How to Answer: What would you do if a client wanted to terminate their contract?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
22. What would you do if a client wanted to terminate their contract?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
This evaluates how you handle upset customers. It also assesses how far you would go to protect your company's interests, and represent its brand.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
How to Answer
Detail your conflict resolution skills and how you cope with stress. Offer examples where you handled such challenges on the job with confidence and ease. Answer this question by describing your understanding of an upset customer's needs. Explain how you identify the steps required to resolve the issue and how you deliver a great customer experience.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"I would actively listen to the client's concerns and reasons for wishing to end the contract and talk through any issues they had. If there was a place to offer a solution or reparations I would see where we could compromise to salvage the relationship. If they were adamant that they wanted to terminate their contract, I would escalate it to my account manager so we could review the legal options of their request and work on a plan to communicate back to the client what their options would be."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"I had occasion to speak with a pretty upset customer who wanted to cancel their contract. It was a big client for us. We were their primary vendor. Well, our warehouse guys picked the wrong bulk item from our warehouse and sent it to them. Our customer called, quite upset by the inconvenience. I told them they keep the incorrectly shipped product as a promo. It was a small ticket item that never moves and takes up too much space in our warehouse. So the winner of this was a tax write-off and freeing up space in our warehouse. Next, I talked up that product to the client and convinced them it would be a great promo giveaway item for their clients. Next, I expedited the correct order, and they received it the next day. I thanked them in a follow-up email and provided them with the tracking info for their shipment. I included a promo code for 50% off their next order. The next time, they doubled their order."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"I believe I've developed solid conflict resolution skills and would rate myself an 8 out of 10. I'll respond to customers who are upset about a product or service with a calm tone, an educational approach, and without taking things personally. If hired for this position, I could bring this same approach to the clients of ADP. So if a client reached out to me intending to terminate their contract, I would do everything I could to get the full picture and scope of why. I'd make sure I understood all the components that led to that phone call, and I would objectify the situation, taking each point apart one by one and doing everything I could to validate their concerns, educate the client on the big picture of the situation, and see what I could do to make them happy. If it went beyond my scope of authority, I would escalate the call, on behalf of addressing the client's concerns to ensure I am advocating for them and doing the best I can."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
About the Author
When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I mistakenly assumed hard work and integrity alone would get me noticed. Back then, I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. Yet, even in a meritocracy, this is rarely the case.
The goals of my peers competed with mine, and too often, they were better at getting noticed for their accomplishments. And, some of them were all too happy to watch me working harder, as they worked smarter, rising through the ranks faster than me. At one point, a boss of mine labeled me a stealth worker. They said they had no idea I was the one performing all that great work. If only I’d drawn more attention to what I was doing, maybe I would have gotten rewarded for it. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.
As a leader, my favorite part of the job came to be coaching others. I took pride in sharing the secrets to my eventual success, and offering my outside-of-the-box view of the role. Where other leaders were only in it for themselves, I was genuinely in it for the company and the team. So I taught those I mentored not only what they needed to do, and how to do the job right, but why each step was important. I spelled out how everything fit into the big picture and shared every trick of the trade that no one shared with me. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers, surpassing those who were only in it for themselves.
Another favorite part of the job was recruiting and building the perfect teams. For me, conducting an interview was an art form. I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools, offering advice, from crafting the perfect CV and resume, to delivering a perfect interview, to negotiating a decent raise. Now I am a full-time writer, and left my management career behind me. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.
Here’s what I said to a friend of mine whom I mentored a long time ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”
Learn more about Kevin Downey