Customer service representatives, customer service advisors, customer service agents, or customer service associates interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.
/ref> Customer service representatives answer questions or requests from customers or the public. They typically provide services by phone, but some also interact with customers face to face, by email or text, via live chat, and through social media. Qualifications include good communication, problem-solving, and computer skills.
Required skills
Customer service representative positions often require at least a high school diploma. Representatives often have some experience with office software.[{{cite web , url=https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Customer_Service_Representative_(CSR)/Hourly_Rate , title=Average Customer Service Representative (CSR) Hourly Pay , date=November 5, 2018 , website=]PayScale
Payscale is an American compensation software and data company which helps employers manage employee compensation and employees understand their worth in the job market. The website was launched on January 1, 2002. It was founded by Joe Giordano a ...
, accessdate=November 7, 2018
First impressions are very important in this job. The moment one begins to communicate with a customer, one is being judged. The way one communicates with a customer will not only influence how the conversation develops, but the overall impression of the CSR and the organization they represent. There are five key customer service skills that define the best CSRs:
* Ability to establish rapport with customers.
* Problem solving
Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
* Strong listening skills
* Strong commercial awareness
* Team work
Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way. This concept is seen within the greater framework of a team, which is a group of interdependent individua ...
ing
Salary
Although earnings may vary, the median hourly average for CSRs in 2017 was $15.81, in the US.[ People in this job typically have less than 20 years' experience. Skills that are associated with high pay for this job are those in customer service metrics, ]Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketin ...
, customer relationship management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or other organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information.
CRM systems compile data from a r ...
, and oral and verbal communication.
See also
* Sales territory
References
Business occupations