Are you getting ready for a job interview at Kustomer? The fast-growing SaaS company that is changing the customer service industry is very picky about who it hires. You should be ready to show off your skills and explain why you’d be a great fit for the company’s culture.
In this comprehensive guide, we provide tips, sample answers, and examples to help you ace the most common Kustomer interview questions. Let’s get started!
Overview of Kustomer’s Interview Process
The typical Kustomer interview process consists of
- Initial phone screening with HR
- Take-home assignment or technical assessment
- 3-5 rounds of interviews via video call
- Behavioral, technical, problem-solving, and culture-fit questions
- May include mock roleplaying scenarios
- Reference and background checks
- Final interview with CEO/leadership team
The process can take 3-6 weeks from initial screen to offer. Kustomer wants to hire people who are good with technology, can think of creative ways to solve problems, and care deeply about how customers feel. Core values like transparency, accountability, and empathy are crucial. Showcasing these qualities in your responses is key.
Now let’s dive into the most common questions:
Top Behavioral Interview Questions
1. Tell me about yourself and why Kustomer interests you.
This is often the opening question, setting the tone for the interview Keep your answer concise, focusing on 3 key points
- Your current role and relevant skills/experience
- What excites you about Kustomer’s mission and products
- The value you can bring to the role and company
Example: “Currently, I’m an Account Manager at [Company] where I handle our top enterprise clients. In this role, I’ve gained experience in client relations, account management, and customer retention. Kustomer excites me because I’m passionate about leveraging technology to transform the customer experience industry. Your platform’s ability to unify data and conversations is revolutionary, and I would love to be part of a team focused on simplifying support. With my background in account management and client success, I can help ensure customers derive maximum value from the product while forming lasting partnerships with Kustomer.”
This highlights your background, interest in Kustomer, and the value you offer. Keep it concise while emphasizing fit.
2. Why do you want to leave your current job?
This question uncovers your motivations and any potential red flags. Focus your answer on:
- Seeking growth opportunities not offered in your current role
- Your alignment with Kustomer’s mission and values
- Positive reasons like desired career progression, not negativity
Example: “I’ve learned a tremendous amount in my current role, but I’m now looking to take on more responsibility and have a greater direct impact on customers and business growth. Kustomer offers exciting opportunities to transform customer service through innovative technology, which strongly resonates with my passions. The chance to work with a dynamic, fast-paced team focused on disrupting an industry through a great product is compelling. I appreciate my current company but feel ready for and aligned with Kustomer’s mission.”
This positions your move positively as seeking greater growth and responsibility, not escaping your current job.
3. How do you handle a difficult customer?
With Kustomer’s customer-centricity, expect scenarios probing your patience, empathy, and conflict resolution skills.
- Listen actively and acknowledge their frustration
- Apologize for the inconvenience and take ownership
- Remain calm and focus on resolving, not assigning blame
- Follow up to ensure satisfaction
Example: “First, I listen closely to understand the full context of their complaint. I express empathy for their situation and apologize sincerely for any inconvenience while assuring them I will resolve the issue. I remain calm and focused on brainstorming solutions, bringing in other team members if needed, rather than getting defensive. Once we identify a resolution, I ensure they are satisfied before closing out and follow up to build back trust and reinforce my commitment to excellent service.”
Show you can diffuse tensions and rebuild relationships through empathy and accountability.
4. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer.
Kustomer prioritizes customer obsession, so expect scenarios probing your dedication. Share a specific example highlighting:
- Understanding the customer’s unique needs
- Your perseverance and creative problem-solving
- The “wow” result delivered that exceeded expectations
Example: “We had a client who ran a series of high-profile virtual events with speakers and audiences around the world. During one such event, a coordination issue caused major delays between the speakers and live translation services. Recognizing the time-sensitive, high-impact nature, I jumped in to troubleshoot creative solutions on the fly. This included rapidly setting up direct communication channels between the presenters and translators to synchronize the content delivery and avoid further lags. We bypasssed traditional protocols to minimize disruption. The client was extremely impressed that we averted a major incident, saying our responsiveness saved the event. I was proud to go above and beyond by thinking creatively under pressure.”
Demonstrate you own customers’ problems and persist in delivering wow results, even when it means going off-script.
Top Technical & Problem-Solving Questions
5. Explain how you would improve the performance of an existing feature.
This tests your technical knowledge and optimization skills. Outline your approach:
- Analyze current performance – where are the bottlenecks?
- Identify optimization opportunities – caching, indexing, queries etc.
