Customer Service Careers Information
Customer service representatives are the human connection between organizations and companies and their customers and clients. Whether responding to inquiries in person, by phone, or by email, fax, or other medium, customer service workers solve problems, give advice, and answer questions for the general public.
Customer Service Careers & Degrees
Customer service workers include repair and service department workers, technical assistance, account service, or any other position that is responsible for responding to, and solving, customer issues and requests. Others work in call centers, and handle hundreds of customer calls per day.
Most customer service inquiries revolve around basic questions or requests, and are handled in routine ways. Some requests, however, are more involved, and can require research on the part of the customer service representative. In some highly specialized industries, customer service responsibilities involve knowing who within an organization has the expertise to respond to certain inquiries.
Customer Service Careers Path
Some customer service jobs historically required only a high school diploma. However, as competition for customer service jobs has grown from overseas competition, the increased flexibility and knowledge that comes with a bachelor’s degree is becoming increasingly crucial.
Nearly all customer service representatives are given formal training to ensure knowledge of the organization’s policies and procedures, so workers often have degrees from a variety of backgrounds. However, an in-depth working knowledge of computers and an ability to quickly learn proprietary software is often crucial.
Customer Service Careers: Compatible Personality Traits
Excellent communications skills, calm & composed, excellent research and problem-solving skills, high level of computer proficiency
Customer Service Careers: Salary Expectations
The salaries for customer service positions vary somewhat by job title and experience. Most entry-level customer service representatives earn between $27,000-$34000 annually.
The salary range for retail customer service representatives is even wider, with most earning between $28,000 and $44,000 per year. Experienced customer service managers, however, can earn between $60,000 and $81,000 annually.
Customer Service Careers: Job Outlook
As customer service is important to nearly every facet of corporate activity, employment within customer service is expected to grow faster than average by 2018. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to grow by 18%.
Slightly Off the Footpath
Sources: salary.com; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos280.htm (visited November 8, 2011).
