Call Center Manager Interview Questions and Answers

If you are scheduled to take an interview for the position of a call center manager, it is important to find out the kind of questions you might face before the interview date.

This will greatly boost your preparation for the interview and enhance your chances of being hired for the call center manager job.

This post provides likely call center manager interview questions and answers you can use in your preparation for the interview.

Please, read on:

What do Interviewers Look for in a Call Center Manager?

Interviewers look for a candidate who is able to work well with others, can provide innovative solutions, and has a personality that is charismatic.

They will be looking to see if the applicant’s resume matches up with what they are looking for in a potential employee.

They also want to know if the applicant really wants this job or not.

10 Most Common Call Center Manager Interview Questions with Answers

Here are major questions commonly asked in a call center manager interview session, the answers are also provided:

1. What are the general responsibilities of a call center manager?

Answer: A call center manager is responsible for managing a call center or contact center.

They are responsible for managing the staff as well as supervising the duties of the workers at the contact center.

The general responsibilities of a call center manager include:

• Hiring and training new members of his/her team.
• Determining what tasks each member should do.
• Planning if there is a need to expand or decrease staffing levels to meet demand.
• Keeping a list of quality standards for customer service, such as no waiting time, maximum wait time, maximum number of transfers, and so on.
• Ensuring that all staff have up-to-date information about station rules, guidelines, and company policies so they can provide excellent service.

See detailed call center manager duties.

2. Is there an optimum number of employees for a virtual call center?

Answer: The optimum number of employees in a virtual call center is based on multiple factors, including company size, how often the center is in contact with clients, and the risk of having too little or too many employees.

The more frequently the call center must be in contact with clients or has to make decisions that affect the entire organization, the greater the need for staffing will be.

The higher-risk an environment (due to potential legal issues), the greater the need for staffing will be.

3. How often should someone be in the office interacting with the rest of the  team?

Answer: When working in a call center, you’re likely to interact with the rest of your team more often than in other jobs, and that’s ok.

Team spirit is highly valued for this work and with something as high-paced and collaborative as call center work, it’s important to maintain those relationships.

But you don’t want to be coming in every day with hangover from your last night out with friends or spending so much time on your phone that you miss out on the conversations happening around you.

Remember: You need to show up as someone who can provide sound advice and guidance, as well as handle a high volume of calls!

4. Are different skills necessary to work remotely versus onsite?

The area of skills is likely to vary depending on where the call center is located. Remote workers may be able to do some tasks without being in the office.

This may work well for a call center manager who wants to save money on their office space.

In other cases, the call center manager might need people to be in the office as often as possible so that they can interact with others and feel more connected to the company.

5. What is your management philosophy?

Answer: I have a pretty hands-on management philosophy. I want to be able to interact with my team members and help them with their needs. I also want to be able to get to know them on a personal level.

6. How would you go about motivating a team on a long term project?

Answer: Long term projects can be difficult, frustrating, and even demotivating. To keep everyone on the team excited about the project, there are some things I would do to motivate the team:

I will lead the team to create small goals for each day or week (5 minute goals) which allows everyone on the team to see progress happening every day;

Have daily updates on what has been done previously in order to measure progress.

I will provide rewards for employees who achieve their goal, like offering time off or bonus pay (if possible).

7. What are some of the challenges of being a remote manager?

Answer: For the most part, I do not think that there are any challenges for being a remote manager.

However, it can be challenging if you find that your employees all work remotely. This situation may cause some difficulties with communication and teamwork.

8. How do you define success for your team members and yourself as their manager?

Answer: To me, success is defined by how well my team members are able to meet their goals. I want them to be happy with themselves and feel confident in their abilities.

For example, if they work hard and go above and beyond what’s expected of them, then that would be an example of success.

9. Can you tell me about a time when there was conflict within your team that needed to be resolved?

Answer: I recently had a situation where my team saw their manager takeover one of their responsibilities and they got very upset. They started to lash out and get really negative.

I didn’t want to blame anyone, but it was evident that one of my team members was responsible for the issue at hand. I was able to talk it out with everyone and we were able to identify the problem, as well as come up with a solution.

We all now have more ownership within our team.

10. How do you keep track of your team’s success?

To keep track of the success of my team, I always ask them about what they did that day. I also keep a list of all of the things that need to be done and who is assigned to do them.

If their assignment is completed, I change it on the list. When someone finishes their tasks, I make sure to remove them from the list.

