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.