Customer Service Jobs

Customer Service plays an integral role in businesses, because it has a direct impact on their performance and reputation. Individuals working in this field handle customer inquiries via e-mail, incoming calls or automated online assistance. They often perform general administrative tasks, update customer accounts, give technical support, deal with correspondences and may advice existing or potential clients. The main focus of Customer Service is to ensure that customers are pleased with a company’s products and services.

People working in Customer Service usually work in offices, whereby most companies have in-house departments dealing with customer inquiries. Some businesses outsource customer services to external contact centres. Personnel working in this area are usually in direct contact with clients or customers on a day-to-day basis. Information about client expectations and opinions are often discovered by people directly working with customers. Customer service staff have to report adequately and provide customer support in line with a company’s policies. Customer data is routinely stored in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and is used to facilitate the tasks performed by representatives who work in customer service. Jobs and responsibilities in Customer Service range from pre-sales customer consultancy over technical support to highly skilled financial advice.

Usually customers do not come in contact with customer service representatives unless they are experiencing problems. When they do, personnel must work hard at appeasing these clients and resolving their issues. In this situation, staff experience high levels of stress and must execute restraint in relating to customers.

Quality Customer Service is continuously and highly regarded in business and has now been acknowledged at a higher level in the educational arena. Companies must consistently implement and execute quality customer service policies or face repercussions on their businesses, such as losing clients and/or experiencing a decrease in profits. Various organisations have conducted research that proves treating your clients well directly translates to higher profit margins.

Jobs at the highest level in customer service must be done by persons of appropriate aptitude and who find it rewarding to help others. Job holder may deal with a number of similar or very complicated queries on a daily basis. Customers may enquire about a specific detail of a service, may wish to increase an order or may wish to complain. For that reason, this role involves a great deal of patience, a positive attitude and tactfulness. Other requirements and skills include:

• Computer literacy
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• A professional understanding of what makes first-class customer service
• Flexibility
• Multi-tasking
• Problem-solving skills
• Sales orientation

Job holders generally do not need any form of special accreditation or qualifications for that role. However, some specialist positions, for example in the financial services industry, do require some form of accreditation.

The field of Customer Service offers various professional outlooks, such as:

• Customer Consultants: may provide assistance to current or potential clients at any stage of purchasing a product or service.
• Technical Support: is given to customers regarding the correct use of products or services. Jobs in this area often require technical backgrounds or train people to be able to advice customers adequately.

Job titles include but are not limited to the following:

• Customer Service Representative
• Customer Advisor
• Customer Service Executive
• Call Centre Representative
• Service Technician