Situational Judgment Assessment
- 1.
You are working as a graduate trainee in a large bank. Whilst undertaking your placement with the customer service team, you take a call from an upset client. He is claiming that he was expecting a refund on some banking fees he was wrongly charged for but he has not received them. He explains that a colleague of yours promised the refund would be in his account today but the money has not arrived yet. He is getting more upset and is raising his voice to you. What would you say to him?
- A.
I will do all I can to help you with this issue. If you give me your account details I will investigate what has happened here.
- B.
Let me check with the colleague you mentioned about what the situation is. If you can hold for a couple of minutes I will speak to them and will be back with you in no time.
- C.
Sir, I can hear that you are really upset but I need you to calm down so that I can help you
- D.
I am sure there is a logical explanation for this. If you give me your details I will look into it for you
Correct Answer
A. I will do all I can to help you with this issue. If you give me your account details I will investigate what has happened here.Explanation
The correct answer is the most appropriate response in this situation. By expressing empathy and offering to investigate the issue, the customer feels heard and reassured that their concern is being taken seriously. Asking for the account details shows a willingness to look into the matter and find a resolution. This response demonstrates good customer service skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.Rate this question:
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- 2.
You are working as a graduate trainee in an electronics company and are currently part of an international project team looking at new routes to market. During a conference call you are finding it difficult to understand what one of your colleagues is saying. She is a graduate trainee like you and you have met her a few times during a couple of conferences you both attended and you got on well. Her accent is very strong and she has a tendency to speak very quickly when she is nervous. She is one of a number of people dialing in from outside of the UK. You are in a meeting room with the project lead and a couple of other colleagues. You can see that your colleagues are also finding it difficult to understand her. What would you do?
- A.
When your colleague is no longer speaking, send her an instant message explaining that she may benefit from slowing down a little as there are a few people who are finding it difficult to understand her in the room where you are
- B.
After the call acknowledge your concerns to the others in the room and suggest that you all compare notes to make sure you have a shared understanding of what she was actually saying.
- C.
Mention your concerns to the project lead after the call, offering to speak to your colleague if the project lead would like you to, explaining that you have a working relationship with her.
- D.
Call your colleague afterwards to ask how she is finding the project and tactfully mention that at times you found it difficult to understand what she was saying, politely suggesting that just slowing down a little would help.
Correct Answer
D. Call your colleague afterwards to ask how she is finding the project and tactfully mention that at times you found it difficult to understand what she was saying, politely suggesting that just slowing down a little would help.Explanation
After the conference call, it would be appropriate to call your colleague and ask about her experience with the project. During the conversation, you can tactfully mention that there were moments when you found it difficult to understand her due to her strong accent and fast speaking. By politely suggesting that slowing down a little would help, you are offering constructive feedback to improve communication in future interactions. This approach shows empathy and concern for her experience while also addressing the issue of understanding her during conference calls.Rate this question:
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- 3.
You recently submitted a paper to an upcoming professional conference that will be attended by many people from your industry and from universities globally. You have attended the conference in the past and it is very well attended and highly regarded in the industry. The paper is a summary of some very complex research you have been undertaking with some key findings that you believe people will find very interesting and useful. Upon learning that it has been accepted, your manager asks you to think about how you will present your findings in order to make the biggest impact. You only have a short time slot for your presentation. How would you respond?
- A.
Say that you intend to use a lot of graphics and images to try and draw out a handful of key messages.
- B.
Say that you intend to create a presentation that mirrors the wider research paper that you wrote with similar section headers.
- C.
Ask your manager what they think would be the best approach to use based on their experience.
- D.
Say that you will spend a small amount of time introducing your approach to the research but will mainly discuss your key findings and conclusions.
Correct Answer
D. Say that you will spend a small amount of time introducing your approach to the research but will mainly discuss your key findings and conclusions.Explanation
The answer suggests that the speaker will focus on the key findings and conclusions during the presentation, while only briefly introducing the approach to the research. This approach is effective because the audience at the conference is likely more interested in the results and implications of the research rather than the detailed methodology. By prioritizing the key findings and conclusions, the speaker can ensure that they make the biggest impact and engage the audience effectively within the limited time slot.Rate this question:
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- 4.
