Client Focus
Providing service excellence to internal and/or external clients.
BEHAVIORS
- Responds to client needs in a timely, professional, helpful, and courteous manner, regardless of client attitude.
- Shows clients that their perspectives are valued.
- Strives to meet service standards in all circumstances.
QUESTIONS
- Provide an example of a time when you sought feedback from clients/partners.
Probing Questions
* Why and how did you seek the feedback?
* What feedback did the client/partner provide?
* How did you use their feedback?
- Describe a situation where a client was particularly satisfied by your response to a request or need.
Probing Questions
* Describe the situation, including the client's need/request.
* What was your role in meeting the client's request?
* What did you do to meet the client's request?
* What effect did your response to the client have on the work being done?
- Provide an example of a time when you went out of your way to be responsive to a client.
Probing Questions
* Describe the situation.
* How did you know what the client wanted and/or what was important?
* What was it that you did for the client?
* What was the outcome?
Level 2. Maintains client contact
BEHAVIORS
- Follows up with clients during and after the delivery of services to ensure that their needs have been met.
- Keeps clients up-to-date on the progress of the service they are receiving and changes that affect them.
- Maintains service to clients during critical periods.
- Addresses clients' issues in order of priority.
QUESTIONS
- Please describe an example of a time when you followed up on a problem or issue with a client to be sure that their needs had been met.
Probing Questions
* Describe the work you were doing for the client.
* What issue/problem was involved?
* How did you follow up with the client?
* What plan did you offer to the client to follow up on outstanding issues, if there were any?
* How satisfied was the client with this?
- Describe a time when you made a definite point of keeping in touch with a client throughout a project or on-going activity.
Probing Questions
* Describe the situation. (e.g., client, client needs to be met, own role in meeting client's need).
* Was any plan for staying in touch put in place at the start of the activity or project?
* What role, if any, did the client have in staying in touch?
* What impact, if any, did staying on touch have on the project or activity?
- Tell us about a time when your ability to stay in contact with a client proved to be critical to providing good service to them.
Probing Questions
* Who was the client?
* What did you do to stay in touch?
* How did staying in touch prove to be critical?
Level 3. Provides added value
BEHAVIORS
- Looks for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests.
- Addresses the unidentified, underlying and long-term client needs.
- Enhances client service delivery systems and processes.
- Anticipates clients' upcoming needs and concerns.
QUESTIONS
- Clients’ needs are not always clear. How have you helped a client in the past to determine what resources or services they needed to address their situation?
Probing Questions
* Describe the client's situation.
* What kind of help did the client require in determining their needs?
* How was the client able to make use of your ideas?
* How did this help the outcome of the client's project (or situation)?
* Tell us about a time when you took steps to improve the service being provided to a client.
Probing Questions
* What service was being provided?
* How did you go about improving it?
* How did the client respond?
* Describe a time when you met a client need that had not previously been addressed.
Probing Questions
* What services were being provided and to what client?
* How did you come to identify the un-addressed need?
* What did you do to address the need?
* What was the outcome?
Level 4. Provides seasoned advice
BEHAVIORS
- Acts as a seasoned adviser, providing independent opinion on complex client problems and novel initiatives, and assisting with decision-making.
- Pushes client to consider difficult issues that are in their best interests.
- Advocates on behalf of clients to more senior management, identifying approaches that meet clients' needs as well as those of the organization.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you provided high quality service based on your ability to assist a client to resolve a complex issue.
Probing Questions
* What client and issue were involved?
* What made the issue complex?
* How did you go about helping the client?
* What was the outcome?
- Describe a time when you worked closely with a client to help them make a difficult decision that would affect them.
Probing Questions
* What decision needed to be made?
* What were the circumstances surrounding the difficult decision?
* Why did the client seek your participation?
* What role did you play/the client play in making the decision?
* How did this decision end up affecting the client?
Level 5. Ensures continued service excellence
BEHAVIORS
- Formulates strategies and processes to evaluate emerging and longer-term opportunities and threats to meeting clients' needs.
- Determines strategic business direction to best meet clients' evolving needs.
- Evaluates the client service model and service standards to identify areas for improvement.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you established or revised your organization's client service standards.
Probing Questions
* Describe the situation. (e.g., What service standards were at issue? What was your role in establishing/revising the standards?)
* How did you go about establishing/revising the standards? Who else, if anyone, did you involve?
* What factors did you take into account in establishing/revising the standards?
* What was the outcome?
- Describe a time when you adjusted your organization's service delivery model, for example, to better meet clients' needs, or better respond to emerging opportunities or threats to service delivery.
Probing Questions
* What service model was in place?
* What promoted the need to make adjustments?
* What changes did you make to the service model?
* What was the outcome?