Titles for people performing this work include customer service associate, customer service agent, customer service lead, and customer service manager. The majority of jobs are with finance and insurance companies. Other typical employers include retailers, catalog companies, utility firms, government agencies, insurance agencies, and airlines.
Most employees work in a call center, but there is a growing shift towards telecommuting from home. The majority of customer service workers are located in South Dakota, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. Customer service workers can have varied shifts, because many call centers are open 24 hours, every day. There is always a need for employees in this line of work. Offshore outsourcing is a concern. However, many companies have found it better for business to bring those jobs back home.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupation Outlook Handbook 2010-2011 states the customer service occupation is expected to grow faster than average. Only nursing and retail sales are expected to add more jobs than this field.*
*According to the BLS, http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Job Responsibilities
Maintaining exemplary customer service relationships is vital to the success of any business. It is the job of employees in the customer service sector to aid in this goal. These professionals act as liaisons between the company and the company’s customers. This is accomplished by providing effective solutions to problems. Communication with customers can take place in person, or via telephone, e-mail, fax, and real-time chat.
Customer service agents should enjoy working with people and solving problems. It takes patience and willingness to work with people that are angry and frustrated. Agents may work with people that are of a different nationality and culture. There may be interaction with people of all ages and all walks of life. Agents are expected to treat all customers with respect.
Customer service agents perform a variety of tasks. The activities depend on which industry the worker is employed by. Some are general in nature such as aiding a customer with product questions or making changes to an account. Often the worker listens to complaints. Regular troubleshooting takes up most of a customer service workers time.
Agents leave notations concerning their customer interactions. The job may require working with other companies such as shippers and vendors in order to resolve issues. There is also interaction between the customer service department and other departments within the company. Sometimes follow-up action is required. The agent will maintain communication with the customer, informing him or her of the issue’s status. Complaints or reoccurring problems are escalated to management. An agent may transfer calls is it is determined that the customer’s needs could better be addressed by a different support department.
Agents should be exceptionally proficient at multitasking. Productivity and quality are the key metrics measured when accessing agent performance. Customer inquiries are expected to be answered in a timely manner, but also accurately and professionally. Many employers monitor and record calls for quality assurance.
Training and Education Requirements
Customer service agents should be at least high school graduates, although some college is preferred. Most employers will test applicants on grammar, reading comprehension, and situational judgment before hire. IT is also expected that employees be comfortable with computers, e-mail, and office suite software such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Employees that are fluent in a second language such as Spanish are highly sought.
Employees can expect an initial training session and further training throughout their employment. Topics concerning people skills such as “Paraphrasing,” “Call control,” and “Empathy” are often topics of training sessions. Policies and laws often change, plus new lines/products are continually added to businesses. Agents are always learning something new to effectively perform their jobs.
Salary and Wages
Customer service salaries are dependent on many factors. Chief among these are location, experience, and expertise in knowledge required. Agents that work over night hours may receive an extra shift differential per hour. The median salary according to the BLS is $13.96 per hour. Agents typically enjoy benefits such as health, vision, dental, vacation, sick time, discounts, free training, tuition reimbursement, stock grants, and retirement accounts.*
*According to the BLS, http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Starting call center positions may lead to management promotions or transfer to a different department.
Supervisors earn a median of $50,000 while top level contact center mangers may earn from $70,000 to $110,000.*
*According to the BLS, http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Certifications
Many employers have their own in-house certification programs and career advancement plans. Certifications tend to be focused at the management level. However, some technical schools and colleges offer certificates, diplomas and call center management degrees.
Professional Associations
Associations include International Customer Service Association (ICSA) and the National Customer Service Association (NCSA). The ICSA is focused on growing a network of customer service professionals. The purpose is for training, setting standards, sharing knowledge, and camaraderie. Members receive reduced cost access to an extensive e-learning collection of over 2400 web-based courses and a library of over 3,000 videos, DVDs and CDs. The National customer Service Association serves a similar purpose and seeks to exemplify the values of Respect, Honesty, Trust, and Integrity.
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