How to hire a customer assistant

How to hire a customer assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step customer assistant 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 assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new customer assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a customer assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your customer assistant 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 assistant 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

   Hiring the perfect customer assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of customer assistants.

   Type of Customer Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Customer Assistant	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-18
   Lead Customer Service Representative	A lead customer service representative is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to assist in daily operations and help with customer issues. Lead customer service representatives manage high-level customer complaints and provide immediate resolution and disputes... Show more	$10-27
   Customer Service Leader	A customer service leader is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to provide the best customer service for the company's clients, ensuring immediate action and resolution for all their inquiries and concerns. Customer service leaders regularly offer coaching opportunities for the team, identify their challenges, and provide strategic procedures to improve their interaction with the customers... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Reservations
   • Customer Assistance
   • Customer Service
   • Sales Floor
   • Customer Support
   • Product Knowledge
   • Inbound Calls
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Stock Shelves
   • Service Issues
   • Troubleshoot
   • Credit Card Transactions
   • Outbound Calls
   • Customer Complaints

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Interact extensively with customers to achieve timely issue resolution while maintaining high standards for dock organization and cleanliness.
   • Take and punch orders into the POS system and provide customers with information on payments.
   • Count money in POS before shift to ensure amounts are correct and there is adequate change.
   • Provide and present research findings via conference calls, PowerPoint presentations, and round table meetings.
   • Help customers troubleshoot internet connection problems, and dispatch technicians when necessary.
   • Work directly with warehouse locations to troubleshoot specific issues in delivery execution.

   More customer assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, customer assistants' average salary in mississippi is 42% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level customer assistants 34% less than senior-level customer assistants.
   • Certifications. A customer assistant 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 assistant's salary.

   Average customer assistant salary

   $15.06hourly

   $31,331 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level customer assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average customer assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$35,962	$17
   2	Massachusetts	$34,140	$16
   3	California	$33,770	$16
   4	New York	$32,424	$16
   5	Hawaii	$32,263	$16
   6	Colorado	$32,218	$15
   7	New Jersey	$31,809	$15
   8	Maryland	$30,613	$15
   9	Arizona	$30,195	$15
   10	Pennsylvania	$30,163	$15
   11	Minnesota	$29,976	$14
   12	Utah	$29,926	$14
   13	Ohio	$29,916	$14
   14	Michigan	$29,678	$14
   15	Texas	$29,482	$14
   16	Indiana	$29,272	$14
   17	North Dakota	$28,821	$14
   18	Nevada	$28,754	$14
   19	Georgia	$28,272	$14
   20	Florida	$27,254	$13

   Average customer assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$46,518	$22.36
   2	The RealReal	$44,848	$21.56	8
   3	Lubrizol	$42,425	$20.40
   4	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$40,866	$19.65
   5	Con Edison	$40,696	$19.57	3
   6	Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc.	$40,596	$19.52
   7	CarMax	$37,424	$17.99	78
   8	Sunworks	$36,840	$17.71
   9	Northwell Health	$36,035	$17.32	26
   10	Weld County Government	$35,805	$17.21	1
   11	Discover	$35,093	$16.87
   12	Amazon	$34,977	$16.82	85
   13	American Airlines	$34,283	$16.48	8
   14	The Next Level	$34,106	$16.40
   15	Kendall-Jackson	$32,799	$15.77	18
   16	Pharmaceutical Product Development	$32,249	$15.50
   17	Toyota Financial Svc	$32,123	$15.44	2
   18	Brilliant	$32,091	$15.43	10
   19	Melaleuca:The Wellness	$31,521	$15.15	7
   20	ICONMA	$31,328	$15.06

4. Writing a customer assistant job description

   A good customer assistant 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 a customer assistant job description:

   Customer assistant job description example

   Customer Access Assistants are to provide best customer access service to UK HealthCare. Facilitates all caller requests and needs according to protocol and ensures exceptional outcome. Facilitates patient admission, referrals, transfers and appointments to UK HealthCare. Customer Access Assistants are expected to provide a high level of efficiency, accuracy and courtesy while initiating callers' requests. The selected candidate will be required to learn a working knowledge of the UK HealthCare system, some general medical terminology, procedures and information regarding hospital programs and services.
   This is not a remote position.
   
   The University of Kentucky considers the health, safety and well-being of our entire community to be a top priority. In alignment with this priority, all new hires must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or obtain an approved medical or religious exemption as a condition of employment. For areas that fall under the federal CMS mandate, start of employment cannot occur until two weeks after receiving the full COVID-19 vaccination series or upon obtaining an approved exemption. Only vaccines approved by the World Health Organization can be accepted.
   
   Skills / Knowledge / Abilities
   
   The ideal candidate will have knowledge of medical terminology; the ability and dedication to provide outstanding customer service; the ability to use multiple computer applications including an Internet-based phone system; and the ability to multitask and work as part of a team. Typing, attention to detail, and exceptional communication skills are all essential to this position.
   
   Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? No Preferred Education/Experience
   
   High School diploma and at least three full years of related employment experience.
   
   Deadline to Apply 10/19/2022 University Community of Inclusion
   
   The University of Kentucky is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce by ensuring all our students, faculty, and staff work in an environment of openness and acceptance. We strive to foster a community where people of all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives can feel secure and welcome. We also value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.
   
   As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strongly encourage veterans, individuals with disabilities, women, and all minorities to consider our employment opportunities.
   
   Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find customer assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your customer assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit customer assistant 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 assistants, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 assistant

   Once you've selected the best customer assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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