RBS Customer Service Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer is waiting a long time at an RBS branch and begins to show signs of frustration. What is the BEST response from staff?
- Acknowledge the wait, provide an honest estimate of remaining time, and thank the customer for their patience (Correct answer)
- Ignore the customer to avoid drawing attention to the wait time
- Tell the customer they can leave and return another day if they are in a hurry
- Speed up the transaction with the current customer to reduce the wait even if it increases errors
Correct answer: Acknowledge the wait, provide an honest estimate of remaining time, and thank the customer for their patience
Acknowledging the wait with honest information and appreciation shows respect for the customer's time and reduces frustration.
Question 2: Which technique is MOST effective for confirming you have understood a customer's concern correctly?
- Paraphrasing the customer's concern back to them and asking if your understanding is correct (Correct answer)
- Immediately proposing a solution based on your initial interpretation
- Asking yes/no questions only to confirm individual facts
- Telling the customer what their concern should be based on standard issues
Correct answer: Paraphrasing the customer's concern back to them and asking if your understanding is correct
Paraphrasing and checking understanding is the most reliable method to ensure accurate comprehension before responding.
Question 3: A customer at RBS insists on speaking with the branch manager immediately about a minor account issue you are fully qualified to resolve. What should you do?
- Assure the customer you can help them and begin addressing the issue, offering to involve the manager if the resolution is unsatisfactory (Correct answer)
- Immediately hand over to the manager without attempting to help
- Tell the customer the manager is unavailable and leave it at that
- Ask the customer why they want to speak to the manager before deciding what to do
Correct answer: Assure the customer you can help them and begin addressing the issue, offering to involve the manager if the resolution is unsatisfactory
Offering to resolve the issue yourself while acknowledging the customer's escalation preference respects both their autonomy and service efficiency.
Question 4: What does 'first-contact resolution' mean in RBS's customer service context?
- Resolving a customer's issue completely during their first interaction without requiring further contact (Correct answer)
- Answering the customer's call within one ring
- Offering the first available product that matches the customer's initial request
- Logging the customer's issue on the first day it is reported
Correct answer: Resolving a customer's issue completely during their first interaction without requiring further contact
First-contact resolution means fully solving the customer's issue in the initial interaction, improving satisfaction and reducing repeat contacts.
Question 5: How should an RBS employee communicate a decision the customer will not like, such as a loan being declined?
- Deliver the decision clearly and respectfully, explain the reason briefly, and offer information on alternative options or next steps (Correct answer)
- Avoid explaining the reason to prevent the customer from arguing the decision
- Apologize profusely without explaining the reason for the decline
- Tell the customer to reapply immediately with a different application
Correct answer: Deliver the decision clearly and respectfully, explain the reason briefly, and offer information on alternative options or next steps
Clear, respectful delivery with a brief explanation and alternative options turns a negative outcome into a constructive interaction.
Question 6: A customer returns to RBS repeatedly about the same unresolved issue. What does this indicate and how should you respond?
- The issue was not fully resolved previously; take ownership, review the full history, and commit to a complete resolution with a clear timeline (Correct answer)
- The customer is being difficult and should be directed to a formal complaint process
- The issue is too complex to resolve and should be closed
- Another representative should take over each time to prevent burnout from dealing with the same customer
Correct answer: The issue was not fully resolved previously; take ownership, review the full history, and commit to a complete resolution with a clear timeline
Repeat contacts signal incomplete resolution; taking ownership and reviewing the full history is the most effective path to a real fix.
RBS Customer Service Skills 2
A customer is waiting a long time at an RBS branch and begins to show signs of frustration.
What is the BEST response from staff?