What is a customer advisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Sally Hiott B.S. MBA, DBA

A customer advisor provides assistance to customers with queries and concerns. They work in industries including retail, finance, and telecommunications. Customer advisors work to understand the customers' needs and provide them with relevant solutions. They communicate with customers via phone calls, emails, and chat. A customer advisor must possess excellent communication skills, patience, and problem-solving abilities. They play a critical role in maintaining customer satisfaction and improving the company's reputation.

What general advice would you give to a customer advisor?

Sally Hiott B.S. MBA, DBA

Assistant Professor of Marketing, Charleston Southern University

Show employers how you would not only fill an open position regarding the work at hand, but show them how you would be an asset to their team. We are in very team driven work environments currently, and hiring managers want to know what you can bring to the table. Filling a void is great for the workload, but enhancing a team culture makes them not want to work without you!

ScoreCustomer AdvisorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,515

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 6.96%

Black or African American 12.28%

Hispanic or Latino 21.39%

Unknown 5.60%

White 53.11%

Gender

female 54.40%

male 45.60%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a customer advisor?

Pros

Gain knowledge about products/services
Work in a team-oriented environment
Opportunities for career growth and advancement
Flexible work schedules and part-time options available
Chance to work from home or remotely

Cons

High-pressure environment with expectations for quick resolutions
May involve long hours or shift work, including weekends and holidays
Can be emotionally draining due to the nature of the job
Performance metrics may be heavily monitored and enforced
May involve dealing with technical issues or systems that can be complex and frustrating

Key steps to become a customer advisor

Explore customer advisor education requirements

Most common customer advisor degrees

Bachelor's

47.5 %

High School Diploma

20.4 %

Associate

19.7 %

Start to develop specific customer advisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Excellent Interpersonal	56.71%
Persuasion	17.24%
Multitasking	13.93%
Customer Satisfaction	2.11%
Customer Service	1.07%

Complete relevant customer advisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New customer advisors 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 a customer advisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real customer advisor resumes.

Research customer advisor duties and responsibilities

Collaborate with management to train new employees on company policies and procedures and manage customer concerns via LiveChat.
Work at the POS completing transactions.
Clean windows and vacuum store and work area.
Use the POS of sale system including inputting transactions.

Prepare your customer advisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your customer advisor 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 a customer advisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable customer advisor resume templates

Build a professional customer advisor 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 customer advisor resume.