Customer service assistant
Customer service assistants deal with customer questions, purchases, feedback and complaints.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a customer service assistant, you could:
- answer customer questions by phone, email, webchat, social media or in person
- explain products and policies and give quotations
- take orders and check stock availability
- arrange appointments
- sell products or services and process payments
- handle feedback and complaints
- update customer information on a computer system
- track orders and arrange deliveries or returns
Working environment
You could work in an office, in a contact centre or at a store.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- become a customer service team leader or supervisor, or be promoted to customer services manager
- take up a training officer role
- move into other areas of a business, like sales or account handling
You can also use your customer service skills to transfer into many different jobs and industries.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- sensitivity and understanding
- active listening skills
- administration skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
You can take a college course before applying for a job.
Courses are widely available, including:
- customer service
- contact centre operations
- principles of customer service
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You can apply to do an apprenticeship with an organisation, for example:
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
These take around 1 year to complete and combine on-the-job training and time with a learning provider.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You can apply for jobs if you have customer service experience, for example from working in a shop, bank, hotel or contact centre.
Employers might want you to have:
- some GCSEs or equivalent qualifications
- good communication skills
- IT skills
- a friendly personality
Professional and industry bodies
You could join The Institute of Customer Service to use their resources and find professional development training opportunities.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.