Customer Service Representatives

What the job really is

Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.

At a glance

• Sector: Office & Administrative
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-4051
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
• Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.
• Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
• Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
• Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.
• Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation.
• Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills.
• Review insurance policy terms to determine whether a particular loss is covered by insurance.
• Solicit sales of new or additional services or products.
• Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods.
• 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.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Apple macOS, Facebook, Google Docs, Intuit QuickBooks, Kronos Workforce Timekeeper, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
• Telemarketers
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
• Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
• New Accounts Clerks
• Receptionists and Information Clerks
• Billing and Posting Clerks
• Brokerage Clerks

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Customer Service Representatives — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.