How To Obtain a Job as a Customer Service Representative

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for the position of customer service representative. This is because you will spend you time on the job dealing with a wide variety of people – all the customers of the company that you work with. You can interact with customers in various ways – email, by fax, telephone or in person. Being able to be diplomatic and tactful is especially important so that you don't unintentionally insult an important client. Most of your work will involve answering the questions and requests of customers, the type of which will depend on the nature of the business of the company you work with. Each company has guidelines you must follow in this matter.

Proficiency in using computers is essential in the daily work of a customer service representative. You will have to record the details of your conversation with the customer so that there is a record of the contact in the computer database for future reference is the problem does not get resolved in a satisfactory manner. Quite often your calls may be monitored to ensure that you are adhering to the company’s policies and guidelines.

Although the minimum requirements for the position of customer service representative, more and more employers are looking for applicants who possess a college diploma or a university degree. Specific training requirements vary according to the job. In this position, you need to be knowledgeable about the products the company sells. For some companies, this training could be several weeks in duration. Good written and spoken communications skills are necessary, as well as good problem-solving skills. Being able to speak English is also a requirement of this job and again, depending on the nature of the business, it may be an asset if you are fluent in another language if the company is involved with international sales.



For the most part, working as a customer service representative with a company is an entry-level position. However, in the insurance and brokerage industries, previous experience working in the industry is a requirement for this type of job. There are many opportunities for advancement in your career when you obtain this type of position. As you gain more experience and knowledge of the operations of the company you will gain the knowledge and skills you need for promotions to positions of higher ranks.

Within the domain of customer service representative, there are usually three levels you must progress through before reaching a senior level position. The first level is the entry-level, in which you will perform routine tasks learning the ropes and gaining knowledge of the different products and process requests that you pass on to others. At the second level, you will perform more complex tasks, such as training new staff or becoming part of a team working on a specific project. In the duties of the highest level, you will take on a leadership role and become involved in the day-to-day planning of this administrative field. Some positions may involve travel while others may involve heavy lifting.