As the world becomes more global, call centres have become a more common part of doing business. Technology firms, healthcare providers, financial institutions, and human resources firms all utilize call centres to ease the flow of incoming calls and process higher volumes of customers and clients. It is estimated that call centres in the United States employ over 3 million people, including employees who have been outsourced. Even with the number of call centre jobs increasing, it remains a competitive field and job-seekers looking for call centre jobs will need to demonstrate good customer service skills, language skills, and the ability to multitask. If applying for a call centre position you will most likely find yourself sitting for a Call Centre Situational Judgment Test (SJT).
What Is a Call Centre Situational Test?
A call centre Situational Judgment Test helps narrow down the field of candidates by identifying the individuals who demonstrate proficiency at the necessary skills. The test is measuring for 5 core competencies:
Communication skills
Cognitive skills
Interpersonal skills
Personality traits
Attitude
These competencies are important to these skills that are necessary to those working in a call centre.
Handling challenging calls
Providing high-quality service
Ability to work well with people and establish a rapport
Empathy for customer needs
The test identifies these skills by presenting the test-taker with scenarios that a call-centre representative is likely to have to face while working. The test is made up of common problems, and each problem will have several solutions. You will need to determine which solution is the most likely to be successful, and which is the least likely. Some test variations may have you rank all the solutions in order of best to worst, and others may be made designed for you to rank the responses as what you are most likely to versus what you are most likely to do.
The test may be offered in several formats, it is most commonly computer-based, though it can also be given in a paper and pencil form. Some versions have video or audio components so you can hear or see the scenario in the question unfold.
How to Prepare for The Call Centre SJT?
The Call Centre SJT seems like it would be based in common sense. This is true to an extent. However, the test answers are phrased so that none of the possible responses seem overtly negative. You will need to consider all outcomes of each suggestion before making your selection. You will need to use a combination of reasoning skills and empathy to determine which course of action is the best.
Free Sample Questions:
A typical question on a Call Centre SJT might look something like this:
Question:
“A customer calls to complain about their bill. They say that it arrived in the mail late, and they do not think they should have to pay the late fees because it was not their fault. How do you respond?”
I understand, and of course, we will waive the fee
I need to talk to my manager about this. I need to get your details, and I will give you a call later today with an update.
Sorry but there is nothing I can do.
Explained Answer:
Best answer 2. You are working with the customer and taking their situation seriously, without making accommodations for unreasonable expectations.
Worst answer 1. The customer is asking something that may not be reasonable, and you need more information before making a decision like that.
Answer 3 is not completely unreasonable, but the customer’s claims warrant further investigation and consideration.
Conclusion
The Call Centre SJT is nothing to be scared of. If you have the skills necessary to be successful at a call centre position, then the test will be no problem for you. Respond to the questions as though you are on the job, and you will impress the hiring company with your level of ability and will soon be saying yes to the job offer you have been waiting for.
