At work

Customer service

Practice for the situational judgement questions used in retail, call centre and front-of-house job applications. Each answer comes with the reason an employer would give.

Practice only. Every employer has its own policies, so use the reasons here as a guide, not a mark scheme.

Start

Forty days laterPolicies and exceptions
You do not know the answerHonesty with customers
When it turns personalAbuse and limits
The queue behind herFairness under pressure
That is not rightCorrecting a colleague
You gave the wrong priceOwning a mistake

The unwritten rules

What these questions are usually looking for, said out loud:

Listen before you fix. An upset customer who feels heard is halfway to calm.
Say what you can do, not only what you cannot.
Never guess. "I will find out" is a better answer than a wrong one.
Policies exist for fairness. If an exception is needed, ask someone who is allowed to make it.
You do not have to accept abuse. Know when, and how, to hand over or end the conversation.