How to Answer: How do you inspire customer trust, confidence, and loyalty as a project manager?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Project Manager job interview.
1. How do you inspire customer trust, confidence, and loyalty as a project manager?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Many project managers work directly with their clients and perform customer service-related functions. Interviewers who ask this question are interested in a candidate's ability to demonstrate the soft skills necessary to provide the level of service required by the role.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2023
How to Answer
Provide a few brief examples of activities you perform that inspire customer trust, confidence, and loyalty such as taking accountability for mistakes, going above and beyond regularly, listening intently to concerns, etcetera. It can be helpful to include role-specific examples in your response if the role you are interviewing for requires specific customer outreach activities such as sales negotiation or post-implementation support.
Remember to include outreach activities beyond delivery and support activities to demonstrate your customer service skills. Interviewers want to know what unique value you can add to the customer experience and remember candidates who demonstrate they consistently go beyond what is required in a client setting.
Written by Karrie Day on May 2nd, 2023
Answer Example
"One of the most important things I can do to earn customer confidence, trust, and loyalty is to show end-to-end ownership for the projects I work on. I let my customers know they can reach out to me to let me know about anything going on, even if I am not directly responsible. They know they can count on me to help facilitate a solution on their behalf.
I also take the time to listen. Sometimes clients just need to be heard and offering them an outlet to vent with someone who shows empathy and concern goes a long way. I maintain their confidence as needed and quickly address their concerns. I treat all of my customers with respect and show them that they are valued by delivering on my commitments.
Finally, I proactively reach out to my clients on a regular basis. This demonstrates my commitment to customer service and they always appreciate my efforts to make sure they are happy and well supported."
Written by Karrie Day on May 2nd, 2023
About the Author
I began my professional career as an IT Business Systems Analyst. I enjoyed the role, but I knew early on that I wanted to explore project management after moving through the analyst ranks. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to partner with several talented project managers while I was working to grow my own skill set. I learned a lot from them about how to approach strategic planning, communication, conflict resolution, and how to motivate various personality types to perform their best under pressure. I learned even more from their failures.
It was clear that project management was as much an art as a science, and I eventually got my shot at taking everything I had observed over the years and blending it into my own style for steering projects and programs successfully. While project management was not my ultimate career goal, I greatly value my time managing projects. I have utilized the skills I worked to refine in project management in every position I have held since. For example, I use the communication, strategic thinking, and tactical planning skills I regularly leaned on as a project manager each time I work with one of my coaching clients.
Whether working as a project manager is a career goal of yours, or you fell into it through circumstance, you’re in good company. Over 16 million professionals claim the title of project manager, and project management isn’t going anywhere. In fact, the number of project managers is expected to grow by 7% over the next 8 years according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. According to the Project Management Institute, the global outlook is even more impressive boasting up to 33% growth through 2027. Regardless of the specific location, there will likely b a strong demand for project management skill sets in the years to come.
As a coach and writer for MockQuestions, I want to help you successfully navigate your upcoming interview for a project manager position. While some project manager skills are specific to the industry, location, and types of projects involved, many skills and behavioral traits are universally applicable to project management roles. This article will help any project manager prepare for a successful interview, and I encourage you to check out all of our sets dedicated to project management listed below.
Learn more about Karrie Day