How to hire a customer agent

How to hire a customer agent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step customer agent hiring guide:

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

What does a customer agent do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your customer agent job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a customer agent for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a customer agent to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a customer agent that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of customer agents and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Customer Agent	Description	Hourly rate
   Customer Agent	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-18
   Customer Service Professional	A customer service professional is responsible for providing the highest customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and updating the customers of goods and services for generating revenues and profitability to the company. Customer service professionals process order transactions, administering payment plans and adjusting service features in meeting customers' needs... Show more	$12-40
   Customer Support Coordinator	A customer service coordinator is an individual who motivates and supervises customer service teams for business performance maximization. Customer service coordinators make sure that customer loyalty and satisfaction are met... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Customer Service
   • Outbound Calls
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Troubleshoot
   • Customer Support
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Customer Accounts
   • Inbound Phone Calls
   • Customer Calls
   • Telephone Calls
   • Customer Interaction
   • Customer Issues
   • US Customs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
   • Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities
   • Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities

   More customer agent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your customer agent job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A customer agent can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, customer agents' average salary in alabama is 38% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level customer agents 36% less than senior-level customer agents.
   • Certifications. A customer agent with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a customer agent's salary.

   Average customer agent salary

   $15.30hourly

   $31,834 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level customer agent salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average customer agent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$38,693	$19
   2	California	$35,922	$17
   3	Arizona	$34,920	$17
   4	District of Columbia	$34,387	$17
   5	Oregon	$34,157	$16
   6	Colorado	$33,921	$16
   7	Michigan	$33,828	$16
   8	Wisconsin	$33,409	$16
   9	Indiana	$32,289	$16
   10	Illinois	$32,032	$15
   11	Utah	$31,288	$15
   12	North Carolina	$29,081	$14
   13	Ohio	$28,857	$14
   14	Texas	$28,824	$14
   15	Idaho	$28,768	$14
   16	Tennessee	$28,428	$14
   17	Nebraska	$27,938	$13
   18	Florida	$27,000	$13
   19	Georgia	$26,747	$13
   20	Arkansas	$25,372	$12

   Average customer agent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Speedway Motors	$36,642	$17.62	3
   2	Freedom Mortgage	$35,420	$17.03
   3	FedEx	$35,185	$16.92	123
   4	Race Communications	$34,320	$16.50
   5	CarMax	$34,184	$16.43	93
   6	Tompkins Insurance	$33,779	$16.24
   7	Amazon	$33,387	$16.05	111
   8	Huntington Learning Center	$33,347	$16.03
   9	Kaplan Early Learning	$33,166	$15.95	2
   10	DHL	$32,732	$15.74	13
   11	Boart Longyear Company Inc	$32,612	$15.68
   12	Unicity International	$32,609	$15.68	2
   13	K Health, Inc.	$32,609	$15.68
   14	Prosper Group	$32,609	$15.68
   15	Corestream	$32,583	$15.66	2
   16	Vacasa	$32,566	$15.66
   17	HyreCar	$32,519	$15.63	1
   18	BrightView Landscape Development Inc	$32,510	$15.63	17
   19	PetroChoice	$32,341	$15.55
   20	Glacier Ban	$32,301	$15.53

4. Writing a customer agent job description

   A customer agent job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a customer agent job description:

   Customer agent job description example

   Corestream (corestream.com) is seeking a Customer Escalation Agent. The Customer Escalation Agent is responsible for ensuring that all customer requests and requirements are met and responded to professionally and in a timely manner. This position assures that customers receive efficient and courteous service by administering, coordinating and controlling specific customer programs and processes. Interact with customers to provide information in response to inquiries about accounts, products, and/or services within a Customer Service environment. If this sounds like you, read on…
   
   Your MissionHeavy phone use to answer customer inquiries with a high degree of accuracy, efficiency and courtesy.Requires a significant amount of computer data entry and navigation.The ability to establish and maintain good relations with customers by providing courteous, efficient and professional service is a must.Displays a positive attitude to ensure customer satisfaction Follows quality system procedures and processes.Recognize, research, isolate and resolve customer inquiries.Type and enter information into a database while a customer is speaking Must be able to provide clear, concise ticket documentation Reviews and updates information in an internal data system Maintain up-to-date knowledge of products and customer entitlement options to provide proper information to customers
   
   Recipe for SuccessExperience working in Customer Service or call center2-15 Health and Life LicenseGood written and verbal communication skills are essential Excellent telephone skills; position communicates with many individuals, both internally and externally.Must have the demeanor and temperance to work effectively in a customer service and fast paced environment.Must work well in a team environment Must have effective problem-solving skills; exceptional organizational and multitasking abilities.Excellent decision-making skills and ability to perform complicated tasks; attention to detail.Excellent Computer SkillsBasic knowledge of Microsoft applications, especially Word and Excel.Call Center experience preferred.A High School Diploma required Minimum of 1 to 2 years of experience working in a Customer Service or call center.
   
   Cherries on Top2+ years' experience working in the group benefits industry (medical, dental, vision, disability, life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, auto & home, etc.) Experience at a technology company
   About Us
   
   Corestream is a fast-growing, cutting-edge financial and benefits technology company. We are an industry leader in the delivery of Voluntary Benefits; our proprietary software is the engine for large, Fortune-500 companies to easily and cost-effectively offer unlimited Voluntary Benefits to its employees through payroll deduction.
   
   We have a driven, flexible, and fun team and offer competitive compensation and benefit packages. Although we are over ten years old, we still have a “start-up” culture and when we are in the office we have a casual dress code, weekly yoga, free snacks and beverages, and Friday lunches are on the house.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find customer agents for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any customer agents they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level customer agents with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit customer agents, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 customer agent

   Once you have selected a candidate for the customer agent position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new customer agent first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a customer agent?