Experience with motivating team members
  • A positive approach to a variety of situations in the workplace

Example:

"At my last job, I worked with my team to create a contest to motivate employees about a new scheduling policy. The company asked all employees to clock in within five minutes before the start of their official shift time. We documented employee arrival times for a week, and everyone who clocked in within the first five minutes of their shift for the entire week received a $50 gift card."

Talk about a time as a customer service manager when you improved a difficult customer's experience.

The answer to this question should show how the candidate can work to please customers and solve problems before they become more severe. In an answer, you should notice:

  • A concise response without any delay
  • A sincere willingness to help customers with their problems
  • Good communications skills and the ability to tell a coherent, entertaining story

Example:

"An employee told me that a customer was trying to use coupons for products that she wasn't purchasing. I spoke with the customer, and I was able to help her find most of the products that matched her coupons. Since she was still upset, I let her have a one-time discount on her next purchase of a similar item. After that, she referred several new customers to the store."

What customer service and management tools are you familiar with?

Customer service managers use a variety of different tools every day, including collabouration and CRM systems. This question helps you identify the platforms that the candidate has used and find out how the person used the software in previous positions. It can also let you know how quickly the individual will be able to learn how to use new programmes. In a reply, look for:

  • Experience with the type of CRM software that your organisation currently uses
  • Knowledge of basic accounting software such as Microsoft Excel
  • A willingness to learn about new software and processes

Example:

"I've used Salesforce for the last five years. Last year, I started using Google Sheets as well. It lets me and my team share many different types of data, and it made my previous employer's operations more efficient. I enjoy learning about new processes and procedures that let me do my job better, including new software."

As a customer service manager, what's the most challenging part of providing constructive feedback to an employee who needs to improve their performance?

This question gives you more information about the candidate's ability to communicate well with employees, even when discussing difficult subjects. In this answer, you should look for:

  • Honest awareness of the difficulty of different tasks for employees
  • Excellent problem-solving skills
  • The ability to adapt to different situations and suggest solutions for a variety of problems

Example:

"First, I observe the employee and do some research so that I can suggest good solutions for the problem. Understanding the issues that could impact the person's performance is important. That way, I can give useful advice. Then I..."

How do you decide what information to include when speaking with customers or staff?

Customer service managers should be able to decide what information in confidential and what they should share with customers and staff. In a good answer, you should notice:

  • Knowledge of why confidential information is important
  • The ability to create an environment that encourages open dialogue among staff members and customers
  • Experience dealing with confidential information

Example:

"I always do my best to balance confidentiality with the needs of team members and customers. At my last job, I provided regular updates about the business for everyone, but I withheld any information that could jeopardize the security of the company or the people associated with it."

Multiple team members tell you about customer complaints regarding a particular product defect. How would you respond?

One of the most important duties of a customer service manager is monitoring customer feedback and reporting issues to the correct quality control personnel. This question lets you determine whether a candidate can notice important trends in client feedback and communicate with other managers and department heads to resolve product issues. An answer should emphasise:

  • The ability to respond to a problem quickly
  • Attention to detail
  • Good communication skills

Example:

"I would call a department meeting and ask if anyone else has gotten a similar complaint. Then, I would look at the data about the issue in the company's recording system or database. Finally, I would email the product development team and the quality control team about the problem and suggest a meeting to discuss addressing it."

What qualities and skills do you look for in a customer service candidate?

This question lets you know more about the candidate's skills as a hiring manager and their ability to choose good team members. In an answer, you should look for:

  • Leadership skills
  • Knowledge of the organisation's industry
  • An understanding of company culture

Example:

"At my last position, I made an effort to hire people with outgoing, friendly personalities who had previous experience in the industry. I also looked for people who had already worked in customer service."

Why is the customer service department in an organisation important?

A good customer service manager should know about the benefits of customer service and how communicating with clients can help your company. In an answer, look for:

  • Knowledge of the importance of customer reviews
  • An ability to use upselling to increase profits
  • An understanding of the business's brand and how customer service team members can promote it

Example:

"The customer service department keeps people who use a company's services satisfied. When people who haven't heard of the organisation see positive reviews about it on social media, they'll be more likely to use it."

How do you teach customer service employees about the company's products and services so that they can help customers?

This question lets you know how much experience the candidate has with training team members. In a good answer, you should notice:

  • A friendly, supportive attitude
  • The ability to mentor others
  • An understanding of customers' needs

Example:

"At my last position, the company provided two weeks of training in a classroom for new hires. After people graduated from training, I always made sure that I was available for questions. I also asked more senior employees to check on the newest team members frequently."

Tell me about a time when you took on extra responsibilities to help a customer service team achieve their goals?

This question lets you know about the candidate's dedication to the job. You should look for:

  • Willingness to work overtime when needed
  • The ability to motivate other employees
  • The ability to find solutions to problems

Example:

"At my last position, I often worked additional shifts to replace people who were absent. I also implemented a rewards programme to encourage good attendance and reduce the problem in the future. I made an effort to contact dissatisfied customers and attempt to correct their problems as well."

How often do you usually review customer feedback or complaints?

This question lets you know how the candidate responds to feedback and how closely they monitor it. You should look for:

  • Knowledge of the importance of customer feedback
  • Dedication to customer service
  • A desire to keep the company's reputation high

Example:

"At my last job, I examined customer feedback closely at least once per week. I also received an alert on my smartphone whenever someone left a negative review on the company's website or any popular social media sites. I attempted to contact the people and correct their problems, and then many of them posted updated and improved feedback."

As a customer service manager, did you work closely with the sales department?

This question lets you know how much the candidate understands about the relationship between sales and customer service. In an answer, you should look for:

  • The ability to coordinate with many different departments
  • The ability to track customer reviews and sales statistics
  • An understanding of sales techniques

Example:

"At my last position, the sales and customer service departments coordinated with each other very closely. Sales department employees were rated on their customer service, and customer service department team members had the opportunity to earn small commissions by referring customers to the sales department."

If you receive several complaints about a customer service representative's attitude, how would you approach the situation?

This question lets you know how a candidate would handle disciplining an employee. You should look for:

  • An ability to give useful feedback
  • Knowledge of when to involve HR or upper management
  • An ability to discipline employees fairly

Example:

"I would meet with the person and let them know that they need to improve their performance, and I would document the meeting thoroughly. If I received another complaint about the person, I would refer the matter to the HR department. If their investigation determines that the employee is at fault, I would terminate the individual."

A customer service representative has an idea for streamlining the department's reporting process. Would you consider their proposal?

This question helps you decide how open the candidate is to new ideas and how motivated they are to improve the business. You should search for:

  • Willingness to accept suggestions from others
  • The ability to give others credit for their achievements
  • A desire to increase efficiency

Example:

"I'm always willing to consider good ideas, no matter where they come from. I would consider the proposal and then either suggest areas for improvement or pass the idea on to upper management at the next meeting. I would also make sure that the employee received credit for the idea."

How would you describe your customer service management style?

This question lets you know whether the candidate can get along well with your company's employees. You should look for:

  • A management style similar to the one already used by your business
  • A desire to make customers, employees, and stakeholders happy
  • The ability to motivate people

Example:

"I make an effort to be available to answer questions and give feedback whenever employees need me, but I avoid micromanagement. I also offer awards for good performance and resolve customer complaints as soon as possible. I believe that a good manager should get to know their employees and their recurring customers well."

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