Customer Service Representatives


Overview

Customer Service Representatives

Introduction

Customer service representatives, sometimes called customer care representatives, work with customers of one or many companies, assist with customer problems, or answer questions. They provide customers with information about the companys products and services. Customer service representatives work in many different industries to provide "frontline" customer service in a variety of businesses. Most customer service representatives work in an office setting, although some may work in other locations to better meet customer n...

Quick Facts


More

Median Salary

$33,750

More

Employment Prospects

Good

More

Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma|Some Postsecondary Training


More

Experience

On-the-job training


More

Skills

Business Management|Interpersonal|Public Speaking


More

Personality Traits

Conventional|Helpful|Outgoing

Earnings

Earnings vary based on location, level of experience, and size and type of employer. The U.S. Department of Labor reports the median annual income for all customer service representatives (CSRs) was $33,750 in May 2018. The lowest 10 percent earned $22,140, and the top 10 percent earned $55,310 or more. CSRs who were employed by insurance companies earned mean annual salaries of $39,970, while ...

Work Environment

Customer service representatives (CSRs) work primarily indoors, although some may work in the field where the customers are using the product or service. Representatives usually work in a supervised setting and report to a manager, and may spend many hours on the telephone, answering mail, or handling Internet communication. Many of the work hours involve little physical activity. ...

Outlook

Employment for customer service representatives is expected to decline by 2 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), due to increasing automation. Telephone call centers are expected to offer the most job opportunities. Despite this prediction, the customer service industry is a large field and many replacement workers are needed each year as customer service ...