If you become a customer service representative, you are agreeing to be the public face of the business for which you are working. You will be fielding comments, questions, and complaints from customers, so you will need to possess in-depth knowledge of the services or products they offer as well as the company’s policies and regulations. You must also have excellent communication and conflict mediation skills.
Working in a call center as an operator will usually involve data entry for which you will look up a customer’s profile in the company’s database and edit his or her information while you are speaking. It will be important to respond to complaints as prescribed by the company guidelines, and answer any questions the customer has. You may need to ask the customer for more details to discern the nature of the problem and look up information to satisfactorily resolve the issue or concern.
Call center jobs are frequently demanding; operators are typically given another call as soon as they’ve finished with the previous. Call centers are also often open all hours of the day, so you may need to work odd hours.
All customer service positions are not, of course, in call centers. Some require answering questions and responding to complaints via email, while others will require face-to-face discussions with customers.
You will find numerous customer service training programs offered by online universities; most offer courses in general business practices with emphasis on customer services. When you’ve graduated, you will have earned a certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree, depending on the length of the program you choose.
As a graduate, you may find work in a bank, retail organization, or insurance company, manufacturing service, or telecommunications provider, among others. The details of your job will vary greatly with the institution in which you find work; customer service positions can often lead to higher positions with a company, such as management or product research.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job prospects for careers in customer service to grow by 25 percent in coming years; bilingual employees, in particular, can anticipate favorable job prospects. In 2007, the median earnings for customer services representatives was just under $15.00 per hour. You may earn more if you have special skills such as technical support or management experience.
Sat, Jul 17, 2010
Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Degrees, Online Education, Programs