Interview Questions: How Would You Handle an Irate Customer?

Handling an Irate CustomerHandling irate customers is not a simple matter. No matter how frustrated or angry you are, you will need to show professionalism when dealing with these customers. For all you know, the customer may be having a bad day or a difficult time in his life. In any case, an interviewer will want to know how you will deal with irate customers. Answering this interview question requires confidence and preparation. Here are some tips to consider so you’ll be ready for this question:

1. Think of your past experience.

Have you ever encountered this situation before? If so, try to recall how you were able to handle the customer. What actions did you take? Was the customer satisfied after the problem was solved?

If you brought positive results, share this with the interviewer. This will give him an idea that you were able to deal with the customer successfully.

2. Express the idea that you’re willing to make everything right every time a customer has a problem. Let the hiring manager know that you’re willing to evaluate the problem and find out what’s causing the customer to behave this way. If a mistake was caused by one of your co-workers, you can still be the person to make things right for the customer.

3. Don’t be a know-it-all.

No matter how much you want to rectify the problem, you must accept that there are some things that you cannot handle yourself. Always have the humility to direct the customer to someone who can help him solve the issue. Tell the interviewer that you’re willing to resolve the problem as much as possible. If it gets out of hand, be willing to ask a manager for assistance.

4. Cite examples of how patient you are when dealing with irate customers.

It is important to be on your best behavior when handling customers, even if they’re being unreasonable. It’s your job to help the customer calm down, and sometimes you just have to grin and bear it in order to avoid complicating the problem.

Thus, your best answer might go something like this: “I would always calmly explain to them, in as simple language as possible, how the issue can be solved. To rectify the problem, I will need to evaluate their concerns and what went wrong. If the issue is beyond my control, I will not hesitate to ask those in authority to help the customer address the problem.”

To put it simply, you have to show the interviewer that you are capable of handling irate customers. If you have not experienced this, share your game plan on how to tackle this type of situation tactfully. The bottom line is, you have to fix the problem and be on your best behavior. Your interviewer needs to know that you are more than willing to keep your customers satisfied – your job depends on it!

Read 28911 times Last modified on Thursday, 03 March 2016 16:26
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.