Tell me about a time you had to tell a customer no — what they wanted wasn't possible, allowed, or wise. How did you do it?

Service orientation gets tested at no, not yes — anyone can serve by agreeing. A real refusal shows whether the candidate protects the relationship and the customer's interests at the same time, or buys short-term peace with a yes that fails later.

• What did you offer alongside the no?
• How did they respond, and what did you do with that?
• Did the no hold, or did it get escalated over you?
• Looking back, was no the right call?

A straight no delivered early instead of a slow fade, the reason explained in the customer's terms, an alternative or partial path offered where one existed, and the relationship intact afterward — or an honest account of why it wasn't.

The no was passed to someone else or hidden behind policy-speak, a yes was given first and walked back later, or the customer's reaction is recounted with contempt.