As part of your graduate training scheme with a large energy company you have been undertaking a variety of placements with different departments in the business. You are close to finishing a really successful placement in the Procurement team and will be moving onto the Finance team in a week's time. At lunchtime a colleague from Procurement, who you have become quite close to, takes you aside and warns you that there are a number of people in the Finance team who she has had problems with in the past. She says that there are people in Finance who are not to be trusted in her view and that you would be better off avoiding them if you can. What would you say?
- A.
What makes you think they can’t be trusted? What advice can you offer about how to work with them?
- B.
What are you basing that opinion on? Could it be that you misinterpreted their actions or intentions towards you?
- C.
I don’t think it is appropriate for you to talk about people in this manner and I’m afraid it’s probably best if we end this conversation now.
- D.
Thanks for flagging that but it’s probably better if I go there with an open mind rather than having preconceptions about my future colleagues.
Correct Answer
D. Thanks for flagging that but it’s probably better if I go there with an open mind rather than having preconceptions about my future colleagues.Explanation
The answer suggests that it is better to approach the situation with an open mind and not make assumptions or judgments about the Finance team based on someone else's negative experiences. It demonstrates a level of professionalism and maturity, indicating that the person is willing to form their own opinions and give their future colleagues a fair chance.Rate this question:
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- 5.
You are working as a trainee manager within a leisure company. Your current placement is at a busy city center leisure club. You receive a call from head office explaining that a smaller, nearby leisure club has had a large number of staff call in sick today due to illness. The contact from head office asks if you would be able to spend at least half a day at the other leisure club today as the manager is off sick and the deputy manager is on holiday. You have a large pile of paperwork to complete today along with a number of internal meetings with your own team at your club. How would you respond?
- A.
Explain your situation and ask the person calling from head office how they would like you to prioritize your day.
- B.
Suggest to head office that they give you half an hour to re-plan your day and promise to call them back with a response.
- C.
Offer to call round a number of other local clubs to try and find another manager who might be able to support the understaffed club today as you are really busy.
- D.
Agree to spend half a day at the other club and simply take the paperwork with you.
Correct Answer
B. Suggest to head office that they give you half an hour to re-plan your day and promise to call them back with a response.Explanation
The suggested answer is to ask for half an hour to re-plan the day and promise to call back with a response. This response shows that the trainee manager is considering their current workload and responsibilities before committing to spending half a day at the other club. By asking for time to re-plan, they can assess the urgency of the situation and determine if they can accommodate the request without compromising their own tasks and meetings. It also shows professionalism and responsibility by promising to provide a prompt response.Rate this question:
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- 6.
You have been on the graduate training scheme with a government department for almost six months. You joined with three other trainees and have been working closely with them on a number of initiatives and projects. You notice a change in one of your colleagues. He has not been his usual self for a few days now. Earlier today you think you overhead your manager talking about him too, saying that he had not been impressed with his contribution during a recent customer meeting. You and this colleague are due to jointly submit a piece of work for a customer in the next week and you are worried that he might not be able to deliver on it successfully. What would you do?
- A.
Offer to take your colleague for a coffee and ask him how he is doing, explaining that you are worried he hasn’t been himself recently and you are worried about him.
- B.
Take your colleague aside and explain that you can see that he is not functioning as well as usual at the moment and offer to deliver the majority of the work on the upcoming customer project.
- C.
Keep an eye on your colleague over the next few days, looking for ways to work more closely with him as you do so.
- D.
Tactfully approach your manager and explain that you couldn’t help overhearing what he said about your colleague and that you think there may be something wrong.
