Question: Describe a time when you were unable to solve a customer’s problem. What happened

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Give us an example of time where you weren’t able to solve the customer’s problem. How did you handle the situation?

Follow-up questions:

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Service Orientation (Customer Service/Focus),Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Fluency of Ideas (Idea Generation Frequency),Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Originality,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition),Cognitive – Speed of Closure (Thinking Speed)

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Persons Outside Organization,Interacting with Others – Provide Consultation and Advice to Others,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With External Customers

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Analytical Thinking,Approachability,Compassion/Concern for Others,Handling Ambiguity,Initiative,Patience,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for the candidate’s ability to come up with various alternative solutions.
If the candidate has genuinely given their 100% to help the customer.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate blames the customer for having unrealistic demand.
The example does not showcase candidate’s focus on customer centricity, rather hurrying up to close the request unsolved.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.totaljobs.com/advice/most-common-competency-based-interview-questions