What is a Customer Service Representative?
Position Description Interact with customers to provide information in response to inquiries about products and services and to handle and resolve complaints.
Life As a Customer Service Representative: What Do They Do?
- Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
- Resolve customers’ service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills.
- Recommend improvements in products, packaging, shipping, service, or billing methods and procedures to prevent future problems.
- Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers’ problems.
- Order tests that could determine the causes of product malfunctions.
- Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods.
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What a Customer Service Representative Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Customer Service Representatives say are important on the job.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Account Manager
- Customer Complaint Clerk
- Customer Service Specialist
- Telephone Service Adviser
- Customer Care Specialist
Is There Going to be Demand for Customer Service Representatives?
In the United States, there were 2,784,500 jobs for Customer Service Representative in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 4.9% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 136,300 new jobs for Customer Service Representative by 2026. The BLS estimates 373,500 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Customer Service Representative are Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Minnesota, or Massachusetts. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Customer Service Representative Make?
The salary for Customer Service Representatives ranges between about $22,140 and $55,310 a year.
Customer Service Representatives who work in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.
How much do Customer Service Representatives make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,580 |
| Alaska | $39,300 |
| Arizona | $34,570 |
| Arkansas | $32,350 |
| California | $41,850 |
| Colorado | $37,390 |
| Connecticut | $41,160 |
| Delaware | $38,060 |
| District of Columbia | $46,880 |
| Florida | $33,730 |
| Georgia | $35,130 |
| Hawaii | $38,670 |
| Idaho | $32,390 |
| Illinois | $37,840 |
| Indiana | $36,200 |
| Iowa | $37,400 |
| Kansas | $35,330 |
| Kentucky | $32,230 |
| Louisiana | $32,440 |
| Maine | $34,950 |
| Maryland | $37,720 |
| Massachusetts | $43,620 |
| Michigan | $36,650 |
| Minnesota | $39,690 |
| Mississippi | $28,210 |
| Missouri | $35,020 |
| Montana | $34,910 |
| Nebraska | $35,730 |
| Nevada | $33,690 |
| New Hampshire | $38,930 |
| New Jersey | $40,330 |
| New Mexico | $31,380 |
| New York | $40,830 |
| North Carolina | $34,690 |
| North Dakota | $37,910 |
| Ohio | $35,980 |
| Oklahoma | $32,790 |
| Oregon | $37,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,000 |
| Rhode Island | $38,970 |
| South Carolina | $32,320 |
| South Dakota | $31,150 |
| Tennessee | $34,420 |
| Texas | $33,770 |
| Utah | $33,790 |
| Vermont | $37,760 |
| Virginia | $35,030 |
| Washington | $40,820 |
| West Virginia | $31,730 |
| Wisconsin | $37,850 |
| Wyoming | $36,400 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Customer Service Representatives
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Customer Service Representatives:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- SAP
- Microsoft Windows
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Dynamics
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Publisher
- Google Docs
- FileMaker Pro
- Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
- Intuit QuickBooks
How do I Become a Customer Service Representative?
Education needed to be a Customer Service Representative:
What work experience do I need to become a Customer Service Representative?
Customer Service Representatives Sector
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Customer Service Representative might also be interested in the following careers:
Career changers with experience as a Customer Service Representative sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Jace Armstrong via public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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