Correct Answer
A. Offer to take your colleague for a coffee and ask him how he is doing, explaining that you are worried he hasn’t been himself recently and you are worried about him.Explanation
The best course of action in this situation is to offer support and show concern for your colleague. By taking him for a coffee and asking how he is doing, you are creating an opportunity for him to open up and share any issues he may be facing. It shows that you are observant and care about his well-being. This approach allows for a personal and supportive conversation, which can help address any problems he might be experiencing and potentially find a solution together.Rate this question:
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- 7.
Your position as a graduate trainee with a global bank means that you are currently working in a high street branch. Your manager has asked you to consider what options you would recommend that will increase business development opportunities within the branch. There are a number of initiatives that have been put in place recently that offer solutions tailored for small/medium businesses (SMEs) but the team of branch assistants have had little success when discussing the packages with customers who use the bank. The team has undergone training on these solutions and other branches seem to be successfully marketing them to SMEs in their area. The team in your branch has direct responsibility for sales of this nature and their individual targets reflect this. What would you do?
- A.
Speak to colleagues in the more successful branches and ask them what they are doing that is proving to be so successful in relation to these initiatives.
- B.
Offer to run another briefing on the solutions on offer for the branch members who are speaking to customers about them.
- C.
Suggest to your manager that you arrange a free networking/business development event for key local businesses one evening at a nearby hotel.
- D.
Suggest that you could spend a few days calling local businesses to discuss the offer with them and to try and close some sales yourself in that way.
Correct Answer
A. Speak to colleagues in the more successful branches and ask them what they are doing that is proving to be so successful in relation to these initiatives.Explanation
The best option to increase business development opportunities within the branch is to speak to colleagues in the more successful branches and ask them what they are doing that is proving to be so successful in relation to these initiatives. This will allow the graduate trainee to gather valuable insights and strategies that can be implemented in their own branch. By learning from the success of others, they can identify best practices and tailor their approach to effectively market the solutions to SMEs. This approach promotes knowledge sharing and collaboration within the organization, ultimately leading to improved sales performance.Rate this question:
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- 8.
Whilst working as a graduate trainee at a small consulting firm you have noticed that there is a lot of useful research that is conducted in-house and on behalf of clients. You can see that this would benefit colleagues and clients alike in many ways but currently there isn't an obvious way to disseminate this. You bring this to the attention of your manager and she suggests that you give this some thought and propose a way to improve practice. What would you do?
- A.
Suggest that you set up a webinar every 6 months where key people from the organization are invited to share the findings from their recent research with other employees.
- B.
Suggest that the company runs a 2-day internal conference annually which has a direct focus on sharing research findings with all employees.
- C.
Suggest that an area is created on the company intranet where people are encouraged to upload the research that they undertake.
- D.
Suggest that the company could set up a ‘Research Forum’ whose remit is to ensure the successful sharing of research across the business with representatives from all relevant departments.
Correct Answer
D. Suggest that the company could set up a ‘Research Forum’ whose remit is to ensure the successful sharing of research across the business with representatives from all relevant departments.Explanation
Setting up a 'Research Forum' would be an effective way to improve the dissemination of research within the company. This forum would involve representatives from all relevant departments, ensuring that research findings are shared across the business. By having a dedicated group responsible for this task, there would be a systematic and organized approach to sharing research, making it easily accessible to all employees. This would facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and ultimately benefit both colleagues and clients by harnessing the valuable research conducted in-house and on behalf of clients.Rate this question:
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- 9.
You receive call from the customer following up on his shipment around 10am. You request shipment tracking number (Airway bill) and find out that the shipment has been delivered yesterday at 5pm. However after informing the delivery details, the customer advises you that he has not received anything. What would you do?
- A.
Apologize to the customer, request to put him on hold, contact the courier who delivered the shipment, acquire information where shipment was delivered and who received it, get back to customer and explain. If customer is not satisfied with your answer, open a tracing file, inform customer who’s the backline advisor who will handle the case and next callback time, advise customer on the benefits of signing for sms delivery notification for his future shpts
- B.
Apologize to customer, advise him that you are not sure what exactly happened, and that you need to contact Operations team to get further information, advise him that you will get back to him within 24h as you need some time to review the incident with the courier in charge of the route
- C.