- Discuss proposed changes with engineers and stakeholders
- Implement and test revisions in staging environment
- Monitor performance metrics before and after changes
- Continuously refine to maximize efficiency
Highlight specific techniques you would leverage based on the company’s tech stack. Demonstrate you can balance optimization with stability.
6. How would you go about debugging a complex production issue?
This probes your systematic debugging skills and poise under pressure.
- Replicate the issue reliably and gather repro steps
- Trace activity in logs to pinpoint any abnormalities
- Isolate potential causes through active debugging or experiments
- Collaborate with team members to leverage collective knowledge
- Once root cause is identified, propose fix and test rigorously before deploying
- Implement monitoring to quickly catch any regressions
Showcase your technical methodology, communication, and calm under fire.
7. What factors would you consider when designing a new feature?
This evaluates your ability to think strategically about product development.
- Align with company’s product roadmap and vision
- Address an important user need or pain point
- Consider ease of implementation, maintenance
- Evaluate potential benefits and costs
- Solicit feedback from stakeholders – engineers, PMs, customers
- Maintain simplicity and avoid feature creep
- Collect data and iterate based on usage
Demonstrate you balance user value with business needs and system constraints.
8. How would you improve the sign-up process on a website?
This tests your analytics abilities and knowledge of UX best practices.
- Study current drop-off rates and where users are churning
- Speak with customer support team to identify common points of confusion
- Consider implementing progressive registration vs. demanding upfront info
- Streamline fields to only essential info
- Add inline validation to provide real-time feedback
- Make password requirements clear upfront
- Include relevant help/info links at each step
- A/B test new sign-up flow before rolling out fully
Showcase how you would diagnose issues, solicit input, and iterate to improve conversion.
Top Culture Fit Interview Questions
9. How would you describe your work style?
Kustomer looks for accountability, transparency, and teamwork. Tailor your answer to their values:
- Highlight being results-driven and taking ownership
- Describe your open communication and collaborative style
- Emphasize listening, learning, and treating colleagues with respect
- Note that you’re comfortable working in an agile, fast-paced environment
Example: “I would describe my work style as results-focused, accountable, and transparent. I take great ownership in my work and persist through challenges to drive positive outcomes. I believe in open communication to foster trust and collaboration across teams – information should flow freely to unite everyone behind shared goals. I enjoy working closely with colleagues to leverage our diverse strengths. Ultimately, I aim to create an environment of mutual respect, listening, and accountability.”
This demonstrates you are a strong culture add.
10. How do you react to critical feedback?
Kustomer expects accountability. Illustrate you:
- Are appreciative of direct, honest feedback as an opportunity to improve
- Listen actively, ask clarifying questions, and don’t get defensive
- Reflect on the feedback objectively and identify areas to act on
- Collaborate with your manager on an action plan and timeline
- Follow through on making the necessary improvements
Example: *”I welcome critical feedback, as it allows me to identify blindspots and strengthen my skills. When receiving it, I listen carefully, express my appreciation for the candor, and ask follow-up questions to fully understand the areas for
201 to 500 employees
17 Reviews4.4Career Growth3.9Work Life Balance3.9Compensation / Benefits4.0Company Culture3.9Management
CUSTOMER SERVICE Interview Questions & Answers! (How to PASS a CUSTOMER SERVICE Job Interview!)
FAQ
How to answer “Can you tell me about yourself?”?
Why are you interested in this position?
Why do you want this job?
How do you write a customer interview guide?
Write a customer interview guide with open-ended interview questions. A customer interview guide should include a rough outline of questions you want to ask and topics you want to cover, in the order you want to cover them. Writing the guide can seem like a daunting task, but we’re here to help.
How to prepare for a customer interview?
Prepare your interview session logistics. Start the interview and build rapport with the customers. Engage with the customer with leading questions and active listening techniques Compose your initial thoughts and notes after the interview. Analyze and organize your raw data into digestible insights (with the help of tools!)
How do you interview a CSM?
Stuff happens. Ask the candidate how they diplomatically share tough news while keeping a customer positive and engaged — or give them a scenario based on a past customer support issue CSMs have had to tackle — to get a sense of their ability to adapt to challenges and bounce back.
Should you ask a customer success interview question?
That’s why it’s imperative when hiring that your customer success interview questions are ones that allow you to gauge whether or not the candidate is the right fit. CSMs specialize in customer service, of course — both providing reactive customer support and proactively offering solutions and strategies for their customers.