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How to hire a customer experience associate

Customer experience associate hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring customer experience associates in the United States:

  • There are a total of 341,147 customer experience associates in the US, and there are currently 199,193 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a customer experience associate is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per customer experience associate on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for customer experience associates, with 40 job openings.

How to hire a customer experience associate, step by step

To hire a customer experience associate, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a customer experience associate, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a customer experience associate do?

A customer experience associate mostly works in the retail and finance industries. Primarily, they ensure that a customer who patronizes and buys with the company's products and services have a good experience. It is part of their responsibility to pleasantly greeting guests, assisting them in finding products, interacting with customers by asking what service they are looking for, and resolve complaints. In addition, they are always good at communication and trained to interact with customers and ensure customer satisfaction.

Learn more about the specifics of what a customer experience associate does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your customer experience associate 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 experience associate 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?

    Hiring the perfect customer experience associate 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 experience associates.

    Type of Customer Experience AssociateDescriptionHourly rate
    Customer Experience AssociateCustomer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.$7-23
    Customer Account RepresentativeA customer account representative's role is to serve as the primary contact between a company and its clients. They typically reach out to existing and potential customers through calls and correspondence, answer inquiries, address issues and concerns, close sales by offering products and services, process payments, and ensure satisfaction to boost sales and improve client base... Show more$12-22
    Customer AgentA customer agent provides friendly service to external and internal customers. Customer agents talk to customers on behalf of businesses and companies... Show more$12-18
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Customer Inquiries
    • Cash Handling
    • Customer Expectations
    • Product Knowledge
    • Data Entry
    • Troubleshoot
    • Inbound Calls
    • Customer Calls
    • Zendesk
    • Phone Calls
    • CRM
    • Customer Relationships
    • Facebook
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage compliance with monthly branch alarm tests, teller drawer and ATM audits.
    • Manage call center productivity levels by maintaining CSR schedule adherence.
    • Treat every customer with respect & compassion.
    • Handle POS cash register which involve soliciting credit.
    • Give accurate information, answer questions and troubleshoot issues.
    • Ensure new team members are properly train on cross-selling techniques.
    More customer experience associate duties
  3. Make a budget

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

    • Location. For example, customer experience associates' average salary in idaho is 38% less than in massachusetts.
    • Seniority. Entry-level customer experience associates 69% less than senior-level customer experience associates.
    • Certifications. A customer experience associate 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 experience associate's salary.

    Average customer experience associate salary

    $13.38hourly

    $27,830 yearly

    Entry-level customer experience associate salary
    $15,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 16, 2025

    Average customer experience associate salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Massachusetts$30,574$15
    2District of Columbia$28,984$14
    3Tennessee$28,897$14
    4California$28,369$14
    5Minnesota$27,780$13
    6New York$27,403$13
    7Indiana$27,293$13
    8Colorado$27,014$13
    9Wisconsin$26,953$13
    10Arizona$26,892$13
    11New Jersey$26,395$13
    12Nevada$25,758$12
    13Ohio$25,572$12
    14Illinois$25,504$12
    15Texas$24,878$12
    16Florida$24,830$12
    17Nebraska$24,779$12
    18Virginia$24,628$12
    19Washington$24,600$12
    20Pennsylvania$24,422$12

    Average customer experience associate salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Boehringer Ingelheim$167,040$80.314
    2Meta$147,443$70.89129
    3Adobe$134,639$64.7310
    4Microsoft$130,474$62.7336
    5Google$130,323$62.66155
    6Citi$125,946$60.5513
    7HP$109,615$52.702
    8Infosys Public Service$108,855$52.3311
    9Salesforce$107,920$51.8816
    10Santander Bank$104,779$50.371
    11Guidehouse$92,505$44.4714
    12UGI$92,263$44.3615
    13Booz Allen Hamilton$85,650$41.184
    14RapidSOS$85,580$41.14
    15Deloitte$85,549$41.13130
    16ICF$84,785$40.762
    17Accenture$80,275$38.59611
    18RXR Realty$76,947$36.99
    19Alliance of Professionals & Consultants$76,767$36.91
    20JPMorgan Chase & Co.$73,442$35.31197
  4. Writing a customer experience associate job description

    A customer experience associate 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. Below, you can find an example of a customer experience associate job description:

    Customer experience associate job description example

    Schedule: Full-time, Tues-Sat 11P-8A EST(including holidays). Hours may vary based on the need of the business.

