Whether you’re fresh out of school or just looking for something different, the customer service industry can be a satisfying and fulfilling career. However, it’s often hard to find precisely where you fit in such a colossal industry. Luckily, we’ve spent decades working with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies across Asia and worldwide. Training tens of thousands of professionals across various roles each year. For this reason, we truly know the ins and outs of different customer service roles in varying businesses and their skills. So, read on to understand the different customer service roles available now. Start your journey now to improving the customer experience.
Also read:
- The Ultimate Guide To Different Sales Roles
- 6 Reasons Why The Customer Is NOT Always Right
- 10 Key Principles of Achieving Customer Service Excellence
- 8 Tough Customer Service Challenges And How To Solve Them
What is Customer Service?
Customer service is how you deliver a direct one-on-one interaction between your company’s representative and the customer interested in purchasing your product or services. That’s why customer service is about building a relationship of trust, loyalty and satisfaction beyond this first interaction. However, it’s also about helping consumers find what they need by focusing on accessibility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness to be successful. For this reason, customer service is critically responsible for ensuring buyer satisfaction and increasing the likelihood of repeat business.
The Importance of Customer Service
69% of customers stop doing business with a company due to one bad experience- a shocking figure. This is why you need to consider that not only are customers attracted to your brand for your products or services but will stay for a good customer experience. More so, if you exceed their expectations – they’ll remain loyal, recommend you to others and be long-term trusted advocates.
What are Customer Service Jobs?
A customer service job can be any role relating to customer service, support success and, of course, the customer journey. However, overall this could apply in any position and any industry. Ultimately, you’re a customer service professional so long as you’re addressing customer needs and ensuring they have a good experience.
Also read: Learn To Sell Like A Pro: 19 Best FREE Online Sales Training Videos
What are the Qualifications for Customer Service Jobs?
Customer service is supporting your customers before, during and after they purchase products or services so that they enjoy their buying experience with you. Therefore, to succeed in any of the different customer service roles mentioned above, you need to possess these core skills:
Empathy
Realistically, the best customer service professionals have robust product knowledge. In fact, how can you suggest the right product to solve your customers’ problem if you don’t know how they work, their benefits and their features?
Problem-solving abilities
Customer service professionals need to take the initiative to solve the problem in this situation, educate the customer and go the extra mile for their satisfaction.
Communication
As a customer service professional, you’re effectively your company’s voice, which means that your communication skills need to be well defined to simplify complex concepts for customers.
Patience
Customer service professionals must practice good patience skills. As a customer service professional, you need to be ready to take the time to listen, understand and identify your customers’ needs – this is not a quick process.
A Robust Product Knowledge
It may seem obvious, but the best customer service professionals have robust product knowledge. In fact, how can you suggest the right product to solve your customers’ problem if you don’t know how they work, their benefits and their features?
We also have a short article exploring eight vital customer service skills you can read to transform your operations and go from strength to strength in your customer service role.
Different Customer Service Roles
Below are the different customer service roles you can expect to find:
Customer Service Representative | Customer Support Rep (CSR)
A customer service representative job is usually an entry-level position for professionals who spend most of their time working directly with customers. Particularly with the focus of communicating new products, discounts, sales, offers and news to new and existing customers. Therefore, they are specialists in proactive communication and usually need to make certain calls or emails to reach their objectives.
Average compensation rate: $35,413 per annum or $17 per hour.
Remote Customer Service Representative
Similarly to in-house customer service representatives, remote customer service reps also fulfil the same responsibilities – but alternatively from a remote workspace. The only actual difference between the roles is that remote customer service reps need to be highly motivated and self-directed. Mainly because they also have to manage remote communications with their team and managers.
Customer Service Specialist
Customer service specialists are similar to customer service reps as they also reach out to customers with product or service offers. However, the difference is that they act as an essential intermediary connection between the customer service reps and customer service managers. For this reason, all customer service specialists need to be equipped for leadership as they may need to fill the role of manager when necessary.
Average compensation rate: $34,687 a year per annum.
Customer Service Engineer
Customer service engineers have a technical background and are trained customer service professionals who help customers with product troubleshooting and offer proactive solutions. However, rather than waiting for customers to contact them, customer support engineers will reach out in advance. Therefore, they ensure the product or service is working correctly and provide some tips and suggest other solutions simultaneously.
Average compensation rate: $66,366 per annum
Customer Service Supervisor
Customer service supervisors are primarily responsible for managing a small section of the customer service rep team and mentoring junior customer service reps. However, the difference between a customer service supervisor and a manager is that there are often multiple supervisors on the same team. For this reason, customer service supervisors have to be excellent collaborators and communicators.
Average compensation rate: $46,940 per annum or $22.57 per hour.
Customer Service Manager
Customer service managers are responsible for an entire customer service team’s performance. Consequently, they mainly train new customer service reps and measure their progress. Additionally, customer service managers are expert handlers in resolving customer and employee conflicts. For this reason, customer service managers need to be able to coach, guide and communicate seamlessly. It’s also considered an advantage to have experience in crisis management.
Average compensation rate: $47,720 per annum.
Call Center Agent
A call centre agent is a customer service role where reps solve queries when a customer phones into a contact centre. For this reason, call centre agents are often known as customer service representatives. Therefore if you are interested in becoming a Call Centre Agent, make sure you look out for job descriptions with these titles too.
Average compensation rate: $13.21 per hour.
Client Relations Specialist
Client relations specialists are responsible for providing high-quality services for customers, mainly by responding to their inquiries, concerns and resolving complaints. Additionally, client relations specialists update customer accounts on their companies database, ensuring all transactions are accurate.
Average compensation rate: $56,005 per annum.
Retail Sales Associate
Retail sales associates perform several sales and customer service activities. Overall, they focus on greeting customers, answering questions, offering assistance, suggesting items, lending opinions and providing product information. For this reason, retail sales associates must be courteous and professional while maintaining a professional attitude to reflect the company’s commitment to the customer.
Average compensation rate: $21,500 per annum.
Deliver Outstanding Customer Experiences with Superior Service Training
Superior Service equips participants with the knowledge and application skills to have a positive attitude, go beyond basic customer service, and exceed customers’ expectations with exceptional service.
Participants will learn how to solve the most demanding customer service challenges and use service as a differentiator through highly interactive and industry-specific activities, group discussions, role plays, case studies, engaging videos, and Q&A sessions.
