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Jaymie Payne is passionate about talent acquistion and has nine years of experience in corporate and healthcare recruitment.
With over 50,000 customers, a Progressive customer will inevitably be unhappy at some point. The interviewer wants to understand how you would handle a challenging situation and how you react under pressure. In your answer, include aspects like customer service skills, critical thinking, patience, communication skills, empathy, and the ability to resolve conflicts.

Jaymie Payne is passionate about talent acquistion and has nine years of experience in corporate and healthcare recruitment.
"I have several years of experience in customer service and have taken many calls from upset customers, and I feel that conflict resolution is something I excel at. I typically let the customer speak first and actively listen to them without interrupting. To be sure I understand the problem or situation, I repeat what I heard so I can effectively assist the customer. I empathize and let them know I care about their concern and hear their frustration, and I reassure them that I will do all I can to help them find a resolution. I'm very level-headed and do not let emotions get the best of me in these situations. If I cannot assist the customer at my level, I escalate it to the appropriate person who can help them."

Jaymie Payne is passionate about talent acquistion and has nine years of experience in corporate and healthcare recruitment.
"In my current role, I've completed a great deal of customer service training focused on dealing with difficult or angry customers. I am patient with them and let them voice their concerns before jumping in to help. I maintain a positive attitude and tone, even if the customer is not kind. I always try to put myself in their shoes, and you never know what kind of day someone has had, so I don't take their anger or frustration personally. I do all that I can do self-help and assist them, including checking my resources or checking with team members. I want every customer to be happy, and if I cannot find an acceptable resolution, I will escalate it immediately to my team lead or supervisor."

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Anonymous Answer
Customer service is friendly and helpful. When working with customers, I always try to be as welcoming and positive as possible. I also do my best to listen to their concerns and help them find solutions.
For instance, when I worked at the community center, I had a parent who was upset because they couldn't get their child into our baseball program. I listened to their concerns and explained that we could only have a certain amount of players due to playing time. I also explained that we had sign-ups for the last three months. Then I let them know the best thing I can do for them is to put them on a waiting list if we have a player drop out for some reason. Then, I helped them fill out the application.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! Including an example strengthens your response. Mentioning friendliness, listening, and being solution-oriented is perfect. You might also mention apologizing to the customer for the trouble, expressing gratitude for their patience, and always making sure to follow up if you can't immediately solve their problem. Conclude by reminding the interviewer that you look forward to working with and solving problems for their clients if they hire you in the future. Nice job!
Anonymous Answer
I have several years in customer service and have successfully de-escalated almost every situation with an unhappy, sometimes even aggressive and angry, customer. I listen, empathize, repeat back what I heard, and offer a resolution. If the customer seems to be unhappy no matter what I offer, I apologize and ask what I can do to help them gain the outcome they are hoping for. Typically in these instances, people just want to be heard and I’ve found that by asking this question, they calm down and reflect.

Jaymie's Feedback
These are all excellent strategies to use in this situation. Your response shows your ability to remain calm in stressful situations, to focus on the customer and actively listen and to help offer solutions.
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Written by Jaymie Payne
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