How to Write Customer Service Representative Job Description [18 Descriptions & Titles]

According to a study by Microsoft, 56% of people around the world have stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service experience.

That’s quite a shocking revelation but something that every business owner wouldn’t like to experience. However, it also indicates that a lot depends on the kind of customer service operators you hire for your business.

With good experience, communication skills, and product knowledge, your operators can easily take care of your customers and their growing expectations. Except, that’s a really small customer service job description and won’t help you meet your true goal – customer delight.

So, to help you hire the right customer service, support, and experienced team members, we’ve created a small guide for you.

Here’s what we aim to cover!

Let’s get started!

What is a Customer Service Job?

A customer service job requires potential candidates to know how to provide personalized service experience to customers. From providing useful information to step-by-step guides on how to perform a process, a customer service representative’s job entails various activities. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The reason why customer service jobs are becoming more popular these days is because they end up leaving an impact on the sales of an organization – a positive one. Apparently friendly customer service representatives, who create a memorable experience, encourage 73% of customers to stick with a brand.

No wonder, we see customer expectations growing too. Keeping that in mind, we are also witnessing the spread of customer service job requirements across industries and is seen to be one of the most crucial job roles lately.

Some of the prominent customer service jobs examples include:

• Salespeople
• Cashiers
• Support Operators
• Call Center Agent
• Customer Ease Operator
• Account Coordinator
• Customer Relationship Specialist
• Customer Interaction Management Specialist

And this list can go on. But this gives you a clear idea about different customer service jobs in the market.

What Are the Basic Customer Service Job Responsibilities?

Now that we’ve seen what customer service jobs are and what are the common roles we get to see in the market, it is time to take a look at some of the basic customer service job responsibilities below.

The basic customer service job responsibilities can be inclusive of:

• Maintaining empathetic and professional front with the customers
• Answering support calls, emails, support tickets
• Providing instant troubleshooting via live chat tool
• Helping customers complete online payments
• Acknowledging customer complaints
• Solving customer complaints
• Process different documents like applications, forms, and custom requests
• Constant communication with colleagues from various departments to offer efficient customer service
• Providing feedback on customer service efficiency process
• Ensuring complete customer satisfaction
• Providing professional customer service experience
• Customizing individual customer journey
• Keeping records of customer communication, complaints, transaction and more

And much more. While there are some intricate customer service job responsibilities too, they vary based on different roles in this sector. You’ll probably get to see them later in this article. Now, let’s see what does customer service job description actually means.

What is the Customer Service Job Description?

A Customer service job description is a way for organizations to include pivotal details related to a job opening and secure the best talent for customer service roles.

You can come across details such as: 

• Mission of the company
• Specifics of the customer service role
• Various requirements of the company
• A brief on the company’s culture
• Required experience 
• Various perks a qualified candidate can enjoy after joining the company

These details help you formulate a customer service job description effectively.

Note for organizations: While these details help you create a customer service job description, do ensure that you put in a lot of efforts to add the specifics of the customer service role. This will help you target the eligible candidates and hire the best resource for the company. After all, about one in three people (30%) say the most important aspect of customer service is speaking with a knowledgeable and friendly agent.

How to Write the Customer Service Representative Job Description?

In the previous section, we’ve understood what exactly a customer service job description is. But now we need to talk about how you need to create one to hire the right candidate that helps you streamline the customer service process hassle-free.

So, let’s dive in!

1. Discuss the Opportunity With the Organization

First and foremost, always discuss the opportunity a candidate may get with your organization. You can start off the customer service job description by discussing the mission of the organization and what problems do you solve for your customers.

Other than that, the opportunity you wish to discuss can also include:

• The big picture of your company’s goal
• Where do they stand in the company’s big picture
• Discuss the aspirations and how their role is important to achieve them
• Talk about your target audience and how your services matters to them

This will help the candidates decide whether they’d like to support your company’s mission and aspirations or not. This tactic also works as a filter. That means you get candidates who are on board with your company’s goals.

