Customer Service’s Post

https://lnkd.in/enzYtyEt Got an interview in a contact centre coming up? This guide can help you nail your interview! Brook Street can support with all your contact centre needs, whether that’s finding you talent in the market or guiding you on your next role! We are here to help 💙 #contactcentrespecialists #brookstreet

Starting a job at a Call Center can be intimidating, but it can also lead you to discover your true calling. At CCD, we aim to help you ace your interview by providing valuable insight from our CCD Recruiters to put you at ease. Our recruiters understand the nerves that come with job interviews, so don't be afraid to be yourself. #callcenter #callcenteragent #jobinterview

If you are passionate about customer service and have a knack for delivering a great experience, then this is the perfect opportunity for you! 🤝 I recently came across a great article from Forbes that provides helpful tips on how to ace an interview question about customer service. 📖 From preparing your answers in advance to understanding the customer's perspective, this article covers it all. 🗣 So, if you're looking to make a great impression in your next job interview, give this article a read! 🤓 #CustomerService #InterviewTips #JobSearch

One of those questions that it's worth preparing for! https://buff.ly/48dF5Rk And for more job interview tips, be sure to explore our blog at https://buff.ly/3BJC6jp

Shine like a S.T.A.R. on your job interview. The S.T.A.R. method is a structured approach often used when answering behavioral interview questions. It stands for: 1. Situation:     - Set the stage by providing context for the interviewer by describing the specific situation you were in. 2. Task:     - Explain what was expected of you or what you set out to achieve by outlining the task or goal that you needed to accomplish. 3. Action:     - Focus on your individual contribution and highlight your skills and abilities by giving as much detail as you can about the action you took to address or solve the situation. 4. Result:    - Emphasize what you achieved and the positive impact of your efforts and quantify your achievements with specific numbers or percentages as you conclude the outcome or result of your action. For example: Situation: As a call center agent at Company Y, I was responsible for handling customer inquiries and resolving billing issues over the phone. Task: My objective was to provide excellent customer service while efficiently addressing customer billing concerns and inquiries within company guidelines. I employ my active listening skills and am keen on details. Action & Result: By actively listening to customers, empathizing with their concerns, and utilizing the problem-solving skills mentioned, I consistently exceeded service expectations, resulting in high customer satisfaction ratings and positive feedback from supervisors. #yourdailyva #threalyourdailyva #starmethod #jobinterview #interviewquestionsandanswers

Let's not sugar coat this, ok? No one likes to do customer interviews. Everyone loves to talk about them, Loves to say they're valuable, but hardly anyone actually does them. Excuses vary, but the most common ones I hear are: 🫤 I really don't want to bother my customers 🤐 Our clients aren't a good fit for interviews (aka - "it won't work for us") 😨 And my personal favorite: That's ok, we know what our customers need Well, here's the truth for ya: Customer interviews can be hard and a little intimidating, They're not as easy as running a poll on your site, or conducting a survey, BUT, if you're not interviewing your customers, You are actively throwing money down the drain... In fact, after interviewing their customers, Groove: - Turned unhappy customers into happy ones - Discovered the exact copy they should be using to convert people on their site - Oh, and they doubled their conversions, no biggie. When you talk to your best (and worst) customers, you can optimize all of this: When you talk to your best (and worst) customers, you can optimize all of this: 💻 Your product >> Customer feedback helps you fix your flaws or develop new angles 🧑🏻🤝🧑🏾 Your audience >> You’ll develop new personas or refine existing personas based on use cases 💑 Your relationships >> If you do a good job, you can actually build more brand loyalty (people love talking about themselves. And if you give them the chance, well…<3) 💬 Your social proof >> You’ll get authentic testimonials, stories, even case studies… But best of all, you’ll optimize your messaging. And that means you can optimize everything. There are hurdles. There’s that discomfort. There’s technical set up. But if you get past that, there are big rewards waiting for you. 

The difference between good and bad customer interviews? The first 60 seconds. Botch the intro and you've killed rapport before it even starts. After running 1000 customer interviews I've learned just how important those opening moments are for setting the right tone. That's why I always kick things off with this intentional script: “Hi [Name], so nice to meet you. Thanks for taking the time to chat. Let me introduce myself and give you some context for the call. I’m Hannah. I’m a customer researcher at X and I really just want to understand your story with buying X. I don’t have set questions. This is just going to be a conversation. There are no right or wrong answers. I'm not looking for positive or negative feedback. I just really want to understand your experience. The call will be 30 minutes. Does that still work for you? Do you have a hard stop? Also, I will probably interrupt you if you say something interesting so — sorry in advance. Thanks for bearing with me! Last thing: Are you ok if I hit record on our conversation? It’s not going anywhere, it just gives me a safety net so I don’t have to scramble and take notes. Is that ok?” Nail that opener and you’ve primed your customer to feel at ease. You're: -Taking charge -Setting expectations -Making it a true conversation - not an interrogation. But the little things matter too: -Manage the time so they don't have to -Get explicit permission to interrupt -Ask before hitting record to build trust Even if they agreed to the call, your customer still sees you as a stranger. By staying proactive and shaping the vibe from the jump, you create positive momentum that overrides any awkwardness or uncertainty. When that happens your customer is bound to open up. It’s powerful stuff.

