Customer Service Skills Test Question 34 – Responding to a customer facing financial hardship
Read the customer-service scenario and rate each action independently. The same rating may be used more than once.
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Scenario
A customer expected a payment today. The system shows that it has been authorised and is due in three working days. The customer says they have no money for food and asks you to make the payment arrive immediately. You cannot change the payment date, but an approved emergency-support route may be available.
Rate the actions
For each action, choose Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective or Effective.
Action A
Confirm the payment status and date, explain the limit on changing it, check the emergency-support criteria and record the customer’s immediate hardship.
Rate this action:
CounterproductiveIneffectiveFairly EffectiveEffective
Action B
Quote the standard payment times and tell the customer to wait until the published period has passed.
Rate this action:
CounterproductiveIneffectiveFairly EffectiveEffective
Action C
Tell the customer the confirmed payment date and explain why it cannot be changed, without checking whether any urgent support is available.
Rate this action:
CounterproductiveIneffectiveFairly EffectiveEffective
Action D
Promise that the payment will arrive today so the customer feels reassured, then ask the payment team to speed it up.
Rate this action:
CounterproductiveIneffectiveFairly EffectiveEffective
Click to reveal the answer
- Action A: Effective
- Action B: Ineffective
- Action C: Fairly Effective
- Action D: Counterproductive
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