what is a customer service agent?
Customer service agents help customers process orders and deal with their complaints. In this position, you provide information and answer questions related to the products or services sold by the company. You also process returns and forward complaints to other departments or supervisors. Some customer service agents are responsible for managing other employees, especially those in supervisor positions.
The role requires someone with a patient and calm demeanour. As a customer service agent, you are trained to deal with angry customers and acknowledge their distress while finding ways to resolve the problem. You keep your composure while responding to customer complaints across multiple communication channels and remain empathetic. You also provide detailed and correct information about products or services sold by the company.
The position involves keeping customer interaction records, including complaints and comments, or acting as a liaison between the company and its customers. You also coordinate and communicate with other department employees and prepare product or service reports. You spend a significant amount of time on computers and undergo training to work with different types of software to distribute information.
Would working as a customer service agent suit your calm demeanour and good communication skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a customer service agent role.
customer service agent jobsaverage customer service agent salary
According to the Economic Research Institute, you earn an average salary of €22,000 per year as a customer service agent. The average hourly rate in the role is €11. Your earnings fluctuate based on various factors. For instance, in an entry-level position, you start with a salary of €16,000 annually. With experience and educational qualifications, you earn a salary of €26,000 per year.
what factors affect the salary of a customer service agent?
Your earnings as a customer service agent depend on work experience and skills. When you are new to the job, you start with an entry-level salary due to the minimal experience you have. As you improve your experience, you handle more complex duties and earn a higher hourly rate. When you have educational qualifications, you improve your earning prospects.
The location also determines your earnings due to the fluctuation in demand and the cost of living. Working in a large city like Athens improves your earning expectations. The competitive salaries of customer service agents in large cities arise from the high demand for the role in urban areas. When you work in smaller towns, you are likely to earn less due to the low demand for the role.
types of customer service agents
The different types of customer service agents depend on the mode of communication with customers. Some include:
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email customer services support
Your job is to respond to emails and live chats from customers. You answer queries and assist customers with the purchase process by replying to emails or enquiry forms.
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social media customer service reps
You monitor a company's social media platforms and respond to queries or assist customers in making purchases. You also post on social media pages to inform the public about the products and services offered.
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phone customer service agent
As a customer service agent, you answer phone calls and handle enquiries. You speak with customers directly to handle complaints and address their concerns.
working as a customer service agent
As a customer service agent, you interact with customers and visitors on behalf of the organisation. Let's explore the specific duties and work environments associated with the job.
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what does a customer service agent do?
Some of the duties and responsibilities of a customer service agent include:
- Answering questions about the company: as a customer service agent, you answer general and specific customer questions. It is crucial to know the ins and outs of the organisation's offerings to relay accurate information. You provide comprehensive responses and reassure new customers that they are making the right purchase decision.
- Processing orders and transactions: as a customer service agent, you receive and process incoming orders. You ensure customers receive the right goods on time. You also handle product returns, exchanges and order cancellations.
- Resolving issues and troubleshooting problems: customer service agents provide technical assistance to customers by troubleshooting problems. You also assist customers with installation, maintenance and upgrading products. If you work in information technology (IT) or for a software as a service (SaaS) company, you require knowledge of the software and tech products the company offers.
- Collecting and analysing customer feedback: as a customer service agent, you collect customer feedback for analysis. It allows you to follow up on customers and check if the remedies provided worked. Reviewing feedback helps you identify product improvement areas.
- Dealing with customer complaints: as a customer service agent, you handle unhappy customers and ensure their complaints are dealt with. Your job is to talk to frustrated customers and escalate issues beyond your capability to the right internal teams.
- Tracking customer service performance indicators: as a customer service agent, you track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure customer satisfaction. You give customers surveys to evaluate the ease of service experience and the likelihood of customers recommending the company to others.
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work environment of a customer service agent
Customer service agents work in offices and at home, depending on the company and work hours. It's very common to telecommute in this type of position. The role requires working during normal business hours or busy times of the day when more customers contact the company with questions or complaints. When working in an office, some representatives meet with other teams to address issues that customers are experiencing to reduce further complaints. Some companies require customer service agents to perform their jobs in call centres to ensure immediate access to supervisors.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on the company you work for, your colleagues include receptionists, sales representatives, marketing executives and field sales reps. You work alongside sales agents, account managers and marketing managers. You may also interact with social media managers, digital marketing specialists and sales managers.