On my first customer interview, I stumbled. Like, a lot. I checked my notes a bazillion times. Read questions off of a list like a robot. Repeated questions my interviewee already answered, just because I felt like there was something more. I even zoned out several times because I was thinking about what to ask next. As soon as the call ended, I sat there twiddling my thumbs. Waiting for my client to email me after they got a complaint from the customer I just interviewed. The email never came. Thankasdfghjkl. Still, there are two lessons here: One, don't be too harsh on yourself — cause I actually did get some great insights from that interview. The repeated questions surprisingly uncovered something new. The hypothesis was: the conversation that happened in-between jogged their memory, so I got more details the second time around. Two, I was severely under-prepared for these calls. The checklist, the list of interview questions, and even the templated notes I printed weren't enough. What I lack most was probably experience, but do I REALLY want to screw up my next customer interview? As soon as I got back from my pity ice cream run, I rolled up my sleeves, fired up Google (Perplexity wasn't around yet then, ugh), and found everything I needed to know before my next call. Since then, I've been continuously working on improving my customer interviews, one call at a time. As I continue testing and learning, I thought I'd share some stuff I now know with you this month. Who knows, you might learn something new :) Tomorrow, I'm talking about a really simple way to set the right tone for your call. But before that, I'd love to hear from you too. What's one tip that made you a teeny tiny bit better at running these calls?

Once people started doing this their interview rates sky rocketed. Very simple. Where interview rate is defined as number of interviews vs. number of applications for any given role. Going after an AE position example… 1. Reach out to future peers (have not applied to the job yet) Ask future peers great questions about the problems they solve for their customers. The 5 W’s is a good framework for this. Who are your customers (ICP) Where do you typiaclly find them What are they struggling with When are they looking for help Why would they work with us vs other options Not about what a day in the life looks like. (Have not applied yet) 2. Reach out to customer success folks at the company. You got their names from the AE’s you talked to. Ask good questions about the problems they solve for their customers. 5 W’s again. (Still haven’t applied for a job). 3. Reach out to solution engineers/solution architects. You got their names from the AE’s and CS folks you talked to. Ask good questions about the problems they solve for their customers. 5 W’s again. (Still haven’t applied for a job). 4. Reach out to inside sales and/or BDR’s on the team. You got their names from the AE’s, SE’s and CS folks you talked to. Ask good questions about the problems they solve for their customers. 5 W’s again. (Still haven’t applied for a job). 5. Approach the hiring manager via a video message on linkedin. You got their name from the AE’s, SE’s, CSM’s, inside sales and BDR’s you talked to. You also got the 1 thing the hiring manager is looking for in an AE. Be specific, be compelling and most of all be memorable. If you aren’t memorable, by definition, you are forgettable. Keep the video message under 45 seconds. Tell the hiring manager all you have learned (the answers you got from the 5 W’s) and mention 👏every 👏single👏person👏 you have talked to - name drop. Tie it back to your strengths and why you would be a great fit for the open role on their team. Ask them for a 15 minute phone call to talk about whether you would be a good fit for their team. (Still haven’t applied yet). 6. When you get on the 15 min. call with the hiring manager it will go well and then you will ask them if you should apply. They will say yes and take your resume/application and put it at the top of the list. Boom. You got an interview. ————— Every hiring manager will give you those 15 minutes. Becasue they are starving for sales reps who know how to sell. And what you just demonstrated is that you know how to sell. You are treating the job hunt like a sales cycle. No one is doing this prep for an interview. Because it’s hard. But, it’s a sure fire way to have your interview rate skyrocket. Not to mention the research we are doing online about the company on top if this. Then, once you get the job your ramp time is greatly reduced because you have already spent weeks learning about the company in the interview process. #InTheArena #ClosedWon

Attention sales professionals! Looking to ace your next interview and master the art of closing deals in the interview room? Check out this article for some helpful tips and tricks! The article provides some great interview prep advice and covers common sales interview questions to help you land that dream job. Link: https://lnkd.in/etxwnRNs