Customer Service Representatives

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People with strong listening and problem-solving skills… who can patiently explain product details and handle complaints… have the key qualities needed to be a customer service representative. Customer service representatives —or CSRs— work in nearly every industry to process orders, provide information about products and services, and resolve complaints… usually by phone, although some work with customers face-to-face, by email, or live chat. Customer service representative duties vary by industry: they may answer banking account questions, track utility service outage reports, process returns and refunds in a store, or help customers find a product they’re looking for online. Many CSR positions are in telephone call centers, credit and insurance agencies, banks, and retail stores. Representatives often answer calls in a large, shared work area, which can be crowded and noisy. Some CSRs are required to take a certain number of calls during their shift, and all CSRs deal with at least the occasional dissatisfied customer. Most representatives work full time… schedules may include nights, early mornings, weekends, or holidays. Customer service representatives typically need a high school diploma and are trained on the job. Good communication skills and experience using computers are helpful for candidates.