2. Discuss the Roles & Responsibilities

Next is to talk about the role you are planning to hire for. In this case, you need to specify customer service representative duties?. Here you can create a shortlist of roles and responsibilities that they’ll have to carry out during their tenure with the company.

You can also mention what technology they’ll be working with to create the best customer service experience effectively.

For example, discuss the tools they’ll be using to provide customer service. In case they’ll be using live chat software to offer instant response during the customer service process, then make sure it’s clearly stated in the customer service job description.

3. Discuss What a Candidate Should Have

Another aspect that needs to be added is ‘what’s required from the candidate section’ in the customer service job description. Talk about what all skills should a candidate possess to apply for this job role. This will help them decide whether they are ready to take up the role or not.

4. Discuss the Skill Set That Gives Candidates an Edge Over Others

But discussing what all skills a candidate should have isn’t the only thing that will help you hire the right candidate. You need to tell potential candidates that the competition is tough, and there are certain skill sets that will help some get an edge over others.

So, if you want to hire customer service operators who will be responsible for adding live chat to your website, then talk about roles for that certain position which will set some candidates apart and give the organization clarity. For example, express how the knowledge of the tool can be seen as a plus point.

5. Discuss the Work-Culture & What Candidates Can Expect

There is no doubt that candidates do get inquisitive about the kind of work-culture a company has and what they should expect upon their joining.

Well, answer their inquisitive minds. Talk about the kind of culture they’ll be a part of. Just in case you do not wish to talk about this in detail, then you can always add a link to a page that delves on it in detail. If that doesn’t work for you then, just create a small list of perks and a workplace culture that the potential candidate should look forward to.

These five elements will help you define customer service duties better in a job description and attract the right people effectively.

Read More: Top Qualities All Customer Service Reps Should Have

Create a Customer Service Job Description Template in Three Simple Steps

We’ve covered the elements that should be a part of the customer service job description. On the basis of these elements, you can create a customer service job description template in three simple steps. So, let’s take a look at these three steps below!

1. Describe Job Role Expectations

The first step in the template of a job description for customer service is to describe the expectations. Just in case your opening is for an entry-level customer service representative who can manage chats and has a great understanding of human emotions, then you must mention it clearly in the job description.

2. Describe the Right Personality for the Job Role

This is a crucial aspect of creating a customer service job description template. That’s because personality is one aspect that can be repeated in other job description templates too. But if you are creating this specific job description, then talk about the attitude of the customer service operator and how they need to have empathy and patience to deal with difficult customers.

This is also important because you will be hiring a potential candidate who’ll be in a customer-facing role.

3. Describe Clear Reasons for Candidates to Apply

Let your candidates know why they should apply to your organization. You can talk about how regular customer service training sessions are a part of your organization to refine raw talent. For example, at ProProfs we make sure that all our support operators are trained twice in a year. To make that happen, we first identify the areas that need improvement based on individual operator reports. 

You can also mention something like this, thus giving more grounds to your candidates to think whether they would like to be a part of your organization or not.

These three steps will help you create one of the best templates for a job description for customer service.

In the coming sections, we’ll take a brief look at different customer service, support, experience, and success roles that you might come across in the job market.

What Are the Different Customer Service Job Descriptions You Can Post?

In this section, let’s take a cursory look at the different customer service job descriptions you can post for your business.

1. Customer Service Manager

Customer service managers are basically responsible for managing their own team of service operators. They are also responsible for training new and existing employees working under their leadership to make sure that they end up creating a delightful experience for all the customers.

They should be:

• Proficient at communication (within and outside their teams)
• Proficient at conveying the correct information for a seamless workflow
• Experienced to handle leadership roles
• Experienced in handling crisis situations and manage them well

2. Customer Service Supervisor

These supervisors should manage other junior reps and handle internal conflicts. They should also be proficient at handling customer issues and questions. What’s more, a team of service reps can be managed by multiple supervisors at the same time.

