How to hire an associate customer service representative

How to hire an associate customer service representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate customer service representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an associate customer service representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate customer service representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an associate customer service representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The associate customer service representative hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An associate customer service representative's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, associate customer service representatives from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents associate customer service representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate Customer Service Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Customer Service Representative	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-22
   Customer Service Advisor	A customer service advisor is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. Customer service advisors assist customers with their needs by recommending product selection, offering new products and services, and informing the customers of promotional offers to generate revenues and increase profitability... Show more	$12-18
   Customer Service Trainer	A customer service trainer is responsible for training new and experienced customer service staff, providing them with the best strategies and techniques to handle customers' inquiries and concerns. They also resolve customer complaints and ensure customer satisfaction, building good customer relationships, maintaining the company's reputation, and increasing revenues... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Outbound Calls
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Customer Complaints
   • Inbound Calls
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Calls
   • Telephone Calls
   • Customer Orders
   • Product Knowledge
   • Customer Care
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and train a group of 3+ CSRs at a time, are responsible for making change and maintaining the till.
   • Assist as a cashier handling money, checks, and credit card transactions on company's POS system.
   • Operate POS cash register, maintain thorough knowledge of store merchandise and responsible for cross selling JC Penney credit card.
   • Audit CSRs final work for errors in the data entry portion so that billing information to providers & veterans are accurate.
   • Mail updated information to patients and providers regarding benefit changes.
   • Perform computer record searches; verify merchandise warranty and relay information to internal leadership.

   More associate customer service representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate customer service representative job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An associate customer service representative salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, associate customer service representatives' average salary in mississippi is 42% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate customer service representatives earn 43% less than senior-level associate customer service representatives.
   • Certifications. An associate customer service representative with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an associate customer service representative's salary.

   Average associate customer service representative salary

   $35,215yearly

   $16.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate customer service representative salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average associate customer service representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$46,718	$22
   2	California	$46,224	$22
   3	Massachusetts	$45,643	$22
   4	Minnesota	$41,340	$20
   5	Washington	$41,162	$20
   6	Wyoming	$38,726	$19
   7	New Jersey	$38,002	$18
   8	Nevada	$37,342	$18
   9	Wisconsin	$35,390	$17
   10	Arizona	$35,090	$17
   11	Connecticut	$35,070	$17
   12	Oregon	$34,759	$17
   13	Rhode Island	$34,540	$17
   14	Illinois	$34,107	$16
   15	Michigan	$33,722	$16
   16	North Dakota	$33,507	$16
   17	Colorado	$32,605	$16
   18	Iowa	$32,502	$16
   19	Virginia	$32,259	$16
   20	Texas	$32,135	$15

   Average associate customer service representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Deutsche Bank	$43,020	$20.68	7
   2	Automation and Control Technology	$42,966	$20.66
   3	Kohler Co.	$42,110	$20.25	2
   4	CenterPoint Energy	$41,437	$19.92
   5	HD Supply	$40,987	$19.71	20
   6	USG	$40,500	$19.47
   7	Cummins	$39,841	$19.15	7
   8	California Water Service	$39,601	$19.04
   9	Bank of China USA	$38,941	$18.72	1
   10	University of Michigan	$38,688	$18.60	5
   11	Donatech	$38,645	$18.58	2
   12	Goldfish Swim School	$38,636	$18.57	43
   13	Belcan	$38,626	$18.57	4
   14	HireTalent	$38,479	$18.50
   15	California Water Service Group	$38,414	$18.47
   16	Avalon Document Services	$38,385	$18.45	3
   17	PDS Tech	$38,375	$18.45
   18	Daltile	$38,302	$18.41	26
   19	Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods	$38,093	$18.31
   20	ADP	$38,006	$18.27	49

4. Writing an associate customer service representative job description

   A good associate customer service representative job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an associate customer service representative job description:

   Associate customer service representative job description example

   • 2 or more years of successful inside/outside customer service or sales experience. Preferred within the printing, promotional, office supply industries or in the arena of developing warehouse management/fulfillment accounts.
   • Skilled at generating leads through a variety of social and network marketing, phone and occasional door-door cold calling, and obtaining referrals while securing sales from all size business accounts
   • Arranging and conducting client visits on location at their office(s)
   • Capable of seeking out and participating in networking events
   • Identifies prospects, customers, and referral sources, while developing and maintaining excellent relationships
   • Strong interpersonal and communication skills (oral, written, presentation)
   • Must be highly organized and self-motivated
   • Positive and energetic attitude
   • Knowledge of Word, Outlook, Excel Initial and on-going sales training are provided
   • Professional and well maintained outward impression
   • Comfortable with face-to-face, phone and electronic communications
   • Generous commission splits based on earned profit volume
   • Position is on-site M-F, 8AM-5PM - Lockport, IL

   Salary + bonus or commission opportunities can be developed for the motivated candidate.

   We're looking for the right person that wants to succeed in any of these thriving markets. If you are dedicated and strong willed, this is the right life decision for you.

   Company DescriptionWith over 26 years in business, we are among the top leaders in the printing and promotional product industry. We possess a higher level of teamwork and dedication to not only our clients but to our employees as well. Our mission is to continually drive our industry with the skills and dedication of our team while providing an environment where everyone excels and prospers with the companies growth. We strive to treat out employees as we do our clients, with sincerity, fairness and professionalism.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right associate customer service representative for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with associate customer service representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit associate customer service representatives who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate customer service representative job on Zippia to find and recruit associate customer service representative candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit associate customer service representatives, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new associate customer service representative

   Once you've decided on a perfect associate customer service representative candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new associate customer service representative. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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