How to hire a Customer Service Associate

How to hire a customer service associate, step by step

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

What does a Customer Service Associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The customer service associate hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 service associate 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 service associate that fits the bill.

   This list presents customer service associate salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Customer Service Associate	Description	Hourly Rate
   Customer Service Associate	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$11-19
   Customer Service, Warehouse	A customer service warehouse is primarily in charge of providing customer support, mainly through calls and correspondence. Their responsibilities typically revolve around answering inquiries, addressing and troubleshooting problems, processing refunds, maintaining records of all transactions, and referring them to other services when necessary... Show More	$12-17
   Customer Service Expert	A customer service expert is responsible for providing excellent customer by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services the company offers. Customer service experts also handle and escalate high-level complaints, processing order replacements, and issuing refunds as needed... Show More	$27-83

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Sales Floor
   • Plumbing
   • Quality Customer Service
   • Front End
   • CSA
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Customer Care
   • Cleanliness
   • Basic Math
   • Service Desk
   • Food Preparation
   • POS

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and calculate daily cash deposits and prepare daily payroll ledgers.
   • Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
   • Use excellent phone and customer service etiquette while navigating through multiple windows simultaneously.
   • Provide excellent customer service to hundreds of satisfy customers, bag groceries with speed and efficiency
   • Perform upselling on every call.
   • Train in flight emergencies, hazardous materials and CPR.

   More Customer Service Associate duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, customer service associates' average salary in mississippi is 39% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level customer service associates 40% less than senior-level customer service associates.
   • Certifications. A customer service 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 service associate's salary.

   Average customer service associate salary

   $15.24hourly

   $31,709 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level customer service associate salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2025

   Average customer service associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$39,319	$19
   2	Hawaii	$37,599	$18
   3	Washington	$33,762	$16
   4	Massachusetts	$33,270	$16
   5	Arizona	$32,854	$16
   6	New Jersey	$32,302	$16
   7	New York	$32,285	$16
   8	Oregon	$31,674	$15
   9	Minnesota	$31,105	$15
   10	Nevada	$30,265	$15
   11	Wisconsin	$30,037	$14
   12	Illinois	$30,036	$14
   13	Colorado	$29,963	$14
   14	Pennsylvania	$29,662	$14
   15	Maryland	$29,631	$14
   16	Michigan	$29,358	$14
   17	Maine	$29,050	$14
   18	Ohio	$28,925	$14
   19	Texas	$28,885	$14
   20	Missouri	$28,585	$14

   Average customer service associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Fidelity Investments	$43,873	$21.09	20
   2	Stanford University	$43,126	$20.73	3
   3	Kenyon College	$42,411	$20.39	1
   4	UBS	$41,864	$20.13	108
   5	MUFG EMEA	$40,556	$19.50
   6	Uline	$40,199	$19.33	40
   7	National Grid plc	$40,187	$19.32	30
   8	Genesee & Wyoming	$40,034	$19.25
   9	USAA	$40,014	$19.24	24
   10	Room & Board	$39,992	$19.23	2
   11	Fortune Brands Home & Security	$39,381	$18.93	8
   12	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$39,325	$18.91	1
   13	The Travelers Companies	$39,262	$18.88	18
   14	WEC Energy Group	$39,260	$18.88
   15	GEICO	$39,252	$18.87	68
   16	Owens Corning	$39,084	$18.79
   17	QBE Insurance Group	$38,987	$18.74
   18	White County	$38,838	$18.67
   19	Microsoft	$38,801	$18.65	13
   20	State Bar of Michigan	$38,768	$18.64	137

4. Writing a Customer Service Associate Job Description

   A job description for a customer service associate role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a customer service associate job description:

   Customer Service Associate job description example

   The starting wage for this position is $14.50/hr

   Not only do you get to be part of an organization where you Drive your Potential , Power your Passion !! Below are a few perks and discounts:

   • 40% off any standard Hertz Rental
   • Discounted Travel and Food
   • Tuition Discounts
   • Tuition Reimbursement
   • Pet Insurance
   • Career Growth with hands-on learning

   Essential Requirements:

   Job Description :

   The Customer Service Sales Associate consults with customers on their rental car needs. The ability to provide world class customer service and sales support. The responsibilities include building rapport and upselling customers on additional features and benefits.

   Qualifications:

   6 months of sales or upselling experience. Strong communication skills and the ability to build relationships with customers. This position requires strong multitasking. All employment is contingent on the successful completion of a background screen.

   Apply today and shift your career into drive for tomorrow !

   :

   At Hertz, we champion and celebrate a culture of diversity and inclusion. We take affirmative steps to promote employment and advancement opportunities. The endless variety of perspectives, experiences, skills and talents that our employees invest in their work every day represent a significant part of our culture – and our success and reputation as a company.

   Individuals are encouraged to apply for positions because of the characteristics that make them unique.

   Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Hertz is a drug free workplace.

   EOE, including disability/veteran

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right customer service associate for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit customer service associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 service associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect customer service associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new customer service 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 service associate?