They should have:

• Good interpersonal skills
• Good leadership qualities
• Prior experience in a supervisory role
• The skills to collaborate across different teams
• Prior experience in the same industry

3. Customer Service Engineer

They are known to be the problem-solvers. Customer service engineers help other reps resolve technical issues that might have occurred in your products and must be causing a problem to the customer. They are also known for offering tips, tricks, and solutions for various technical issues that may appear in the near future.

They should be:

• Persuasive
• Equipped with a degree in the technical field
• Experienced in the relative industry

4. Customer Service Specialist

They are known for reaching out to customers with product or service offers. While this may sound like the job role for customer service reps, but they are more like intermediaries between supervisors and reps. Sometimes they may even fill in the role supervisors or managers.

That’s why they should be:

• Equipped with excellent communication skills
• Patient
• Equipped with leadership skills
• Experienced in the relevant industry

5. Remote Customer Service Representative

The role of remote customer service reps isn’t that different from normal reps. But what really sets them apart from others is their motivation to work from home. They can be part of a fully remote team that’s working from home, or half of their team is working at an office, and they are giving support to customers from different time zones.

They should be:

• Highly self-motivated
• Experienced at all the customer service rep roles
• Equipped with good communication skills
• Ready to communicate with customers virtually

*Note: During the COVID-19 spread, you may want to hire reps who are skilled at working from home and understand that providing support to customers at all costs is essential during these times.

6. Customer Service Representative

They are known to work with your customers directly. But here’s another catch. Rather than responding to customer queries, these service reps are known to reach customers first with a solution. That means they need to be proactive at all times. They are also known for keeping customers updated about new product offerings, discounts, and latest company news. Other than that, they also have to hit their daily targets like meet call, tickets, and chat goals.

They should be:

• Equipped with good communication skills
• More empathetic towards customers
• Equipped with strong persuasion skills
• Quick at thinking solutions to customer problems

What Are the Different Customer Support Job Descriptions You Can Post?

In this section, let’s take a cursory look at the different customer support job descriptions you can post for your business.

1. Customer Support Representative

Like service reps, support reps have to work with your customers directly. However, they don’t have to be proactive like customer service representatives. They have to wait for customers to contact the company and offer a solution based on the problem or concerns expressed.

They should have:

• Good communication skills
• Instant solution for customer issues
• Empathy towards customers
• Knowledge of different support channels

2. Remote Customer Support Representative

Their job role is an amalgamation of customer support reps and that of remote service reps. They have to cater to customer problems while working from home.

They should have:

• Highly self-motivated personality to provide support
• Experienced at all the customer service rep roles
• Equipped with good communication skills
• Ready to communicate with customers virtually

3. Multilingual Customer Support Specialist

Multilingual support specialists should be fluent in two or more languages to cater to a larger customer base for your business. So in case, your company operates on a global level, then these support specialists would help your business connect faster to your customers.

They should have:

• Good communication skills
• Good control and be fluent in one and more languages

4. Customer Support Specialist

These specialists are known for responding to customer issues regarding a particular service or product. They are somewhat seen to be in the middle of two positions – support reps and managers.  But just in case the manager has to leave the organization due to unforeseen reasons, then they can fill in the position of the manager.

They should have:

• Good patience level since they’ll be working with reps and managers
• Empathy towards customer problems
• Good communication skills

5. Customer Support Manager

As managers, they are in charge of the support team that includes reps, support specialists, and engineers. They are also responsible for training new customer support reps and even track their progress during the training period. But more than that, they need to make sure that the entire team is in sync with the company’s goals and objectives. And, they are equipped with the right skills to tackle upcoming customer issues and problems.

They should have:

• Good leadership skills
• Good problem-solving skills
• Good persuasion skills
• Good communication skills
• Prior experience in the managerial position
• Prior industry experience

#6: Customer Support Engineer

They specialize in providing technical solutions to customer support requests. So in case any of your customers might be facing technical issues with your services or products, then they are the ones to come up with solutions.

They should have:

• Tech and engineering background
• Good communication skills
• Relevant industry experience

Read More: How to Communicate with Customers Effectively

What Are the Different Customer Success Job Descriptions You Can Post?