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customer service agent work schedule
There are about the same number of full-time and part-time customer service positions. The typical work hours of a full-time customer service position are Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Some customer service agents have flexible work hours.
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career opportunities as a customer service agent
As a customer service agent, you have exciting opportunities for career progression. Since the position is entry-level, it is possible to progress to other business specialisms, like account handling or sales. You can work as a sales representative in the sales department before moving to management. Consider becoming a team leader if you want to progress in the customer service department. When you have extensive experience, you can become a customer service manager.
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advantages of finding a job as a customer service agent through randstad
Working with Randstad offers you a range of benefits.
- always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
- a range of jobs in your area
customer service agent skills and education
While you can join a customer service role without higher education, it helps to have some qualifications, including:
- Education: consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing or business administration. You can also complete your lower secondary school (Gymnasio) and look for entry-level opportunities in customer service. You will learn the necessary customer service skills from on-the-job training. You should also take short courses to improve your technical skills and gain experience using multi-line phone systems.
- Work experience: most employers focus on work experience when hiring customer service agents. Gain experience through internships and entry-level sales, marketing or customer service roles.
competencies and characteristics of customer service agents
As with many jobs, customer service agents should be capable of working on computers and phones to create and update customer accounts. Beyond that, customer service agents need the following skills and qualities:
- Listening skills: attentiveness is a primary skill to ensure you are mindful of customers and can accommodate their needs. You should remain empathetic and be willing to help customers feel listened to during the interaction. You take time to talk to customers and understand their queries to resolve the issues.
- Patience: self-control is one of the most important skills of working in this role. It is important to remain calm when customers are upset. You also take responsibility on behalf of the company to ensure the customer is happy with the interaction.
- Problem solver: you need problem-solving skills to ensure you can find ways to resolve issues efficiently. As a customer service agent, you should use a systematic approach and be detail-oriented when finding a solution. Employers expect you to be creative and resourceful and go the extra mile to help customers.
- Expecting and adapting to challenges: adaptability is another important trait when working as a customer service agent. Working daily with customers means you never know what to expect with the calls or messages you receive. Good customer service agents send legitimate problems or complaints through the correct channels and relay information to the customer efficiently without becoming stressed or anxious. You should remain mentally flexible in responding to different people on various platforms, sometimes simultaneously.
FAQs
Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a customer service agent.
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what does a customer service agent do?
As a customer service agent, you handle customers' concerns and ensure they are satisfied with the services they receive. You listen to customers' questions and provide answers. If a customer needs technical assistance, you guide them through the procedures. You also take orders and process payments for customers.
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which skills should customer service agents have?
As a customer service agent, you spend your day handling frustrated customers. You should be patient and calm to diffuse situations and ensure arguments don't escalate. As a customer service agent, you need empathy and listening skills to understand customers' concerns. You also require exceptional communication skills to pass information effectively through emails, phones and live chats.
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what is the difference between a customer service agent and a call centre agent?
A call centre agent’s primary role is to handle calls from clients and customers. As a customer service agent, you have diverse responsibilities that extend beyond phone interactions. For instance, you update the customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
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is a sales assistant the same as a customer service agent?
A sales assistant is responsible for getting customers in the door and helping them find the products or services they need. A customer service agent is accountable for what happens after the sale since they handle the complaints and build customer loyalty.
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what are the three most important things for customer service agents?
The most important qualities of customer service agents are patience, professionalism and a people-first attitude. Most companies have operating procedures for customer service agents.
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how do I find a job as a customer service agent?
Finding a job near you as a customer service agent is easy. Search our job offers. Have you found what you're looking for? Then submit your application using the ‘Apply’ button top right on the page. No jobs available right now? Then log in or register an account to send us your resume and we'll pass it on to a recruiter who will contact you if an opportunity opens up for you.
