Common Manager Call Center Interview Preparation Guide

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It’s always interesting to hear how people handle constructive criticism. This is a tough one to analyze, but you can usually tell in their story if the criticism was well received. If the candidate says something like, “I appreciated the feedback”, then it’s likely they weren’t defensive when the advice was received.

Your answer: Yes, this has been part of my training, and my previous job entailed handling several lines. I have good multi-tasking skills and my previous employer can vouch for this.

Your answer: I am highly organized, and I prioritize my workload so that everything gets done on time and with high quality. I also leave room for urgent tasks that might be assigned to me so that my schedule is basically unaffected by emergencies.

Now that you know a bit about them and their background, it’s good to get a sense of why they’re interested in this particular role. Look out for specific keywords in their answer. Assuming this is a role for a contact center agent, responses like “customer facing” or “problem solving” might be great keywords for you. It also shows you how well they understand the role.

You have to be able to do this, so say that you can. If you have never done this you must start practising. You can practice by typing replies while having a conversation with family or friends.

If the candidate is currently employed, it’s important to understand why they are moving on. Answers like, “I’d like to learn more” or “it’s time to spread my wings”, are great, but not if they’ve only been at the job for a few months. Watch how often the candidate jumps from job to job, since this can be a bad sign. Also, if they quickly go into shaming the company, this shows a lack of loyalty and professionalism.

Give full details of any call centre jobs that you have previously done, even if only very short temporary work. If you have never done any call centre work say so and then go on to say why you would like to work in a call centre. By volunteering the information from the start you will come across as enthusiastic.

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 comprehensive 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."

An ideal answer to this question will demonstrate that you are capable of monitoring a situation as it evolves.

Whilst working in a call centre as a supervisor, I introduced ‘Sugar Fridays’ – giving my team sweets and treats to get them through the Friday slog.

Prior to introducing the incentive, I compiled a backlog of sales figures from previous Fridays. I then introduced the incentive on a trial period, continued collecting data and cross-compared the results. There was an obvious peak in sales figures and so the incentive became permanent.

To deal with an irate customer you must remain calm and be polite. Listen to the customer’s complaint, take notes, and then reassure the customer that the company will make every attempt to resolve the problem.

Apologise to them directly, using phrases such as: “I am really sorry” to display sincerity. Don't apologise on behalf of the company by saying things like: “the company is sorry” as it takes away from the authenticity of your apology.

Your answer should be relevant to telemarketing, so you could say: I have the ability to talk effectively and persuade people. I am a good listener, and that helps me identify customer needs so I can sell more effectively. My one weakness is that I sometimes get too involved with customers, but I have counseled with my previous manager on this and I believe I no longer have that problem.

Talk about a challenging question! I can’t even think about a tough decision I’ve had to make in that timeframe. (Don’t worry, we’re leading into an easy question next.) There’s no right answer here, just let the candidate tell their story, and hopefully the challenge had some merit.

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.

In these cases you must be polite and professional. You can open by saying that you are sorry to have to inform them that the information you have for them is not good. Speak calmly and then provide the customer with an opportunity to reply; take notes and raise any serious concerns with a team leader before progressing.

Firstly, know what you think great customer service looks like. Look for situations and examples when you had an idea, a client, or customer call, where you personally went that extra mile.

Did you change a process or procedure? Or perhaps a staff member you mentored, coached or advised delivered a great customer service win or result for your team, brand or business.

In your answer describe receiving feedback from customers to identify areas for improvement, looking at every touch-point in the customer life-cycle and implementing actions to improve the process.

"I identified that customer satisfaction with our email support was not what it should be. The rule of thumb has been providing a response within 24 hours. However with the pace of everything increasing online I understood that we needed to achieve more impressive response times. I instituted a response time of 4 to 8 hours as the standard. This has set us apart from our competitors and improved customer satisfaction"

Demonstrates problem-solving skills.

If they say things like, “hanging out with friends and watching movies”, they probably aren’t the go-getter type you’re looking for. Great talent has passion outside of the office: Perhaps they like to cycle, play guitar in a band, or they have a side gig (what better way to show a hard work ethic!) In any event, while ‘hanging out with friends’ is a good social trait, you should certainly look for the candidate that offers more to this answer.

This can be your answer: No, my work ethic is strong, so there’s been no reason for conflict. However, at times I have had disagreements on how to resolve a particular problem for a customer, but I have always been able to talk it out and find a solution that my team leader has supported.

Say that you stay focused on the job and stay organised to ensure that you all tasks are completed within good time. If for any reason a target may not be attainable, you will raise this with your team leader to see if there are available resources elsewhere.

A team leader will always appreciate being alerted to the risk of a target being missed because they have their own targets to meet.

First, you need to allow them to vent their anger. If they are abusive, tell them you’re willing to listen, but only if they stop using profanities. Next, hear what they have to say and note down key points. Third, re-state the main points so both of you are clear about the situation. Fourth, find a solution that fits within your company’s policies and can redress the customer’s problem. Fifth, confirm that the problem has been solved and that the customer is satisfied with the solution. You may not be able to do all of this in one phone call, but this is the essential process. The important part is to keep your cool at all times, and genuinely try to find a solution that will make the customer happy.

Your answer: My goal is to have a very short learning curve on this particular product portfolio. By doing this, I can aim to be among the top performers in the next 3-6 months. After showing consistent results for another 6 to 12 months, I will aim to become a team leader in the same company because I believe that growing with the same company will give me a strong foundation for my career growth.

This is a bit of a tricky question to answer, as how you answer can determine whether your interviewer thinks you are too strong-minded or, worse, too sheep-like in your approach to work. An ideal answer will show a degree of balance.

Throughout my term of employment, I keep a constant note of any areas that I feel can be improved. But I only present these concerns to my boss when I have developed in-depth and realistic solutions.

The frequency of these meetings is determined by how stable the company is. If the company implements several changes throughout the course of the year, I am more inclined to provide regular feedback to my boss.

Shows ability to work with others.

Provide examples of the types of motivation you have used and their effectiveness. Examples include cash incentives, training programs, career development, time off, recognition. Focus on identifying and meeting individual motivations with specific rewards tied to the employee's interests and needs.

Other factors to discuss in your interview answer include providing the right resources for the team to do their job including skills, knowledge, support and equipment. A team that is not armed with the right resources will find it difficult to do their job and stay motivated.

Time spent individually with each team member listening to them and developing them is another strong motivational tool. Taking the time to encourage them in their work and providing constructive, factual and sincere feedback are motivating factors.