The credit card machine is broken. What do you say to the customers?
"I am sure that you have the policy to follow for a situation like that. My first instinct would be to let the customer know that we value their business and if they were willing to take out cash to pay for their purchase, we would give them a small discount to offset the bank fees and inconvenience."
"The last thing we would want, in a situation like this, is for customers to walk out of the store without a purchase, because of the credit card machine. If possible, and in alignment with store policy, I would use the manual credit-card imprinter, making a carbon copy of the credit card and later submitting it to the bank. I would give options for the closest cash machine, and I would suggest putting items on hold with the customers' cell number so that I could call them the moment the machine was back up and running."
This question is situational-based, and the interviewer is looking to see if you have the ability to problem-solve, even in high-pressure situations. Show that you can troubleshoot while remaining helpful to others.
"If we had a broken credit card machine, I would first try to restart the system. A reboot will usually fix a point of sale quickly. If that did not work, I would call the company to see what they could do on their end. In the meantime, I would give customers options on how to pay, or ask to put their purchase on hold until the situation was worked out."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I am sure that you have the policy to follow for a situation like that, will be trained for that.
Based on previous experience, I would first try to restart the system,
apologize, and advise other payment ways-cash-nearest ATM or
put the product on hold-instead of walking out without a purchase.
Rachelle's Feedback
Great thinking! I like that you give the nod to the company's policy/training while also displaying confidence in your problem-solving ability. The fact that you mention not losing the sale is a great value-add to your reply :)
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