In this section, let’s take a cursory look at the different customer success job descriptions you can post for your business.

1. Customer Success Manager

Unlike support and service managers, their role will totally depend on a company-to-company basis. While they have to take care of their success team and work closely with success associates, they will still have to focus on the goals of the company to set their goals too. That means they have to make sure that customers learn how to use a specific product or service so that the company can achieve the desired results successfully.

They should have:

• Good interpersonal skills
• Good communication skills
• Prior experience at managerial post
• Prior knowledge of various software tools

2. Customer Success Associate

They are known to work directly with customers. Success associates are responsible for getting customers on board with the tool and even set relevant goals for the customer success team members. What’s more, they should be good at executing their own campaigns that can successfully help them get more customers on board. Their role gives the impression of a consultant who is good at imparting knowledge of tools and industry trends.

They should have:

• Good interpersonal skills
• Good communication skills
• Extensive knowledge of company products
• Good proactive attitude to offer better insights to their team members and customers

3. Customer Success Team Lead

They are known to supervise every customer success manager and help their team members work towards collective company goals. However, their personal goals are different from the primary goals of the company. They are inclusive of working towards increasing the lifetime value of the customers, onboarding more customers, and reducing churn.

They should have:

• Good communication skills
• Extensive knowledge of company products
• Good training skills
• Good crisis management skills

4. Implementation Specialist

While not many are aware of this post, implementation specialists can turn out to be quite helpful for an organization. They help customers with the onboarding process, but at the same time, they are quite different from customer success associates and managers. Well, that’s because they execute campaigns and even manage projects at the same time.

They should have:

• Good communication skills
• Good computer skills
• Technical background

What Are the Different Customer Experience Job Descriptions You Can Post?

In this section, let’s take a cursory look at the different customer experience job descriptions you can post for your business.

1. Director of Customer Experience

A director of a customer experience is known for setting a vision for the entire organization. Being in such a competitive position, they have to create company-wide policies to make sure that customer experience improves along with operator performance.

They should have:

• Good communication skills
• Prior experience at managerial post
• Customer-centric approach

2. Customer Experience Manager

They are responsible for higher-level executives ideate. Other than that, they also work towards creating design and execute programs that help the organizations improve the individual customer experience effectively.

They should have:

• Active listening skills
• Good patience level
• Empathy towards customers

Now that we’ve seen customer service jobs examples and how you can create a job description for them, it is time we see some of the frequently asked questions below.

How Would You Describe Your Customer Service Skills?

They are seen to be a set of behaviors that are essential for any customer service representative to possess. These skills should be inclusive of great communication skills, empathy, patience during testing times, and technical knowledge.

Read on to know: 31 Important Customer Service Skills.

What Are the 3 Important Qualities of Customer Service?

While there are experts who talk about more than three qualities that a customer service rep should possess, but we believe that there are only 3 core qualities that are essential for any customer service job role. These three qualities are:

• Empathy
• Good communication skill
• Patience to deal with difficult customers

Learn from Experts: 7 Experts Share their Advice on Top 3 Customer Service Qualities required to Succeed

Is a Customer Service Representative a Good Job?

If you are a problem-solver and enjoy working with the people, then a customer service representative is a good fit for you. You need to make sure that you upgrade your skill-set according to the growing needs of the industry and are willing to work in different work environments. If you can do this all, then you are heading in the right direction.

Do You Need a Degree to be a Customer Service Representative?

Some customer service representative jobs require you to have technical background and degrees. Some may just require you to have a high-school diploma and great communication skills. The kind of industry you apply to become a service rep determines the fact whether you should have a degree or not.

How do I Get a Customer Service Job?

For this, you need to follow the given 5 steps.

Step #1: Search for the right customer service position.

Step #2: Create a resume that looks professional and cite some experience in the relevant industry.

Step #3: Look for various sources that help you prepare for the interview.

Step #4: Always do some prior research on your potential employer and how their customer service has been so far.

Step #5: Basis on your research and what must be required for opening, upgrade your skills to get the job.