There is much competition for call centre jobs since they provide convenient hours and a safe, comfortable atmosphere which suits several people. It can be a casual, short term job for few or a longer term career for others who decide to begin at entry level and work their way up to team leader, group leader etc… This post will let you know about the top most important call centre interview queries.

The qualifications and experience you require for call centre interview queries will vary according to the job but as a general rule you will require to have the following five key areas covered:

1. General computer and software knowledge
2. Solid typing/keyboard skills
3. Numeric, oral and written language skills
4. Call centre technology knowledge
5. Customer relationship experience

Background, Qualifications and Experience for Call Centre Interview Queries

• Why do you require working in a call centre?

Try not to concentrate on things that make you seem like a short term worker e.g. flexible hours etc… Positive answers can involve the fact that you amuse the fast pace of call centre work, that you like to keep busy and a love of interacting with many different people. You can also highlight the positive team atmosphere and that you like assisting people to solve their issues.

• What do you like about working in a call centre?

Concentrate on factors that are typical of the call centre atmosphere. These can involve the fast pace environment, working as part of a team, assisting customers, learning latest skills as products and services constantly update and change and making better your communication and persuasive argument qualities.

• What have you discovered the most challenging aspects of working in a call center? How have you managed these issues?

This is about ‘what is hard’ not what you do not like. Concentrate on things such as dealing with angry and aggressive customers, excessive customer expectations, the pressure of meeting performance targets and maintaining a positive attitude over long shifts.

• What do you consider the primary criteria for a victorious call center?

Your answer here should concentrate on results. Discuss about things such as delivering on customer needs involving reliability, consistent performance and responsiveness. Talk about the need for accountable metrics like response times and resolution rates. Discuss about the significance of broad knowledgeable amongst all staff as well as professional and correct responses.

• What do you know about our company?

Make certain that you thoroughly research the company before the job interview. Look at their website, social assets, speak to present or past workers and learn everything you can about who they are and how they operate.

• How do you address with angry or aggressive clients?

Make definite that you explain that you understand and accept that this is part of the call centre function and you’re comfortable addressing with it. Concentrate on your strategy. Highlight that you always permits the customer to vent their anger. If they are abusive, you assure them you are willing to listen, but just if they prevent using profanities. Next, you hear what they have to say and note down all important points. Then you re-state the important points so both of you are clear about the case. Once this is done you seek a solution that fits within your company’s policies and assists the customer with their problem. Ultimately, you confirm with the client that their issue has been addressed and that they are satisfied with the solution. This indicates that you’ve a stable plan to deal with any aggressive behavior.

• Are you comfortable working with several phone lines?

If you’re comfortable then answer honestly and elaborate that this has been part of your past training and experience. Highlight your multi-tasking skills as part of your answer.

• How do you work in a high pressure atmosphere?

Your answer should concentrate on the skills you’ve developed. Highlight that you’re highly organized, and always prioritize tasks to make sure all important deadlines are met with remarkable accuracy. Mention that you always permit some time to deal with unforeseen urgent tasks that might arise.

• What is your average typing speed?

Make definite that you give an accurate answer. It is significant to demonstrate that you can be specific and prepared. You’ll look sloppy and unprepared if you answer that you do not know.

You can also hope some very specific queries about your past work experience results. You should prepare answers to the following queries based on your own performance with either inbound or outbound calls.

Call Centre Interview Queries – Inbound Call Centre Agents

• Do you know about any computer software applications?
• What shifts/schedules have you worked?
• What call center training have you got?
• How many calls did you take each hour on average?
• What was the average length of each call?
• What was the size of the customer database you worked with in your last position?
• What is your average 1^st call resolution rate?

Call Centre Interview Queries – Outbound Call Centre Agents

• What computer software applications are you familiar with?
• What call center training have you got?
• How do you gain customer leads?
• What shifts/schedules have you worked?
• What measures do you take to qualify prospects?
• What is your conversion ratio?
• How many outbound sales calls do you make on average each hour?
• What was the average length of each call?
• What products or services have you promoted?