An Interview for every job that involves an interaction of employees with the customer brings one of common interview questions “How do you Handle a Difficult customer” for a job seeker. Therefore, today I decided to give a helping hand to these job seekers who are doing interview preparation for either a Sales job in Pakistan or Marketing jobs in Pakistan. 

This article will explain How to Handle Difficult Customer Interview Questions and Answers. So, let’s check what I have for you.

Understand what the Hiring Manager Wants to Know From Difficult Customer Interview Question

I always suggest job seekers in Pakistan to dig deep into every question, before they even come up with an answer. Putting yourself in your employer’s shoe might be a good start since it will let you see what he want to see. 

Your employer or hiring manager is a part of a company where:

The customer is a King. 

          OR

The customer is always right. 

That means no matter how difficult or angry a customer is, and you need to stay calm and relaxed. You can’t afford to mistreat him because this thing will cost you “Your Job.”

By asking this question, your employer wants to check:

• Whether you play offensive or defensive. A good employee is one who handles an angry or difficult customer with respect and without judgment. He doesn’t attack back. Instead, he tries to save his company’s reputation in any case. 

• Do you have problem-solving skills? A difficult customer is indeed a problem that you have to resolve by finding the best possible solution.

• Do you use emotional intelligence? A good employee tries to understand the customer problem. He doesn’t judge him. He feels the emotional feelings of his customers. He comes up with a solution which can make his customer happy.

• How does a potential candidate act under pressure? Handling an angry client is not a simple job. No matter how bad the customer reacts, an employee can’t lose his temper. 

Now you know that your employer is looking for four elements in your answer

1. Problem-solving skills

2. Emotional intelligence

3. Defensive mode

4. Handling customer pressure 

Check 4 Basic Skills Required for a Job.
 

Best Answer Strategy for How to handle difficult customer Interview Question 

Whenever there are some behavioral or situational interview questions, no strategy works geat that STAR Method. 

Reason: This easy to remember method works great.

Situation: Start by saying how you had to deal with an angry or difficult customer

Task: Describe a little What made your customer difficult or angry. Make sure you provide enough information about the task you had in hand, so the employer/interviewer can get a clear picture of the situation in mind. 

Action: Explain what action you took to get rid of that situation.

Result: Tell them how your right action brought positive results

How to handle an angry Customer Interview Questions Answering Tips 

Here are some points to keep in mind while creating the best answer for the interview question “tell us a time when you had to handle an angry customer.”

1. Show some respect.

2. Don’t say that your customer was “stupid,” “dumb,” “uneducated.” 

3. Never paint yourself as a superhero while bad-mouthing about your supervisor and employer. For example, some employees try to earn extra points by saying that they helped customers while their employers or supervisors were against the action. 

4. While telling the story, emphasize your problem-solving skills.

5. In case you have little job experience, and you didn’t handle any problematic customer. Walk on memory lane a bit. May be during your volunteer job experience, you got a chance to keep your company or institute out of trouble by making angry customers happy.

6. Never fake a situation. Interviewers are smart people; they will smell it.

7. Keep your facial expression and gesture fresh while answering how to handle difficult customer interview questions. 

Examples of dealing with Difficult Customer Interview Questions and answer

Here is a simple solution:

In my last job as a salesperson in an electronics shop, I came across a customer who was complaining about the warranty. His kids broke down the glass of new LCD he took from us, and he thought that warranty would cover the repair and damages. I listened to his complaint and explained the warranty terms and conditions. He misunderstood the T&C page. Therefore he was blaming us. After my explanation, he understood the whole matter. He asked what I could do. So, I offered him a discount voucher for our repair shop. He got excited to know that our company was ready to cover some repair expenses, while damage was all caused by his children. After a week, he recommended our shop to his two friends.

Bottom Line

Answering how to handle a difficult customer interview question requires you to:

1. Understand the question

2. Use the best answer strategy

3. Keep in mind answer tips

4. Prepare your best story

It is that easy. — Happy job hunting in Pakistan.

Here are Some Typical  Job Interview Questions with Answers:

•   How to Answer: What is your Biggest Strength?
• How to Answer: Tell me About Yourself?
• How to Answer: What is your Biggest Weakness?
• How to Answer:  Why do you want to work here?
• How to Answer: Do you have Any question for me?
• How to Answer: Why do you want this job?
• How to Answer: Where you see yourself in 5 years?