Apologize to customer, advise him that you will investigate about the incident and you will get back to him within 24h.
- D.
Apologize to customer, request his phone number, explain that you need to investigate in order to provide an accurate feedback, advise him that you will open a complaint on our system, advise him that the complaint handling team will investigate the incident and provide him with response within 24h.
Correct Answer
A. Apologize to the customer, request to put him on hold, contact the courier who delivered the shipment, acquire information where shipment was delivered and who received it, get back to customer and explain. If customer is not satisfied with your answer, open a tracing file, inform customer who’s the backline advisor who will handle the case and next callback time, advise customer on the benefits of signing for sms delivery notification for his future shptsExplanation
The correct answer is to apologize to the customer, request to put him on hold, contact the courier who delivered the shipment, acquire information about where the shipment was delivered and who received it, and then get back to the customer to explain. If the customer is not satisfied with the answer, open a tracing file and inform the customer about the backline advisor who will handle the case and the next callback time. Additionally, advise the customer on the benefits of signing up for SMS delivery notifications for future shipments. This answer demonstrates a proactive approach to resolving the issue and providing the customer with accurate information and potential solutions.Rate this question:
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- 10.
You receive call from the customer at 12nn complaining about a booking request for a 0.5 document that courier did not collect the previous day. You requested for the booking reference and find out that the booking was completed with shipment way bill number available. You checked the way bill and it shows correct customer information and consignee details as booked. No other bookings made for the same company that day. However, customer is saying that the actual shipment is with him. In fact he is currently holding it. What would you do?
- A.
Apologize to customer, open a trace and advise the customer that the complaint handling team will investigate the incident and get back to him within 24h.
- B.
Apologize to customer, arrange new booking, offer him FOC shipment to compensate on the missed pickup the day before, arrange priority collection and provide assurance that investigation will be done and appropriate measures will be put in place to avoid recurrence.
- C.
Apologize to customer, request to put him on hold, call the courier to understand how another shipment was sent with the same information, explain to customer what the courier has told you, arrange new booking for the customer.
- D.
Apologize to the customer, open a trace, schedule another booking, send email communication to operations, arrange for priority collection, inform customer of collection time and transit time, provide assurance to customer that investigation will be done and appropriate measures will be put in place to avoid recurrence, offer FOC to resolve issue.
Correct Answer
D. Apologize to the customer, open a trace, schedule another booking, send email communication to operations, arrange for priority collection, inform customer of collection time and transit time, provide assurance to customer that investigation will be done and appropriate measures will be put in place to avoid recurrence, offer FOC to resolve issue.Explanation
In this scenario, the customer is complaining about a booking request for a document that was not collected by the courier the previous day. However, upon checking the way bill, it shows that the booking was completed with the correct customer and consignee details. The customer claims to have the shipment with him currently. To address the issue, the best course of action would be to apologize to the customer, open a trace to investigate the incident, schedule another booking, inform operations via email, arrange for priority collection, provide the customer with the collection time and transit time, assure the customer that an investigation will be conducted, and offer a free of charge (FOC) shipment to compensate for the missed pickup and resolve the issue.Rate this question:
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- 11.
You receive call from an angry customer at 8pm complaining on the booking request freight cost your colleague quoted during booking. Customer advised that they have been charged double and paid for it due to shipment urgency.Customer would like to speak to a manager right away and is currently on the way to your office and threatening to file a complaint to consumer rights government agencies if not refunded and demanded to have the cash ready as soon as he reached your office. What would you say?
- A.
Apologize to customer, request shipment full details, advice the customer that you will open complaint but you will not be able to get any feedback now as it is very late. You advise him that you will contact the manager first thing in the morning and arrange for refund.
- B.
Apologize to customer, request shipment full details, advise the customer that you have to call him back as you need to check with your colleague shipment details such as weight, you also advise customer not to go to our office now as it is closed and it will not be possible to do the refund, you request to come next day at specific time, you provide him with your phone number to follow up the next day.
- C.
