What is a Customer Service Specialist?

If you've ever worked in customer service before, you probably know the motto, "the customer is always right." As much as you hate to admit it, in this business, it's absolutely right. A happy customer makes for a happy company. No matter how wrong they actually are.

As a customer service specialist, you need to make sure customers are satisfied with their experience and product or service. That's why it's important for you to respond to customers in a timely manner. But your job doesn't just revolve around the customer's satisfaction.

You're also responsible for staying on top of product malfunctions and reporting on how each product is functioning. While you could perform all of this well on a high school diploma, most employers do prefer that you have a bachelor's degree. So you better get to studying. You definitely want to stand out from the other applicants.

What Does a Customer Service Specialist Do

There are certain skills that many customer service specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, computer skills and customer-service skills.

Learn more about what a Customer Service Specialist does

How To Become a Customer Service Specialist

If you're interested in becoming a customer service specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 42.6% of customer service specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.4% of customer service specialists have master's degrees. Even though some customer service specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Customer Service Specialist

Customer Service Specialist Job Description

Customer service specialists are responsible for addressing customer complaints by answering inbound calls or interacting face-to-face, identifying lapses in services, following the company's guidelines on customer recovery, and making sure that the customer is satisfied before ending the interaction. They must also ensure that all interactions are recorded and documented.

Learn more about Customer Service Specialist Job Description
Top Customer Service Specialist Jobs Near You

Customer Service Specialist Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of office assistant you might progress to a role such as executive assistant eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title account manager.

Customer Service Specialist

Average Salary for a Customer Service Specialist

Customer Service Specialists in America make an average salary of $33,238 per year or $16 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $42,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Customer Service Specialist Salary
$33,238 Yearly
$15.98 hourly
See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of Customer Service Specialist

The role of a customer service specialist includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general customer service specialist responsibilities:

  • Answer incoming phone calls from members
  • Receive telephone calls. The insurance specialist is responsible for the accurate
  • Provides world-class customer service to existing

There are several types of customer service specialist, including:

Customer Service Agent

Role:

A Customer Service Agent is a front-line staff at any business or company. They are the first person a customer contacts to acquire information about a product, or submit an order, to file complaints, or request returns. Customer service agents resolve any doubt or issue customers might have about the products, services, or policies of the company.

They process orders and returns, follow up on open cases, and document customer data. The agents might operate over the phone, answer emails, or be at the customers' disposal on live chat. They have to have up-to-date information about the products and processes of the company in order to efficiently troubleshoot. Collecting customer feedback to create reports about the efficiency of their service is also the responsibility of customer service agents.

As they are the first interaction a customer will have with a business or institution, their job is to create and maintain a good relationship with customers and create an attractive image of the company. However, customers rarely bother to make contact unless they have a problem, so customer service agents should expect an outpouring of customer frustration. Make sure you have nerves of steel and know-how to keep you calm if you decide to give this position a go.

  • Average Salary: $29,598
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Customer Service Representative

Role:

Do you like listening to others' problems? Well, ok, nobody really enjoys listening to complaints, but some are better at pretending to care than others. If that's you, maybe consider a career as a customer service representative.

From customer complaints to processing orders and just being able to answer questions, customer service representative interact with customers throughout their day. The great news is that representatives are needed in almost every industry, so it shouldn't be that difficult to find a job. And as long as you're able to communicate well with others and know your way around a computer, all you need is a high school degree and some on-the-job training.

  • Average Salary: $32,260
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Customer Representative

Role:

As a Customer Representative, you can earn an average salary of $29,308 per year. You can also explore other roles and careers depending on the path you plan to take. For example, you can be a Certified Nursing Assistant, Team Leader, Assistant Manager, or Sales Manager.

As a Customer Representative, you will be establishing communication between the organization and the customers. You will do this by resolving complaints, addressing emergency issues, and answering other product-related questions.

Of course, in order to do your job well, you need to possess special skills and traits. You need to have good communication skills for efficient communication, computer skills for better task accomplishment, and excellent customer service skills in order to build a good relationship.

Some real Customer Representatives mention that they promote accuracy and efficiency, ensure timely delivery of orders, give presentations, help users navigate different applications, and perform many other related duties in their chosen field. By now, you should have an idea of what a Customer Representative does.

  • Average Salary: $37,351
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
View More

States With The Most Customer Service Specialist Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active customer service specialist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where customer service specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Customer Service Specialist Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California8,841$38,246
2Texas8,611$29,983
3Florida8,004$29,976
4Illinois5,697$32,898
5Ohio4,767$31,121
6New York4,410$36,582
7North Carolina4,400$31,646
8Georgia4,308$29,520
9Pennsylvania4,088$31,972
10Michigan3,985$32,213
11Virginia3,335$29,044
12Indiana3,270$31,688
13Massachusetts3,188$39,302
14Minnesota3,188$34,589
15New Jersey3,171$38,515
16Arizona3,051$32,565
17Missouri2,832$30,267
18Tennessee2,583$28,616
19Wisconsin2,340$32,042
20Colorado2,305$31,992
21Maryland2,258$33,363
22Kentucky2,166$29,614
23Washington2,152$35,930
24Iowa2,074$31,378
25Alabama2,070$29,737
26South Carolina1,876$27,544
27Louisiana1,798$27,625
28Oklahoma1,482$27,465
29Kansas1,470$31,015
30Connecticut1,357$37,946
31Mississippi1,294$25,767
32Utah1,216$30,165
33Oregon1,116$34,938
34Arkansas1,048$26,424
35Nebraska1,043$32,106
36New Mexico980$29,943
37Maine922$31,925
38Nevada911$32,177
39New Hampshire789$35,427
40Idaho785$29,101
41Montana668$31,620
42Delaware535$35,892
43West Virginia526$29,448
44Rhode Island385$35,045
45Vermont301$34,168
46North Dakota289$32,042
47Hawaii268$35,563
48South Dakota249$30,252
49Wyoming248$28,365
50Alaska231$34,980

