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Career Exploration

Customer Service Representatives

Also called: 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.
On the job, you'll need:

Business

  • customer service
  • management

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Engineering and Technology

  • computers and electronics

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

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems

Conventional

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

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

Customer relationship management CRM software

  • Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
  • Salesforce software

Data base user interface and query software

  • Airtable
  • Yardi software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Oracle PeopleSoft

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will have large numbers of openings.

Median Annual Salary: $37,780

Education

High school diploma/GED or some college is usually needed.