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How to hire a customer service leader

Customer service leader hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring customer service leaders in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a customer service leader is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per customer service leader on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 258,011 customer service leaders in the US and 301,338 job openings.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for customer service leaders, with 10 job openings.
  • Jacksonville, FL has the highest concentration of customer service leaders.

How to hire a customer service leader, step by step

To hire a customer service leader, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a customer service leader:

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

What does a customer service leader do?

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. They also help senior management search for business opportunities that would drive more revenue for the company and achieve profitability goals.

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

    Before you start hiring a customer service leader, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A customer service leader's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, customer service leaders from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

    Type of Customer Service LeaderDescriptionHourly rate
    Customer Service Leader$12-19
    Customer Service Representative ManagerA customer service representative manager is responsible for ensuring customers' satisfaction by addressing their needs and managing their complaints about goods and services offered by the company. A customer service manager monitors staff performance, trains new customer service staff, implements strategic procedures to assist customers, allocates the department's budget and resources, creates loyalty programs, and sets customer service operations goals... Show more$12-19
    Lead Customer Service RepresentativeA 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
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • POS
    • Sales Floor
    • Store Management
    • Product Knowledge
    • Strong Customer Service
    • Customer Transactions
    • Service Desk
    • Customer Service
    • Cash Control
    • Sales Associates
    • Loss Prevention
    • Customer Complaints
    • Store Policies
    • Customer Satisfaction
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Interact extensively with customers to achieve timely issue resolution while maintaining high standards for dock organization and cleanliness.
    • Use of multiple computer programs like word, excel, PowerPoint, PowerBooks, spreadsheets, etc.
    • Assist owner with the testing and implementation of retail POS system; establish inventory, pricing, and hot key entry.
    • Maintain current knowledge of Kansas Medicaid guidelines and claims processing regulations.
    • Accommodate the medical needs of Medicaid and Molina beneficiaries within the immigrant community.
    • Provide training to client base including operating procedural upgrades to meet ISO certification standards.
    More customer service leader duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your customer service leader job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A customer service leader salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, customer service leaders' average salary in louisiana is 48% less than in washington.
    • Seniority. Entry-level customer service leaders earn 34% less than senior-level customer service leaders.
    • Certifications. A customer service leader with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a customer service leader's salary.

    Average customer service leader salary

    $16.25hourly

    $33,791 yearly

    Entry-level customer service leader salary
    $27,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 21, 2026

    Average customer service leader salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Washington$44,893$22
    2Minnesota$39,319$19
    3Wisconsin$38,383$18
    4New York$37,935$18
    5Illinois$37,712$18
    6South Dakota$37,063$18
    7Colorado$36,407$18
    8California$35,991$17
    9Pennsylvania$34,649$17
    10North Carolina$32,595$16
    11Arizona$31,805$15
    12Utah$31,632$15
    13North Dakota$31,604$15
    14Virginia$31,323$15
    15Connecticut$30,755$15
    16Texas$30,592$15
    17Tennessee$29,764$14
    18Florida$29,645$14
    19Oklahoma$29,116$14
    20Alabama$29,062$14

    Average customer service leader salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1University of California-Berkeley$47,704$22.93
    2Salesforce$47,570$22.875
    3Schneider Electric Industrial Services$45,029$21.6514
    4Nebraska Public Power District$44,648$21.47
    5General Electric$42,501$20.4351
    6Retail$42,326$20.35
    7Seattle Pacific University$41,945$20.17
    8MDU Resources$40,974$19.702
    9Swanson Health Products$40,699$19.57
    10USAA$40,412$19.433
    11Bunge$40,332$19.3923
    12Systems$40,178$19.32
    13Lorven Technologies$40,124$19.29
    14GPAC$39,889$19.18
    15Hannaford Supermarkets$39,491$18.99146
    16Bruce Transportation Group$39,264$18.88
    17Philips$38,849$18.688
    18Santander Bank$38,750$18.631
    19Veeva Systems$38,743$18.6317
    20Santander Private Banking International$38,609$18.561
  4. Writing a customer service leader job description

    A customer service leader 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 service leader job description:

    Customer service leader job description example

    Bliss Car Wash Site Lead - $750 Sign on Bonus
    From $17.00 hourly plus incentives.

    Bliss Car Wash is rapidly growing and looking for energetic, smiling team members.

    At Bliss we make a difference one car at a time . It’s not only about what we do, it’s about who we are. We are passionate and contagiously positive . We love to make people smile and we will do whatever it takes to make our guests happy. We are water warriors . We believe water is life, so we fight to conserve it at every turn. We are united . We’re all part of life on this planet and together we can make it better.

    The Car Wash LEAD responsibility is to assist the Site Manager with all car wash needs, safety, quality control, customer satisfaction, upkeep of the facility, training and coaching, as well as lead by example.

    If this sounds like you, then Bliss wants to invest in you and your future.

    Other Job Duties

    • Complete Daily Checklist
    • Greet guests, with a smile, and assist them with their car wash needs
    • Provide relevant information on types of service, price, membership packages and other promotions
    • Ensure cars are lined up correctly and assist with guiding into the tunnel
    • Provide excellent service to ensure guest has a great experience
    • Respond to guest feedback or assist with any issues in a prompt manner
    • Maintain work area clean and organized
    • Be a team player

    We offer the opportunity for growth within the Bliss family and value each one of our team members.

    Job Qualifications

    Experience: Retail, guest services, fast food and sales experience is a plus but not needed.

    Knowledge: Must always maintain the highest level of customer service. Must have the capacity to take initiative when problems arise. Flexibility to adapt in a variety of situations. Must have attention to detail.

    Leadership Skills: Build great relationships with guest and co-workers through great communication and follow through.

    Work Schedule: Looking for FULL TIME employee that have the ability to work varied hours/days as business dictates.

    Language Skills: Ability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing & able to clearly communicate operational concerns to Management.

    Reporting Relationships : Reports to the Site Supervisor/Manager.

    BLISS Car Wash is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or any other protected class or characteristic.

    We will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable “Fair Chance” ordinances.

    We offer Flexible Working hours, Holiday Pay, Medical, Dental, Vision, Critical Illness & Accident Insurance Plans, and 401k with Employer Matching.

  5. Post your job

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

    Your first interview with customer service leader candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 leader

    Once you've decided on a perfect customer service leader 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.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new customer service leader. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a customer service leader?

Before you start to hire customer service leaders, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire customer service leaders pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $33,791 per year for a customer service leader, 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 service leaders in the US typically range between $12 and $19 an hour.

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