Customer Service Specialist Education

Customer Service Specialist Majors

Business
31.3 %
Psychology
7.2 %
General Studies
6.3 %

Customer Service Specialist Degrees

Bachelors

42.6 %

Associate

23.3 %

High School Diploma

21.9 %

Top Skills For a Customer Service Specialist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 19.1% of customer service specialists listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and computer skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Customer Service Specialist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Customer Service Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Customer Service Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume
Customer Service Specialist Resume

Customer Service Specialist diversity

Customer Service Specialist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
68%
Male
Male
32%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among customer service specialists, 68.0% of them are women, while 32.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among customer service specialists is White, which makes up 55.6% of all customer service specialists.

  • The most common foreign language among customer service specialists is Spanish at 67.6%.

Online Courses For Customer Service Specialist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Customer Service Fundamentals

coursera

There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...

2. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.5
(907)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

3. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(327)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

Show More Online Courses For Customer Service Specialist
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Best States For a Customer Service Specialist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a customer service specialist. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut. Customer service specialists make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $39,302. Whereas in New Jersey and California, they would average $38,515 and $38,246, respectively. While customer service specialists would only make an average of $37,946 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Connecticut

Total Customer Service Specialist Jobs: 1,357
Highest 10% Earn:
$49,000
Location Quotient:
0.98

$37,946

Avg. Salary

View 1,357 Customer Service Specialist Jobs In CT

2. New Jersey

Total Customer Service Specialist Jobs: 3,171
Highest 10% Earn:
$50,000
Location Quotient:
0.96

$38,515

Avg. Salary

View 3,171 Customer Service Specialist Jobs In NJ

3. New Hampshire

Total Customer Service Specialist Jobs: 789
Highest 10% Earn:
$45,000
Location Quotient:
1.08

$35,427

Avg. Salary

View 789 Customer Service Specialist Jobs In NH
Full List Of Best States For Customer Service Specialists

How Do Customer Service Specialists Rate Their Jobs?

4/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Customer Service Specialist Reviews

4.0
Dec 2019
Pros

The people and helping them solve their problems, also being first to help the customers.

Cons

not being able to communicate with a customer

Working as a Customer Service Specialist? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Top Customer Service Specialist Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ customer service specialists and discovered their number of customer service specialist opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Best Buy was the best, especially with an average salary of $32,249. J. C. Penney follows up with an average salary of $28,037, and then comes Office Depot with an average of $33,323. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a customer service specialist. The employers include HomeStreet Bank, CITGO Petroleum, and ResMed

Most Common Employers For Customer Service Specialist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1JPMorgan Chase & Co.$38,365$18.44490
2Xerox$37,860$18.20570
3Citi$35,052$16.85337
4Shopko Optical$33,912$16.30525
5Bank of America$33,853$16.281,872
6AT&T$33,404$16.061,203
7T-Mobile$33,353$16.04673
8Office Depot$33,323$16.022,284
9Humana$33,089$15.91296
10Nordstrom$32,302$15.53399
Show More

Becoming a Customer Service Specialist FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Customer Service Specialist?

It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a customer service specialist. That is the time it takes to learn specific customer service specialist skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How Much Do Customer Service Specialists Make?

Customer service specialists make between $29,000 to $37,000 annually, or between $14 -19 an hour. It's considered an entry-level position that requires minimum education and no experience.

How Much Do Customer Support Specialists Make?

Customer support specialists make between $29,500 and $41,000 annually. The nationwide average is $36,458. The amount varies based on location, industry, and background.

Some support specialists go through quick training to serve the role, while others may have strong information technology (IT) backgrounds and are helping guide users through complex network systems.

Is Customer Service Specialist A Good Job?

Yes, being a customer service specialist is a good job if you enjoy a steady flow of interaction with people. Customer service specialists often work in call centers or remotely, helping to serve or resolve customer issues.

What Are The Duties Of A Customer Support Specialist?

The duties of a customer support specialist are dedicated to addressing the concerns or queries of a customer. They typically specialize in guiding users through the use of a specific product or system.

What Is A Customer Support Specialist?

A customer support specialist is a professional who provides information or sells products and services to customers. Customer support specialists are experts on the features and functionality of a product and guide users through proper use. Customer service support specialists are also on call to resolve issues and handle complaints.

What Is The Difference Between A Customer Service Representative And A Customer Support Specialist?

The difference between customer service representatives and customer support specialists is that customer service representatives are more generalized resources that deal with administrative issues.

What Is The Difference Between Customer Service Specialist And Customer Service Representative?

The difference between customer service representatives and customer service specialists is that customer service representatives represent the company handling general questions and issues, whereas the customer service specialist may be reached to resolve concerns, complaints, or challenging customers.

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search For Customer Service Specialist Jobs

Customer Service Specialist Related Careers

Customer Service Specialist Related Jobs

Customer Service Specialist Jobs By Location

Customer Service Specialist Jobs By Company

Updated April 6, 2023