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What is an administrative/customer support and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

Administrative/customer support personnel serve as the first point of contact for customers. They are in charge of handling all inquiries, requests, orders, and complaints in a professional manner. Hence, they play a significant role in protecting the reputation of their company, and they do this by providing the best customer service possible.

During a typical workday, an administrative/customer support employee answers phone calls, emails, chat messages, and other forms of correspondence from customers. They process orders, forward special requests to the right departments, promote offers, and document interactions with customers on daily reports.

For many companies, the minimum requirement for this role is a high school diploma or a GED. However, having an associate's or bachelor's degree in a relevant field can be a great edge. Furthermore, an applicant must display excellent customer service skills, communication skills, and administrative skills, as well as a good understanding of CRM systems and other necessary customer service tools.

An administrative/customer support employee makes around $39,000 per year. Additional income can come from bonuses and commissions upon completion of certain targets, such as monthly quotas or incentives.

ScoreAdministrative/Customer SupportUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $35,650

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 5.64%

Black or African American 10.40%

Hispanic or Latino 18.35%

Unknown 4.79%

White 60.17%

Gender

female 66.16%

male 33.84%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Administrative/customer support career paths

Key steps to become an administrative/customer support

  1. Explore administrative/customer support education requirements

    Most common administrative/customer support degrees

    Bachelor's

    52.2 %

    Associate

    26.7 %

    High School Diploma

    8.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific administrative/customer support skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Data Entry14.60%
    Customer Support6.52%
    Purchase Orders5.75%
    Customer Database5.30%
    Customer Orders3.85%
  3. Complete relevant administrative/customer support training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New administrative/customer supports learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an administrative/customer support based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real administrative/customer support resumes.
  4. Research administrative/customer support duties and responsibilities

    • Manage customers' database accounts and records, perform customer verification and process applications, orders and requests utilizing QuickBooks.
    • Create knowledgebase database used to troubleshoot common support calls.
    • Manage customers' database accounts and records, perform customer verification and process applications, orders and requests utilizing QuickBooks.
    • Gather company information to complete RFP's and Prequalification's.
  5. Prepare your administrative/customer support resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your administrative/customer support resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an administrative/customer support resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable administrative/customer support resume templates

    Build a professional administrative/customer support resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your administrative/customer support resume.
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
    Administrative/Customer Support Resume
  6. Apply for administrative/customer support jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an administrative/customer support job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first administrative/customer support job

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Average administrative/customer support salary

The average administrative/customer support salary in the United States is $35,650 per year or $17 per hour. Administrative/customer support salaries range between $27,000 and $45,000 per year.

Average administrative/customer support salary
$35,650 Yearly
$17.14 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do administrative/customer supports rate their job?

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Administrative/customer support reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2024
Pros

remote job, more schedule flexibility

Cons

very low salary, no career growth, very stressful and not rewarding


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

Non caring employer's , standing on my feet all day, working weekends, low pay


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

I enjoyed the satisfaction of assisting customers and solving problems


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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