Tell me about a time when you interacted with an unhappy patient.

An interviewer may ask how you deal with difficult customers to learn more about your customer service experience. Your answers can help them better understand how you approach resolving customer complaints and your knowledge of common customer service skills and conflict resolution strategies. These questions specifically provide insight into your problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills and ability to work in stressful situations and diffuse tense situations.

An interviewer may also ask these questions to learn more about you as a person. Your answers may indicate how you react to angry customers and what you will do to resolve the situation to avoid losing customers. An interviewer may also use your response to evaluate how enthusiastic they think you are about the position and delivering excellent customer service.

Example: “I had an experience with an unhappy patient when I was working as a Medical Assistant at my previous job. The patient had come in for their annual physical and was not happy about the wait time. When they finally got to see me, they were very frustrated and started expressing their dissatisfaction.

I stayed calm and professional throughout the interaction and tried to understand why they were so upset. After listening to them, I apologized for the long wait and explained that we were running behind due to unforeseen circumstances. I then offered to reschedule their appointment for another day if that would make them more comfortable.

The patient eventually calmed down and accepted my offer to reschedule. Before they left, I made sure to thank them for their patience and understanding. This experience taught me how important it is to stay composed and professional even when dealing with difficult patients. It also showed me the importance of being empathetic and understanding towards those who are having a hard time.”