    Location: Remote

    Who You ll Work For

    REEF transforms urban spaces into community hubs that create jobs and bring new goods, services and experiences to the neighborhood. With an ecosystem of 5,000 locations and a team that s over 18,000 strong, REEF is the largest operator of parking real estate and delivery restaurants in North America. By connecting the world to your block, we re making the place you live, the place you love to be.

    What You ll Do

    Direct Supervisor for a team of approximately 12-20 Customer Experience Representatives (CXRs) who handle high-volume, inbound calls related to a plethora of different types of parking related calls. This is a 24x7x365 contact center.

    Supervision

    Responsibility for all areas of CXR employment, development, and performance.

    Accountable for CXR adherence to KPIs and SLAs across all channels (inbound and outbound calls, chat, SMS, email and social media)

    Responsible for CXR training success, performance management, quality assurance and coaching; as well as all administrative tasks associated with CXR employment including system access forms, time-off requests, notes to file and disciplinary action, etc.

    Service Levels

    Comprehensive understanding of contact center KPIs and SLAs including speed of answer, handle time, talk time, abandonment rate, utilization and occupancy.

    Always ensure CXR schedule adherence for optimized staffing levels. If necessary, jump in to handle interactions when wait time or queue thresholds are exceeded.

    Use of contact center software Five9, Workforce Optimization Solution Verint, and Microsoft Office for real-time and historical reports.

    Coaching & Mentoring

    An integral and critical part of the Supervisor role.

    Formalized, ongoing and open dialogue can help ensure the success of Shared Services CXRs.

    Supervisors should expect to dedicate approximately 25% of every workday to coaching.

    Administration and HR

    Use REEF HR and Workforce Optimization systems including Workforce, Paycom and Verint.

    Ensure completion of System Request Forms, Timesheets, Hourly EE forms, updates, etc. on or before deadline.

    Manage CXR attendance including timekeeping, schedule adherence, etc. and action as required.

    Process CXR time off requests within 1 business day of submission

    Conduct disciplinary action as required under the guidance of HR & Management.

    What We Want From You:

    Strong leadership skills. A passion for creating CXR success through thoughtful and structured coaching & mentoring. Positive, respectful, and enthusiastic.

    Exemplary time management skills: The ability to balance unplanned tasks and duties while consistently and successfully meeting regular, ongoing responsibilities as well as ad-hoc.

    Strong prioritization skills: Excellent skill in prioritizing tasks and responsibilities in a fast-paced and rapidly evolving environment. Ability to meet ongoing responsibilities even while shifting priorities as new information or situations arise.

    System & process expertise: A commitment to ongoing learning to become an Expert on systems & processes used in the Call Centre. Strong working knowledge of MS Office applications.

    Excellent problem solver: Enjoys applying system and process expertise to get to the root of a problem and apply a solution. Ability to apply solutions to big picture.

    Strong attention to detail & focus on accuracy

    Exceptional interpersonal skills, both orally and in writing. Excellent literacy.

    Proven Leadership abilities minimum 1 year

    Customer Service and/or Call Center environment minimum 2 years

    Five9 and/or Verint experience is an asset.

    What We ll Provide

    Medical

    Dental

    Vision

    Life and Disability

    401K (US) or RRSP Contributions (Canada)

    Paid Time Off (PTO)

    PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
    The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

    Frequently operate small office equipment such as a computer, tablet, and copier/printer, telephone.
    Work is performed in a professional office environment.

    WORKING CONDITIONS:
    Work is performed indoors for extended periods of time including up to the entire duration of shift.

    REEF Technology is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. REEF does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. REEF complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction in which it operates.

  5. Post your job

    To find customer experience associates 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 experience associates they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level customer experience associates 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 experience associate job on Zippia to find and recruit customer experience associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting customer experience associates requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    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 experience associate

    Once you've found the customer experience associate candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    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 customer experience associate. 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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How much does it cost to hire a customer experience associate?

Recruiting customer experience associates involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $27,830 per year for a customer experience associate, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for customer experience associates in the US typically range between $7 and $23 an hour.

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