How would you deal with an irate customer?

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Community Answers

At Bank of New Zealand, customer service is a top priority, and they need employees who can keep calm in stressful situations. This is where your relaxed demeanor and ability to empathize will come in handy. The interviewer wants to hear about a situation where you used your customer service skills to handle an angry customer. Describe how you used communication skills, de-escalation, patience, empathy, compassion, and negotiation. If you haven't experienced this before, share how you would hypothetically handle this situation in the role.

"I had a customer complain about having to wait in line for so long on a busy Monday morning. She was so upset because now she was late for work and the rest of her schedule for the day was thrown off. I listened and let her know I understood where she was coming from, ensuring her I would move as quickly as I could to complete her transaction. Listening and empathizing helped her to calm down and ease the tension."

"If the customer is causing a scene or yelling, I ask them to step into my office so I can assist them outside of the view of the public so as not to distract others or cause more problems. I would try to de-escalate the situation by actively listening and letting them express their concerns; then, I assure them I will help find a solution. If applicable, I will offer something to compensate for the error or issue, like a complimentary service or product or reduced fees where possible."

Anonymous Answer

"I met an arrogant stakeholder who changed project plans without talking to the team in advance. Our team spent most of the time on adapting to his changes. I set up regular meetings with him and document the agreements. During the meetings, I did not argue with him on his demands; instead, I gave him several solutions to choose from. After a few conversations, I realized that he did not have a big picture of the project. Our team wrote documents and a prototype of his project. The final result was 90% different from what we initially discussed."