Preparing for a Contact Centre Interview

By Mardi Steven, Principal Consultant - Hinchen Recruitment Group

As someone who has been lucky enough to partner with several leaders in the contact centre space, I’ve learned a lot about the industry over the years. One of the key takeaways from these conversations is what those leaders look for in their employees. What kind of qualities do those high-performing employees have and how did they demonstrate those strengths during their applications? This is the sort of information and advice I want to share in this blog.

When preparing for an interview for a contact centre role, it’s essential to showcase your skills and prior experience that are relevant to this new position. One of the biggest factors in these sorts of interviews is your ability to handle customer enquiries effectively and professionally. Whether the role in inbound, outbound, sales or customer service, you will be solving customer issues and answering their requests. This doesn’t mean you have to have worked in a call centre previously, but you should have one or two examples of helping customers and their enquiries. However, there are still other factors that are important in interviews, whether face-to-face or done remotely. As an experienced recruiter, I take the time to talk through these points with my candidates to ensure they are as comfortable as they can be, and prepared.

Here are some tips to help you prepare and ace your next contact centre interview:

Understand the Role:

Review the job description and identify the skills required for the position.
Understand that your primary responsibility is to answer questions and provide solutions to customers over the phone.
Understand the KPI’s of the role such as ACW, Talk Time, AHT, adherence to roster, etc.
In relation to KPI’s, be prepared with an example of a time where you were not meeting a KPI and talk through what was the problem and how you went about improving your result.

Highlight Relevant Skills:

During the interview, emphasise skills such as empathy, active listening, effective communication, problem-solving, and time management.
If it is a sales role, talk about your previous sales experience and what made you successful to achieve your sales targets in that role.
Provide examples from your previous experiences that demonstrate these skills and use the star method to demonstrate this. (Situation, Tasks, Actions, Result).
You may wish to prepare an example of conflict resolution – what was the problem, how did you get to the root cause of the problem, how did you attempt to resolve it, what was the outcome?

Research the Company:

Learn about the company you’re interviewing with and what they do. Understand their products, services, and customer base. Know who their competitors are.
Watch any videos they have on their website; read any articles they have published – refer to them in the interview process.
Know their company’s goals and values. Use these as part of your answers to questions and align yourself with them.
If you know who the interviewers are – check out their profiles on linked in an get an understanding of their journey.
Know why you not only want to work in this role, but for this company!

Practice Common Interview Questions:

What are the skills required to be an effective contact centre rep?
Mention skills like empathy, active listening, problem-solving, objection handling, and effective communication. (Share specific instances where you’ve used these skills successfully in the past).
What KPI’s have you worked to in a contact centre and give me an example of where you were struggling to achieve one? What was it and how did you overcome it?
What strengths can you bring to this role?
Why do you want this role and how will it help you in your career?
What do you understand about this company and why do you want to work here?
When you think back to your coaching sessions with your team leader, what was your area of focus to improve on? (this could be working to KPI’s, conflict resolution or product knowledge).
Describe the most difficult call you have ever handled?

Prepare Questions to Ask:

At the end of the interview, you’ll likely have the opportunity to ask questions. Prepare thoughtful questions about the company culture, team dynamics, or training programs. Here are some questions I would recommend:

Who is your Star performer and what makes them successful in the role?
How big is the team and how many teams on the floor?
What are the current gaps on the team and how can I positively contribute to it?
What is your operating rhythm? Are there weekly coaching and team meetings?
How do you celebrate success as a team and company?
What are the best things about working in this organisation? Where did your journey begin?
What opportunities are there for growth? Where can I go in 2 or so years?
Always make sure you ask questions. Show you are interested.

Dress Professionally:

Dress professionally to create a positive impression and be on time, this is regardless of being face to face or an online interview.
Also, if your first interview with a recruiter, ensure you follow the same advice as above. This is part of the interview process too. Your recruiter is more than likely interviewing multiple candidates and can only place the best candidates through. You are assessed on your professional appearance.
Your recruiter opens the door to you, for the company in which you are applying for.

Mock Interviews and Role-Playing:

Practice mock interviews with a friend or family member or your recruiter. Role-play different questions, as mentioned above.
Mock Call – some interviewers may give you a script to read and place you on a pretend call to see how you would handle a call typical to their contact centre environment. Read the script well, use them information provided, and remain calm and professional.

Remember, confidence, professionalism and preparation are key.

Good luck with your contact centre interview!