AT&T Interview Questions – Customer Service Representative

The Hiring Process

As a customer service representative of AT&T, you either work in a store or in a call center. The last type of job at AT&T is also known as a Call Center Associate.
In both cases, the company wants a hardworking bee. This you need to keep in mind throughout the interview. We selected a few AT&T interview questions that are specific for these two types of positions and for this particular company.
The hiring process will start with an online application. Moving to the next step, you’ll need to pass an online test. Then you’ll get a phone or a video conference interview. If you make a good impression and the assessment test qualifies you for the job, AT&T will schedule a face-to-face interview.
The HR department will provide you with the guidelines for the company’s dress code. Your interview partner may show you the office and then the questioning begins!

1. What would you do if you were an antelope and suddenly saw a tiger?

This is the only creative question in the whole interview, don’t worry. It is actually a hidden attempt to unveil your reaction to your boss approaching you in a bad mood. Or an irate customer.
First, don’t forget to mention your team! Say, that as a part of a big herd (for antelopes are herd animals and never walk alone), you will check on the reaction of the rest. You do not want the tiger to cut you or some other antelope from the herd to catch and eat it. The herd cares about the single members.
As a good team player, you think about your team, but also expect them to have your back.

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2. How would you calm down an angry customer?

From the sky back to the Earth. Basically, the same situation as before, but you deal with humans this time. And you need to focus on your own behavior a bit more than on your herd. Teamwork is important even for the call center, but you never do any conference calls with the customer.
Show your independence. Mention the phrases you would say to impress the client that you do care about his or her problems. Show that you take them seriously. Speak politely and remember that you win only if the customer is calmed down and cooperative.
There are a lot of de-escalation techniques. You can find some information on the Internet to make yourself fit for this question.

3. Did you ever forget an important detail? How did you cope with the consequences?

Imagine, you’ve offered a customer a 50%-discount, but then put only 5% in the contract? Or you misspelled the name of a golden-premium-VIP client?
The first step in the situation would be to talk about your mistake honestly. Either directly with the customer or with your boss. You should not hesitate to ask for an advance from an experienced colleague as well before disclosing your failure.
Then you have to correct the mistake, accept the consequences, like a bonus cut, and, of course, apologize.
Although this question can seem almost mean at first glance, no need to panic. Think about it in a different way: they do not ask what you do to prevent mistakes! They allow you to make them! It’s a good sign.

4. How would you approach your manager with an improvement idea?

Customer Service is one of the jobs that suggests a hierarchy between employees. Still, the company wants to learn about best practices not only from some expensive coaches but also from its own people.
AT&T interview questions aim to find out if you can produce improvement ideas and communicate them in a friendly but convincing manner. With this question, AT&T wants to discover, how you are going to handle a possible rejection of your idea. Would you prepare more arguments and re-submit it again later? Or would you just get sad and let it be? You know the right answer!

5. A customer needs some help with installing an app on his phone. Describe how you do it.

One of the first role-plays in the long list of the AT&T interview questions. Your conversation partner will act for the customer, and you try to be the nicest customer rep he ever saw in his life.
There is no single way to help a person to install an app. Your task here is to be natural and stay calm if the client will be getting on your nerves. Possibly, your interviewer will try to imitate such behavior.
Would you ask the customer to give you his phone and just do everything for him? Or would you guide the customer through the single steps to help him to learn? It is up to you. Keep in mind, that, despite being very customer-oriented, the company still may value quickness in processing customer requests.

We have many more questions that you can practice using Interview School!

6. Sell me something from the AT&T product range.

In a call center, you may be responsible for customer support, as well as for selling new products on the phone. This questions among all AT&T interview questions helps your vis-à-vis to get an impression of you “in action.”
The art of customer acquisition lies in the ability to arouse a feeling of having a need. You have to convince the customer that he or she may need a particular product and that it’s a totally urgent need!
This question tests your hidden sales rep talent. It also replaces the overused question: “What do you know about our products?” See this as your chance, make yourself familiar with what they offer. Pick up some product that is not so easy to sell and show that you are a sales guru.

7. A customer calls/comes to the store and wants to speak to your manager. What do you do?

The customer is either disappointed or just does not believe that you can help. Think about your way to persuade him.
Would you mention that you routinely deal with the same question, got a lot of training, and can solve the problem? Or that you understand his or her worries, but it is a usual practice to handle such issues at the representative level before forwarding them to the next one.
What your interviewer definitely won’t like, are such phrases like “Our manager is too busy for this, let me help you first.” The customer should see that you are enough qualified to handle it without your boss.

8. Describe your way of convincing customers to do what they originally did not intend to.

t is not about making your customer buy what he does not need at all. Sometimes customers call a support number and ask for help, but think that they know it better. As in the previous case, you would have to show that you are a well-informed, professional, and willing to solve the problem.
Avoid saying “No” or “This is not the right way”. “This is impossible!” is the worst. Phrases like “There is a better and faster way” or “I know this problem and have a life hack for you” may work better — for you getting the job offer, of course!

9. What have you done to improve yourself to be a good fit for AT&T?

The recruiter can have asked: “Have you read our job requirement and corporate philosophy?” Everybody would say “Yes!”, so they’ve modified this question.
Work through their corporate website and the recruitment homepage. Read what the employees say. Despite generally such sources tend to be too shiny, it is different for AT&T. They post stories about people who really got a second chance in their lives by being employed by the company.
In addition, check on the external resources that post employer reviews.

10. Why do you want to quit your current job?

This one belongs in the list of the AT&T interview questions, too. It is not because the company does not trust people in general. Customer Representative is a hard job that not everybody is born to endure. You should prove that you are!
Left aside such arguments like “I had a lot of stress”, “I missed some work-life balance.” Try to find a way to sell them your motivation as a desire for professional improvement.
Another trap here is that you should not highlight the salary too much. Still, nobody prohibits mentioning it shortly. You want to see that you are being valued, and the value can be expressed in digits.

Final Notes

Some reviews on the web say that AT&T tended to be more customer-oriented before. And that nowadays it is more focused on sales. The work of a customer service representative may require the ability to work fast. Your performance may be measured in numbers, and it creates some additional pressure.
Those are things you need to know before applying.
Depending on the situation in a particular local office, the whole process may last from ten days to five weeks. In rare cases, it can take a couple of months, but this is very unusual for AT&T and especially for this type of position.
If you won’t be eliminated during the last round, you will be asked to take a drug test. Don’t take it personally. AT&T tolerates even a criminal past of the employees, but you have to be clean presently.
This is a final step before starting at AT&T. Good luck!

If you are interested in more interviews like these make sure to check out our blog for more questions and tips!