Stryker Ltd. Mock Interview
Master 35 Stryker Ltd. interview questions covering medical device sales, clinical knowledge, and customer-focused problem solving.
Question 3 of 35
At Stryker, our medical devices can truly change people's lives. A patient may have a question or concern about one of our devices. How have you handled a difficult customer interaction in a previous position?
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Example Answer
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Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
The customers of Stryker are knowledgeable and dedicated medical professionals who work in community hospitals, large academic centers, and government-run VA centers. If you are being considered for a customer-facing role there, your interviewer will want to know that you can provide great service to the most difficult physicians and care providers who work with complicated medical instruments, healthcare applications, and other surgical supplies they make. This is the time to think back on the most difficult situation you ever had to handle with a customer or client. Come to your interviewer prepared to talk about how you used your communication and problem-solving skills to make the situation right. Take your answer a step further by explaining why this skill will be vital in the role you are being considered for at Stryker.
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"In this role with Stryker, I know my customers will be internal sales staff, product engineers, and eventual end users and I want you to know that I would always be open to constructive feedback and getting on the phone with anyone to discuss things further. With quality as my most prioritized job, I'm in a position now where I'm in continuous contact with our product design team. A few months ago, I had an engineer get very upset with my team because of a manufacturing process that we found to be harmful and defective. I wrote a work order to discontinue our production lines for the time being, and of course, this led to a loss of production. I took the time to clearly demonstrate what defect was being caused in a test session and he apologized right away for being out of line. What was important moving forward was coming up with a quick and effective solution and we got on that right away as a team."
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Anonymous Answer
I had a situation where a customer was very angry with how long a product took to be delivered, and while logistics and snow had a big part in it, there was also room for improvement. I met with the customer with the mindset that I was not going to give any excuses and just let him vent. While there was nothing I could do to make his situation any better, I did begin the process of finding local logistics partners to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening again.
Rachelle's Feedback
You did an awesome job by listening to the client but also being proactive in sourcing a solution. Well done!
Anonymous Answer
I consider the workforce my customer, and one example would be an employee who was being very difficult with our benefits change. I spent extra time with her thoroughly explaining everything I could as well as set her up with the expert so she could feel heard in more than one way. She ended up thanking me after we were done and has been more friendly in our interactions since.
Rachelle's Feedback
The way you handled this situation shows your genuine care for the workforce. Benefits can be a challenge to understand, and it seems as though you exercised a lot of patience in this scenario. Nice work!
Anonymous Answer
I try to determine what the customer is telling me, what does this person need right now? Sometimes, it is that they need someone to listen to them and not respond with excuses. I had a customer upset about the delay in getting his food. When I approached the table and got down to eye level and listened to him, it was more that he traveled all day, and his young kids were hungry and tired. I had the chef put a rush on the kid's meal, bought the parents a complimentary beverage while their meals were prepared. In the end, the guests were delighted when they left and thanked me.
Rachelle's Feedback
It's great that you can handle issues from guests with minor complaints to significant internal shifts. It seems you have a very helpful and professional approach to customer service.
Anonymous Answer
When dealing with a difficult or upset customer, I first want to allow them to vent their frustration without interrupting them. I will then say back to them what I am hearing is their concern. Next, I want to ensure them they are talking to the correct person and explain what I can do for them. It is a process that I do weekly when customers call in upset on a denied warranty. As the supervisor, it is my responsibility to talk to that customer.
Rachelle's Feedback
You sound highly capable when it comes to addressing customer concerns. Your approach is professional and impactful. Nice job!
Anonymous Answer
I got trained to deal with customers in difficult situations by completing the training "Handling Difficult Conversations & Moment of Truth" in 2016. I had the chance to manage difficult interactions with ophthalmologists, for example when we had the promise of delivering in 48 hours, and on the delivery day, we got a message from our warehouse saying the product was out of stock. The customer was really upset about the situation and explained the lens was needed for the same day, so I apologized and made different calls to other opticians to check if they had those lenses. After a few calls, I could happily call the customer to inform a courier would deliver them in 2 hours' time.
Cindy's Feedback
Good! Your approach - to solve the underlying problem - is clear and can be applied to any situation.
Anonymous Answer
My first job out of college was as a store manager for a retail company. I was the point of contact for any upset customers. I would always hear them out then determine how I could make the situation right for them. I felt it was important to do what it takes to keep their business and make sure they left satisfied.
Stephanie's Feedback
You do a great job of illustrating how you've navigated challenging customers in a past role. I suggest rounding out your response by adding a sentence about how this experience would translate into a new role at Stryker. How have you been well prepared to handle challenges that may arise?
Anonymous Answer
While working for the trauma surgeon there were many times that patients called very upset because they were in pain and need of care and sometimes I would have to give them an appt that wasn't the one they wanted and they would get very upset but I would explain to them that our goal is to provide the highest level of care and we will make sure that they are taken care of.
Marcie's Feedback
It's great that you've included an example here that shows that you've successfully handled this type of situation before. Other methods you could mention that might help with a difficult customer/patient include actively listening to them, repeating back their complaint to make sure you understand it, apologizing to them for the trouble, resolving their issue in a timely manner, and remaining calm, respectful, and professional throughout the entire interaction.
Anonymous Answer
Throughout various roles, during my career, I have had very difficult experiences. For example, being a PA, I have had to release products of conception to newborn autopsies to parents that were accompanied by a funeral home. I have always wrapped the deceased baby in a baby blanket so the parents could see it in a certain manner. I have released personal effects to family members of deceased patients. As a product manager at Polysciences, I have always had customers or users call to ask how to troubleshoot instrumentation that ruined biopsies from patients that needed to be re-performed, or salvaged by reprocessing the tissues. I have had to write certain reprocessing protocols depending on the size, density, or friability of the biopsy itself on particular instruments that were not our instruments, and that stems from my clinical background.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a good place to start! You've done a good job sharing the difficult situations you've found yourself in. However, you can improve this response by sharing more about HOW you handled them. For example, when dealing with very upset parents, what skills or strategies did you use to empathize or help them remain calm or feel supported? Did your remain calm, speak softly, or practice active listening? When working as a Product Manager, how did you handle troubleshooting instrumentation or reprocessing? Did you assess the specific need, ask clarifying questions, or explain complex information clearly and concisely?
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