Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer or passenger.
Difficulty: medium • Category: Customer Service
Suggested Answer
A customer was upset about a service delay. I listened to their concerns without interrupting, apologized for the inconvenience, and explained what we were doing to resolve the issue. By the end of the conversation, the customer calmed down and appreciated being heard. They even contacted our company later to commend my approach.
STAR Method Example
I was working on a customer service desk when a customer came in visibly upset because their delivery, which they had been promised by Friday, had not arrived. It was now Monday and they needed the items for a job the next morning.
I needed to calm the customer down, find out what had happened to their order, and resolve the situation without making promises I could not keep.
I listened to their full complaint without interrupting, then apologised sincerely for the inconvenience. I checked the tracking system while they were with me and discovered the parcel had been misrouted. I called the depot, arranged for it to be redirected for next-day delivery, and gave the customer a direct phone number to reach me if there were any further issues.
The customer calmed down once they could see I was taking action. The parcel arrived the following morning as promised, and the customer later emailed my manager to say that my handling of the situation had changed their opinion of our company entirely.
Tips
- Focus on listening first
- Show empathy for the customer's situation
- Explain what you did to resolve the issue
- Include the positive outcome