Question: Describe a time when you did not give in to a customer’s insistence that you bend the rules just for them. What happened and how did you put up with the customer?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Has there been an occasion when you refused to bow to a customer’s pressure to “bend the rules”?

Follow-up questions:

How important is it to be firm when it comes to customers? Please explain your answer.

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Conscientiousness (Work Ethic),Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With External Customers,Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Politeness,Self Control,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s ability to handle difficult situations.
The candidate’s ability to handle customer concerns.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s unprofessionalism when dealing with customer concerns.

Sample Answer:

There was a time when a customer wanted to cut the process and wanted me to skip a signatory.
I simply explained to him that I was just doing my job and adhering to company SOPs. He was still unhappy about it but he understood.

Question Source: https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/