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Customer Service Representatives
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.
Other titles employers use
Account Representative · Call Center Representative · Client Services Representative · Customer Care Representative (CCR) · Customer Service Agent · Customer Service Representative (CSR) · Customer Service Specialist · Customer Support Representative (Customer Support Rep)
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
- Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
- Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing, persuading and helping work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- Mathematics
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Problem Sensitivity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.2 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.2 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 3.6 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.0 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 55%
- A certificate or some college 17%
- A four-year degree 14%
- A two-year degree 14%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Operating system software
- Word processing software
- Document management software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Electronic mail software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 334,330
- Job openings each year
- 45,700
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 7.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 334,330 | 45,700 | 7.8% |
| Florida | 258,690 | 34,910 | 2.0% |
| California | 193,500 | 25,780 | −3.2% |
| New York | 156,230 | 530 | 3.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 114,830 | 15,210 | −5.4% |
| Arizona | 114,640 | 15,620 | 6.4% |
| Illinois | 114,000 | 15,210 | −2.7% |
| Georgia | 110,110 | 14,900 | 3.2% |
| Ohio | 97,690 | 12,880 | −7.1% |
| North Carolina | 91,730 | 12,320 | — |
| Michigan | 76,100 | 10,010 | −7.8% |
| Tennessee | 71,860 | 9,800 | 6.7% |
| Virginia | 67,340 | 8,890 | −6.6% |
| Washington | 66,220 | 9,810 | 11.7% |
| Wisconsin | 61,990 | 8,280 | −2.4% |
| New Jersey | 61,760 | 8,180 | −5.2% |
| Minnesota | 61,370 | 8,150 | −4.4% |
| South Carolina | 60,120 | 8,180 | 5.4% |
| Colorado | 56,790 | 7,640 | — |
| Utah | 53,670 | 7,320 | 6.5% |
| Indiana | 52,510 | 6,970 | −4.8% |
| Missouri | 50,460 | 6,740 | −2.4% |
| Maryland | 44,050 | 5,860 | −3.6% |
| Kentucky | 36,040 | 4,810 | −2.5% |
| Nevada | 34,860 | 4,740 | 5.3% |
| Oklahoma | 34,820 | 4,650 | −2.4% |
| Alabama | 34,450 | 4,620 | — |
| Kansas | 31,980 | 4,230 | −5.5% |
| Connecticut | 30,690 | 4,110 | −1.2% |
| Iowa | 29,390 | 3,920 | −2.8% |
| Oregon | 25,870 | 3,450 | −3.3% |
| Louisiana | 25,450 | 3,370 | −5.9% |
| Puerto Rico | 22,170 | 3,000 | 3.6% |
| Mississippi | 21,330 | 2,870 | — |
| New Mexico | 21,070 | 2,860 | 4.0% |
| Idaho | 20,510 | 2,790 | 4.9% |
| Massachusetts | 20,170 | 2,670 | −5.0% |
| Arkansas | 18,930 | 2,510 | −5.3% |
| Nebraska | 17,610 | 2,350 | −2.7% |
| New Hampshire | 13,070 | 1,740 | −3.3% |
| West Virginia | 12,630 | 1,710 | 4.0% |
| Rhode Island | 10,290 | 1,370 | −3.7% |
| Maine | 8,820 | 1,160 | −8.4% |
| South Dakota | 7,860 | 1,050 | — |
| Delaware | 7,140 | 950 | −3.5% |
| North Dakota | 5,740 | 760 | −5.1% |
| District of Columbia | 5,710 | 760 | −2.7% |
| Montana | 5,180 | 700 | 1.6% |
| Vermont | 3,790 | 510 | −2.8% |
| Alaska | 3,060 | 420 | 5.9% |
| Wyoming | 1,910 | 260 | 2.1% |
| Guam | 950 | 120 | 1.1% |
| Virgin Islands | 310 | 40 | −6.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Valdosta State University
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Program entryOpen major
Open college FLThe University of Tampa
- Degrees each year
- 16
- Admit rate
- 41%
- Annual cost after aid
- $32,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open college MONorthwest Missouri State University
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open collegeCompare every college offering business operations support and assistant services