Customer Service Representatives

enterprising telephone service provide basic information customer payment handle complaint personal service resolve problems

Account Representative, Customer Service Representative (CSR), Customer Service Specialist, Member Services Representative (Member Services Rep)

What they do:
Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.
On the job, you would:
  • Confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints.
  • Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
  • Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.

Knowledge

Business

  • customer service
  • management

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Engineering and Technology

  • computers and electronics

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Social

  • looking for ways to help people
  • bringing people together to solve differences

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Self Control
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Integrity
  • Adaptability/Flexibility

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Customer relationship management CRM software

  • Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
  • Salesforce software Hot Technology

Data base user interface and query software

  • Airtable
  • Yardi software Hot Technology

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

  • Microsoft Dynamics Hot Technology
  • Oracle PeopleSoft Hot Technology

Education

Education: (rated 2 of 5)
high school diploma/GED or
some college
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training
Find Licenses
Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Local Salary Info
Find Jobs
See more details at O*NET OnLine about customer service representatives.