Apologize to customer, request shipment details, advise customer that you have to call him back as you need to check if there is discrepancy in weight, open a complaint file, provide the reference to customer, advise him that he will get a call back from the manager the next day early morning to explain the refund process.
- D.
Apologize to the customer, acquire full shipment details and transaction details, check if there’s discrepancy on weight or reweigh done, If no customer error, explain the refund process, open a complaint file, provide complaint reference number to customer, coordinate with Duty Manager, inform/agree with the customer for the next callback date and time.
Correct Answer
D. Apologize to the customer, acquire full shipment details and transaction details, check if there’s discrepancy on weight or reweigh done, If no customer error, explain the refund process, open a complaint file, provide complaint reference number to customer, coordinate with Duty Manager, inform/agree with the customer for the next callback date and time.Explanation
The correct answer suggests that the appropriate response in this situation is to apologize to the customer and gather all necessary information regarding the shipment and transaction. The next step is to check for any discrepancies in weight or reweighing that may have caused the double charge. If it is determined that there was no error on the customer's part, the refund process should be explained and a complaint file opened, with a reference number provided to the customer. The Duty Manager should be involved in coordinating the resolution, and a specific date and time for a callback should be agreed upon with the customer.Rate this question:
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- 12.
You receive call from a demanding customer pushing for delivery of the shipment from AUH to DXB at 10am, 0.5kg shipment, containing customer’s credit card from AMEX. The customer who is the receiver advised that the credit card will be handed over to your company for delivery.You ask for the shipment tracking/way bill number and find out that there’s no shipment checkpoint generate, no pick up scan. Customer is the CEO of one of your top account holders and threatens to pull out their account from your company if shipment is not delivered the same day as he is leaving the country with scheduled flight the same day, evening at 10pm. What would you do?
- A.
Explain to customer the local pick up, transit and delivery time standards. Apologize that same day delivery will not be possible because shpt is not handed to your company yet, request that receiver has to check with his shipper why the delay has occurred.
- B.
Explain to customer the local pick up, transit and delivery time standards. Call the office in AUH to request if shpt was handed to them, advise AUH Ops Manager that receiver is very important account, advise him that he needs to arrange separate courier to come and deliver shpt to Dubai as we will lose the account if the delivery is not completed, assure the customer that he will get his shipment by today.
- C.
Explain to customer the local pick up, transit and delivery time standards, Apologize to customer that same day delivery will not be possible because shipment is not yet handed over to your company by his shipper, inform customer account manager about the incident, request if he could arrange with Operation to arrange special pickup, set callback time frame with account manager and inform customer the time he will receive a call.
- D.
Explain to customer the local pick up, transit and delivery time standards, Apologize to customer that same day delivery will not be possible because shipment is not yet handed over to your company by his shipper, if customer still insist and repeat the threat of pulling out the account from your company, inform customer that we’ll coordinate with his account manager and operations team, check records who’s managing the account, coordinate with the account manager, inform customer the name of the account manager and provide assurance that he will be kept updated, set callback time frame with account manager and inform customer the time he will receive a call.
Correct Answer
B. Explain to customer the local pick up, transit and delivery time standards. Call the office in AUH to request if shpt was handed to them, advise AUH Ops Manager that receiver is very important account, advise him that he needs to arrange separate courier to come and deliver shpt to Dubai as we will lose the account if the delivery is not completed, assure the customer that he will get his shipment by today.Explanation
In this scenario, the customer is demanding same-day delivery of a shipment that has not yet been handed over to the company. The correct answer suggests explaining to the customer the local pick up, transit, and delivery time standards. Then, the company should call the office in AUH to check if the shipment was handed over to them. The AUH Ops Manager should be advised that the receiver is a very important account and that a separate courier needs to be arranged to deliver the shipment to Dubai. The customer should be assured that he will receive his shipment by today. This solution addresses the customer's demand while also taking appropriate steps to ensure the delivery is completed.Rate this question:
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Mar 21, 2023Quiz Edited by
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Aug 29, 2016Quiz Created by
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