How To Become A Customer Relations Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a customer relations associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Sally Hiott B.S. MBA, DBA

Companies hire customer relations associates to serve as the main points of contact for their customers. That said, customer relations associates are responsible for addressing customer concerns through various channels, such as voice calls, instant chats, e-mails, or social media.

On a typical workday, a customer relations associate will answer customer queries, help customers troubleshoot problems, process orders or special requests, and handle complaints accordingly. They spend most of their day in front of a computer and talking to customers. And if they are not talking to customers, they are generating reports or talking to their supervisors.

For many companies, the minimum requirement for this role is a high school diploma or GED. Experience, on the other hand, is not a strict requirement but can be beneficial for this entry-level role. Furthermore, applicants must display good skills in communication, time management, and customer service, as well as a basic understanding of CRM systems and MS Office.

Customer relations associates make an average of $37,000 per year, depending on their employer and experience level.

What general advice would you give to a customer relations associate?

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 Relations AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,656

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.68%

Asian 7.77%

Black or African American 12.65%

Hispanic or Latino 18.37%

Unknown 5.49%

White 55.06%

Gender

female 62.62%

male 37.38%

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

Key steps to become a customer relations associate

Explore customer relations associate education requirements

Most common customer relations associate degrees

Bachelor's

57.5 %

Associate

17.4 %

High School Diploma

11.6 %

Start to develop specific customer relations associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Relations	17.69%
Processing Orders	11.21%
Problem Resolution	10.84%
Data Entry	7.82%
Credit Card Payments	6.64%

Complete relevant customer relations associate training and internships

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

Research customer relations associate duties and responsibilities

Manage software maintenance renewal partner and assist with upselling additional and higher functionality licenses to increase revenue.
Verify insurance eligibility and benefits of patients that are being provide oxygen home and travel units and durable medical equipment.
Call customers for BMW NA and provide surveys on service/new purchase experience.
Communicate with customers and FedEx to facilitate resolutions of any shipping or delivery issues.

Prepare your customer relations associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your customer relations associate 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 relations associate 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 relations associate resume templates

Build a professional customer relations associate 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 relations associate resume.