More Sample Call Center Manager Interview Questions

Here are more questions (categorized) that you may be asked in an interview for the position of a call center manager:

Call Center Manager Behavioral Interview Questions

1. What is your communication style?

2. What do you do manage conflict in the workplace?

3. Do you know what to do when customers are upset with your product/service?

4. When was an example of when you overcame difficult circumstances at work?

5. On what occasion would you refuse to comply with a request from management or team members (if ever)?

Call Center Manager Case Interview Questions

1. How do you prepare for a call center manager interview?

2. What are the 3 main types of calls in a call center?

3. Describe how your team manages customer feedback.

4. What is the most difficult task you’ve had to overcome at work so far this year?

5. How does your company train new employees on verbal communication skills?

Call Center Manager Competency Based Interview Questions

1. What are the five qualities of a call center manager?

2. How would you rate yourself in each of these qualities?

3. Name three important skills for a call center manager to have.

4. Give us an example of a time when you had to manage a customer’s problem and didn’t have all the information you needed to do so.

5. Give us an example of a time when you had to train someone on your team, and what were some tips that helped make it successful?

Call Center Manager Problem-Solving Interview Questions

1. How would you deal with a customer’s complaint about a shipment of goods?

2. What is your preferred communication style with customers and colleagues?

3. Tell me about a time when you resolved a disagreement on your team and what was your role?

4. What do you think is the top priority for call center managers to succeed in their job?

5. What would the biggest challenges be in this position?

Call Center Manager Situational Interview Questions

1. Would you be willing to relocate?

2. Do you have a sales background or experience in customer service?

3. How well are you able to multi-task during stressful situations?

4. Can you describe the type of people that do well in this role, and has this ever been an issue for you before with other jobs/ employers?

5. Tell me about a time when you had to meet a tight deadline.

 Call Center Manager Communication Skills Interview Questions

1. What are your communication skills?

2. How do you go about building rapport with new people?

3. Do you have an extroverted personality? If so, what are some of the benefits to being an extravert?

4. Can you give me a good example of conflict resolution that happened in the workplace that you managed or were involved in?

5. Is there anything else that I should know about your communication style/strength before the interview?

Call Center Manager Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions

1. What is your experience working with difficult people?

2. How are you at managing conflicting personalities in the work place?

3. Can you think on your feet and stay calm under pressure?

4. Do you have any difficulty staying focused or do you find yourself easily distracted?

5. Have there been times when one of your employees comes to speak with you about a sensitive issue, but they’re hesitant because they’re embarrassed/afraid of being judged by their peers for whatever they may have done wrong?

Call Center Manager Company Culture Interview Questions

1. Do you have a favorite aspect of your job?

2. What are 5 things you like to do outside of work?

3. How would you describe company culture in one sentence?

4. What does “good” look like when it comes to performance in this position?

5. How many hours do the employees work in a week, on average? And how much overtime is there typically at all levels of management within the team?

Call Center Manager Management Interview Questions

1. What is an average workday like?

2. How would you evaluate the performance of your team to measure success?

3. Why are customer service skills important in a call center manager’s role?

4. What are some ways that managers can help their workers feel more engaged or motivated?

5. Is there any flexibility with time off or vacation days, and what’s the waiting period before taking a day off without asking permission from a manager first?

Call Center Manager Leadership Interview Questions

1. Do you have experience managing a call center before?

2. What is your criteria for hiring someone?

3. What are the qualities a leader should have?

4. How do you motivate employees to get better at their jobs?

5. Why did you leave your last job?

Call center manager Interview Success Tips

Here are valuable tips to help you perform excellently in a call center manager job interview:

• Make eye contact and smile – It is easy to feel intimidated when you meet a new potential boss for the first time, and this is something they will be looking out for.

Making eye contact and smiling tells the interviewer(s) that you are interested in what they have to say and excited about taking on the role.

• Be yourself – When someone offers you a job, it is easy to try and pretend that you are someone else in order to impress them. But they will soon realize that you are not being genuine and this can lead to problems down the line. Just relax and be yourself for the employer to know that you will fit in with the organization.

• Ask questions – You might feel that it is a sign of weakness if you do not know the answers to some of the questions, but that is far from the truth.

Asking questions shows that you are interested in making a success of yourself, and that you have an inquiring mind, which will be useful on the job.

Conclusion

If you are interviewing for a call center manager position, one of the most important questions to expect to be asked is if you have the ability to handle customer service inquiries effectively.

If you can show that you have strong communication skills and an understanding of how teams work together, then it should be easier to get hired as a call center manager.