Customer Service Tests

What is a customer service aptitude test?

It may seem like something you cannot test for, but there are skills and behavioural traits that can be accurately gauged to predict how well you will perform in a customer service role.

A customer service test gauges a number of skills that are not as objective as those needed for technical roles. This means that it is a more mixed test with questions that assess skills like communication, comprehension, logic, and personality traits.

Why do employers use customer service tests?

While experience is the best way to show proficiency in this type of role, using aptitude tests orientated towards customer service skills is another way to assess someone’s skills and potential. This is especially helpful when recruiting for a role that garners a lot of competition between similarly qualified candidates, since the tests give more data that employers can use to rank applicants.

Customer service roles also require a certain kind of person who has the right kind of temperament and interpersonal skills; without significant time spent with someone, it is hard to gauge these during the recruitment process.

By using tests that include sections like a personality test, employers can get a more accurate understanding of you as a person and whether you will be a good fit for the company in a less time-intensive way.

What skills do customer service assistants typically need?

While customer service roles do not typically require specific technical skills and qualifications, there are still traits required to thrive in this sector. These are just a few of the most important ones that employers will look for when you apply for these roles:

Communication skills

The first is one of the most important: strong communication skills. While this is vital for any job, customer service is almost entirely about working directly with customers and clients, such as on the shop floor or when answering on the phone.

As a customer service assistant, you are the main representative of the company to the public, and therefore you must be able to communicate professionally in all kinds of situations.

Comprehension skills

Related to your communication skills is your comprehension ability, which is how well you process and relay information. General reading and writing skills are essential to everyday life, but working in customer service means processing a lot more information than most on a daily basis, so you need to show that you are capable of this.

Problem solving and decision making

In customer service roles, you typically deal with people and their issues immediately, meaning that unexpected situations occur suddenly and can require you to make snap decisions. While you may not always be able to solve an issue on the spot, showing that you follow a logical process and understand how to make the most progress you can at the time is a vital workplace skill.

Adaptability

Adaptability is hugely important when working with people, as you have to be able to deal with any situation that is put in front of you. Customer service is a fast-paced sector and often no two days are the same, so being open to change in routine and taking on varied tasks is part of the job.

Empathy

When dealing directly with people your ability to come across as friendly and empathic will have a big effect on how well you are received. Depending on the industry that you work in, you may be dealing with something very personal to your customers and have to be understanding of every single person’s situation.

Ability to work under pressure

When things get busy, customer service roles like retail can be stressful environments to function in. The ability to keep calm and professional under pressure is important to keep things moving, and make sure that you still provide the quality of service that the customers expect from the company.

How are these key skills measured?

There are a number of tests that are used to assess these skills. Aptitude tests give recruiters objective data that they can use to compare candidates: therefore, your score on these tests will have a big influence on whether or not you get hired.

For the more subjective tests like personality assessments, they are typically measured against the answers of current employees and the company’s ethics and values, to show how closely you align.

Writing task

In order to test your communication skills, including general literacy and comprehension skills, you may be asked to complete a written task. There are a few different kinds of written exercises that are used for different types of jobs, but the most common are writing a formal letter, an email, or proofreading a piece of text.

By doing this, employers can see your communication style, your level of grammar and spelling, and how well you understand context and tone when communicating.

Verbal reasoning test

A verbal reasoning test differs from a writing task because it does not ask you to craft anything, but instead focuses on your comprehension and logic skills.

The typical verbal reasoning question will present you with a passage of text and then you will be asked to answer questions based on the information given, usually in the style of true/false/cannot say, which show how well you filter key information and follow a logical process.

Situational judgement test

Many of the skills that employers are looking for when it comes to customer service are best gauged through a situational judgement test. Here you will be presented with work-related scenarios and asked to pick or rank responses according to what you think is most appropriate to the situation.

This can give a very accurate insight into your working style; for example if you are confrontational or how well you work in a team.

Personality tests

Personality tests are the aptitude test that most people are familiar with. They are a broader and more in-depth look into your behaviour than situational judgement tests, which give you limited parameters in which to answer.

A personality test can assess all kinds of aspects that are much harder to gauge during the limited contact of the recruitment process such as: your working style, how you build relationships, your values and ethics, how you see yourself, etc.

E-tray exercise

To assess how you might perform when actually on the job, employers like to use an e-tray exercise to simulate real-life working scenarios. You will be given a selection of different tasks that might be expected of you during an average day and then assessed on how well you deal with the workload.

This means it is not just about doing the tasks well, but also showing that you understand how to prioritise tasks, manage your time, and perform under pressure.

Top tips for customer service tests

1. Research the company

While this is always important, it can be particularly helpful when applying for customer service positions, since you are expected to be the face of the company and are often the only representative that a customer will talk to. Make sure to research how the company operates, so you can learn what kind of service style it looks for on the situational judgement and personality tests, which are where you will show if you are a good cultural fit.

2. Take a personality test

More subjective aptitude tests like personality and situational judgement tests can feel daunting, as they do not have right or wrong answers. However, by taking personality tests beforehand you can get an understanding for the answers you naturally gravitate towards and what kind of results you get.

3. Get used to the pressure

One of the most difficult aspects of test-taking is the time pressure, so it is very important to get used to performing well under timed conditions. Try to complete as many practice assessments under exam conditions as possible, to show how well you work in stressful situations.

4. Be confident

A key part of customer service is confidence in your skills, and this is good advice for taking the test as well. Trust your experience and knowledge to show that you understand expectations and have the skills needed to excel in the role.