Career Profile: Customer Service Representatives

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 2,898,900 people employed as customer service representatives in the United States. The median annual salary is $36,920. Entry level employees earn approximately $26,340 per year and senior employees earn approximately $58,640 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation.
• Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
• Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
• Solicit sales of new or additional services or products.
• Order tests that could determine the causes of product malfunctions.
• Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.
• Review claims adjustments with dealers, examining parts claimed to be defective, and approving or disapproving dealers' claims.
• Review insurance policy terms to determine whether a particular loss is covered by insurance.
• Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods.
• Recommend improvements in products, packaging, shipping, service, or billing methods and procedures to prevent future problems.
• Confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints.
• Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.
• Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
• Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills.
• Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.

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