"(Situation) Last year, I worked in a retail customer care center of a company with many service complaints. (Task) As a Customer Care Representative, I had to navigate angry customer experiences more times than I would have liked. (Action) To cope, I took the stance that people who are upset want to be heard and respected. I would listen, empathize, and reassure the customer that I was there to support them and resolve the matter. If I needed to check on an order or get back to the customer, I would explain what I was doing and when they would hear back. (Result) I am proud to say that I successfully turned more detractors into promoters than anyone else in that organization."

"(Situation) In my current role, I address angry customers daily. (Task) As an Administrative Assistant, I often encounter people who are upset about being asked to hold. (Action) When this happens, I 'kill them with kindness' by profusely thanking them for their patience and letting them know they now have my full attention. (Result) I would say this communication approach works 99% of the time."

"(Situation) Just last week, a customer called our design team because he was unhappy with a particular design we were creating for him. (Task) As the Marketing Manager, it was up to me to fix the situation. (Action) I called the client and reassured him that we would modify the design to his liking before finalizing the project. After we spoke further, I realized he was feeling uncomfortable because he was not a part of the decision-making every step of the way. I remained patient, listened to his concerns, and reassured him that we would satisfy his requests. (Result) As a result of the conversation, we were back on track and delivered a stellar design in the end."

"(Situation) Recently, a client was delivered a damaged piece of goods that we sold him. For a 30,000 piece of inventory, he was understandably agitated. (Task) As his Key Account Manager, it was up to me to turn the situation around. (Action) Within five minutes of receiving his angry email, I hopped on the phone with him to address the issue. I had my COO and Director of Operations in the room so he would feel that the issue was being taken care of by upper management. (Result) Through a 10-minute conversation, we resolved his issue, bought back the piece of inventory, and had a pick-up arranged for that very afternoon. The client was so happy with our proactive approach that he committed to buying another five pieces of inventory that same week."

"(Situation) I was challenged during a rollout of my current employers' new return policy. (Task) As a cashier, I had to request identification from any customer making a return without a receipt. (Action) One customer became irate after being asked for ID. She assumed it was a race issue. I took a step back and explained the reason for the new policy and assured her it was a new company-wide policy. (Result) After taking the time to hear her concerns, validate her feelings, and explain it all in context, she handed over her ID and apologized for her explosion."

"(Situation) Last year, I had a parent upset that their child experienced exclusion from Spanish class. (Task) As the primary Spanish teacher, the parent chose to come to me. (Action) I looked into the situation and found that the exclusion was due to the student's IEP and special services scheduling. The student went to speech and social work during my Spanish class. This fact didn't stop the parent from showing frustration with me, so I made sure to find time to sit down and speak with her and show that I heard her frustration. I asked our principal to join us as well. (Result) We were able to figure out a better schedule for the following semester that would allow her child to attend Spanish class. By showing that I understood her frustration and was willing to work with her, she softened and was thrilled that we were so receptive to her concerns."

"(Situation) I once worked at a call center that took high volumes of client disputes. (Task) As the Call Centre Manager, I took many escalations from angry customers. (Action) I remember one instance quite well. The customers' order was missing items. When I told her that our policy was to send the order back for a refund, she blew up. She just wanted us to ship the missing pieces. I decided to comply, as it was not worth upsetting her further. (Result) The customer ended up getting a refund in the end and was satisfied. After this situation, I spoke with our corporate head office about the possibility of changing our return policies."

Briefly describe a time you resolved a customer service issue. Be sure to highlight your ability to remain patient and rational in the face of conflict. Focus the bulk of your response on the positive action you took and the resolution you came to with the customer rather than details of the conflict itself.

Behavioral-based interview questions that begin with 'Tell me about a time...' are best answered using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.

Avoid providing a long, drawn-out story that focuses on the drama surrounding an angry customer. It's easy to get lost in stories surrounding conflicts.