How to Answer: Describe a time where you had to deal with an irate customer. How did you handle the situation and were you able to make the customer happy in the end?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Shift Leader job interview.
21. Describe a time where you had to deal with an irate customer. How did you handle the situation and were you able to make the customer happy in the end?
How to Answer
Choose an example where the outcome was positive. Start with what the customer was unhappy about and give some context. Then describe the step-by-step actions you took. If applicable, mention the negative impacts on your staff and how you remedied the situation, as well as any ways that you demonstrated empathy.
Answer Example
"One time, there was a woman who was complaining that she didn't get her order yet and that she had been waiting for 40 minutes. She was really yelling at the top of her lungs, which naturally stressed me and my staff out. I stayed calm though and reminded myself that nobody should have to wait that long and that I wouldn't want my mother waiting that long.
I apologized to her and asked her what the problem was. I acknowledged that it should never have happened, and then I gave her what she needed. On top of that, I gave her a credit on her next order, that way she'll be encouraged to come back and give us another chance to give her good service."