Situational judgment tests (SJTs) have become increasingly popular in recent years as a tool for assessing job applicants’ likely behaviors and judgments in practical, work-specific situations. They also have an added benefit for test-takers: SJTs clearly relate to the job that the person has applied for and communicate some of the potential employers’ expectations of ideal work behavior.
In customer service roles, where understanding and meeting customers’ needs is key to success, SJTs can play a valuable role in screening for the best candidates. The TTS Customer Centric SJT is a prime example of a test that is specifically designed to assess a candidate’s ability to understand and meet customer expectations while influencing their decisions, especially within the South African market.
In this article, we explore the key features, constructs measured, and applications of this SJT, as well as its administration and potential benefits.
Key features
The TTS Customer Centric SJT is specifically applicable to customer service roles, making it highly relevant to employers looking to fill such positions. It measures applied judgment and understanding of customer needs, with a focus on testing for the likelihood of applying effective judgments in customer service situations.
Constructs measured
The TTS Customer Centricity SJT assesses four key constructs:
- Overall situational judgment (Customer Centricity): This composite score provides users with a global estimation of the candidate’s likelihood of applying effective judgments in customer service situations.
- Understanding customer needs: This construct relates to understanding the client’s frame of reference through applying communication and interpersonal acumen.
- Meeting customer expectations: Measures the candidate’s drive to meet customer expectations by taking ownership and initiating action to satisfy the customer’s needs.
- Influencing customer decisions: Assesses the candidate’s ability to use negotiation skills and professional expertise to influence the customer’s actions.
Applications
The TTS Customer Centric SJT can be used in various applications, including recruitment, screening, and selection. It can help employers identify candidates who are likely to be successful in customer service roles and help ensure that candidates clearly understand the employer’s expectations of competent behaviors and judgments within specific customer-facing contexts.
As with most SJTs, the TTS Customer Centric SJT is a cost-effective solution for high-volume screening projects, making it a valuable tool for employers who have large volumes of applicants that need to be shortlisted for further assessments or interviews.
Administration
The TTS Customer Centric SJT is available in mobile and computer-based online formats, making it easy to administer to candidates in a variety of settings. The test includes 18 customer service role situations and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete (including a 5-minute practice example).
This makes it a quick and efficient tool for employers who need to assess large numbers of candidates in a short amount of time.
Benefits
This SJT offers several key benefits to employers:
- It provides a clear and objective way to assess a candidate’s capacity to make effective client-centric judgments which in turn can aid employers in selecting candidates who are likely to be successful in customer service roles.
- As mentioned previously, the SJT can help educate candidates on the employer’s expectations of competent behaviors and judgments within specific contexts. This can help ensure that candidates are better prepared for the demands of the job and may reduce turnover rates by ensuring that new hires are better matched to the specific requirements of the role.
- To the point above, the high face validity of the measure means that employers and test-takers alike can clearly see the relevance and connection of the test to actual job situations, enhancing buy-in and test motivation.
- The SJT is a cost-effective and predictive measure, making it a valuable tool for employers who need to make informed hiring decisions.
Conclusion
The TTS Customer Centric SJT is a valuable tool for assessing a candidate’s ability to understand and meet customer needs, as well as their potential for influencing customer decisions.
Its focus on customer service roles makes it highly relevant to employers in a variety of industries, and its quick administration will no doubt be valued by assessment and recruitment professionals who are under pressure to reduce time-to-hire.
If you would like to know more about this and other products that TTS uses to help improve our clients’ talent decisions, drop us a line at info@tts-talent.com and one of our expert consultants will be in touch!