Interview Questions To Help You Assess Customer Service Skills

by Susan Keane Baker

1. "What would you say to a patient who yelled at you because he had to wait a long time?" Ask the applicant to speak to you as he or she would to the patient. Watch for a patronizing tone, or a "don't blame me, I just work here" approach.
2. "Tell me about a time when you went out of your way to give great service to a patient?" Ideally, the applicant will have more than one story to tell you.
   
3. "Give me an example of when you solved a tough problem for a patient." Look for ownership of the problem. If resolution of the problem meant referring it to someone else, did the applicant check to make sure that the patient was satisfied with the result?
   
4. "Can you tell about a process or system that you improved so that patients could be more satisfied?" Look for a prompt answer and for the applicant's pride in having accomplished the improvement. You might follow with, "Why was it important for you to do that?"
   
5. "Describe a situation in which you had a difficult patient. How did you solve it?" How comparable is the described situation to your difficult patients and how you would like them to be treated.
   
6. "Tell me about a situation in which you 'blew it' with a patient. How did you resolve it?" Check to see if the applicant takes responsibility for the situation and whether or not she resolved the problem as soon as she became aware of it.
   
7. "What do you say when you answer the telephone at your present position?" Look for a time of day greeting, the name of the department/organization, the person's name and 'How may I help you?'

Copied with permission of the author, Susan Keane Baker.
Source: www.susanbaker.com.