Customer Service Representatives: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more

Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organizations products and services.

What do Customer Service Representatives do?

Customer service representatives typically do the following:

• Listen to customers questions and concerns, and provide answers or responses
• Provide information about products and services
• Take orders, calculate charges, and process billing or payments
• Review or make changes to customer accounts
• Handle returns or complaints
• Record details of customer contacts and actions taken
• Refer customers to supervisors or more experienced employees

Customer service representatives answer questions or requests from customers or the public. They typically provide services by phone, but some also interact with customers face to face, or by email or live chat.

The specific duties of customer service representatives vary by industry. For example, representatives who work in banks may answer customers questions about their accounts. Representatives who work for utility and telecommunication companies may help customers with service problems, such as outages. Those who work in retail stores often handle returns, process refunds, and help customers locate items. Some representatives make changes to customers accounts, such as updating addresses or canceling orders. Although selling is not their main job, some representatives may help generate sales while providing information about a product or service.

Customer service representatives typically use a telephone, computer, and other office equipment. For example, representatives who work in call centers answer phone calls and use computers to explore available solutions for customers. Those employed in retail stores may use registers to process returns or orders.