You’re interviewing candidates for a customer experience role. How do you know if they have the right skills?

Understand what type of professional you're adding to your team or company. Is there a high workload and are you looking for support on operational tasks? Are the tasks technical or relational in nature? Or are you looking to build out your customer relationship management and do you need a strong independent contributor that knows how to develop long term customer relations? Understand the need in your team will help you pinpoint and add to the skills in CX-skill frameworks like the CXPA CX Competency Framework.

?To assess candidates for a customer experience role, look for individuals with strong communication skills, empathy, and problem-solving abilities. Evaluate their past experiences, particularly in customer-facing roles, to gauge their ability to handle various situations effectively. Look for evidence of their ability to listen actively and adapt to customer needs. Assess their familiarity with customer experience metrics and tools, as well as their understanding of customer journey mapping and improvement strategies. Additionally, consider their attitude towards continuous improvement and their willingness to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.?

For identifying the right skills in candidates for a CX role, consider incorporating the following idea: Request specific examples or case studies from their past experiences that demonstrate their ability to effectively address customer needs, resolve conflicts, and implement successful CX initiatives. This provides tangible evidence of their skills and practical application in real-world scenarios.

With the CX field moving so fast, I believe looking for candidates with the "right" degree will severely limit your field. Instead, look at their work experience and during the interview ask them situational questions. Give them a problem and ask how they would solve it. Then ask them how they solved that in the past and what the outcomes were. Finding good people is less about checking the boxes and more about finding someone with the right skillset, passion, and cultural fit.

O currículo aceita tudo, mas a entrevista é o momento da verdade e o candidato deve se provar. Ao fazer as perguntas certas e abertas permitir?o que o candidato fale e traga detalhes de sua atua??o. Isso permitirá entender quais s?o suas competências técnicas e se elas est?o de acordo com o que o entrevistador procura. Quanto mais perguntar, mais vai tirar e entender se é o candidato ideal. Isso funciona sempre!!

Not necessarily looking for specific answers as much as how they respond and the genuiness of their answers. Surprising answers really spotlight the individual.

Feel around for open-mindedness, because a CX professional needs to get out of their own opinions and into the mind of the customer. There's also a lot of creativity and problem-solving involved, so open-mindedness helps there too. And then listen for how often they reflect a customer-focused mindset in conversation, as opposed to just operational (or "how we do things").

Interviewing is like finding the secret ingredient in your grandma's famous recipe. You know it's good, but what makes it special? Here are some fun ways to uncover the CX magic in candidates: Storytime: Ask them to tell you about a time they turned a customer's frown upside down. It's like asking what their superhero power is! Actionable Item: Listen for empathy and problem-solving skills. What If: Throw them curveball scenarios. "What if a customer says this...?" "The CMO is asking for data to inform their next marketing campaign...what would you suggest?" Actionable Item: Look for creative out-of-the-box solutions. Feedback Fun: Ask how they've used customer feedback to make a change. Bonus points if it impacted both CX and the team!

I ask questions specifically to see how they think about CX as well as their approach. I don't think too much about an answer being "right." I want to understand the potential candidates' thought process and direction for handling situations.

When hiring cross-functional roles, such as CX manager/lead, I would pay special attention to soft skills. Hard skill gaps are easier to fill, because there is a lot of training available. But the best CX professionals I have worked with know how to get everyone excited and on board. They're also really good listeners, always curious, and patient enough to dig deep into what customers really need.

Hiring for a CX role can be tough given it's moving so quickly yet at the same time, it's a 'new' role in some areas. Don't get blindsided looking for someone with CX experience. Many customer focused candidates will have the skills and experience required. Depending on the role you're hiring for consider CSMs or support analysts that have had the customer centric mindset you are looking for.

Por se tratar de uma área relativamente nova, n?o é comum encontrar muitos candidatos que ir?o ter experiência prévia na área de experiência do cliente especificamente. Por isso, experiência nas áreas de marketing, atendimento ao cliente ou publicidade s?o considerados backgrounds interessantes. O mais importante na minha opini?o é o candidato ter boa comunica??o, saber ouvir o cliente, ter empatia e ter vontade de aprender.

Look for the combination of problem-solving abilities, genuine empathy, communication skills, and a passion for helping others. Behavioral Questions: -Customer Focus: Ask about specific examples of when they went above and beyond for a customer. -Adaptability: Present a scenario where processes change suddenly. How would they react and adjust to ensure excellent customer service? Situational Role-Play: Active Listening: -Clear Communication: Have them explain a complex process in simple terms. Soft Skills Probe: Empathy: Ask questions like, "How would you approach a customer who seems frustrated or emotionally upset?" Beyond the Basics: Culture Fit: Align their values with your company's mission.