How to hire an office assistant and customer service

How to hire an office assistant and customer service, step by step

Here's a step-by-step office assistant and customer service hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an office assistant and customer service job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new office assistant and customer service
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The office assistant and customer service 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 an office assistant and customer service 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 an office assistant and customer service that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of office assistant and customer services and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Office Assistant And Customer Service	Description	Hourly rate
   Office Assistant And Customer Service	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-17
   Customer Service Administrator	Customer service administrators supervise people in performing customer service and relations. They manage customer inquiries and oversee customer service representative needs and requirements... Show more	$13-21
   Customer Service And Billing	A customer service and billing worker primarily assists customers when it comes to billing matters. They answer calls or correspondence from customers to identify their needs, respond to inquiries, discuss product or service specifications, manage billing arrangements, provide price quotes, and offer other services... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Payroll
   • Schedule Appointments
   • Credit Card Payments
   • Front Desk
   • Bank Deposits
   • Customer Complaints
   • Outbound Calls
   • Office Equipment
   • Front End
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Customer Orders
   • Telephone Calls

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage on-site registration at events including management of volunteers, registration setup, and coordinate all registration logistics.
   • Interact with individual customers and broker representatives by phone and email, providing excellent customer service to troubleshoot technical account problems.
   • Determine Medicaid requirements and eligibility.

   More office assistant and customer service duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your office assistant and customer service job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An office assistant and customer service salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, office assistant and customer services' average salary in georgia is 35% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level office assistant and customer services earn 32% less than senior-level office assistant and customer services.
   • Certifications. An office assistant and customer service 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 an office assistant and customer service's salary.

   Average office assistant and customer service salary

   $15.10hourly

   $31,405 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level office assistant and customer service salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average office assistant and customer service salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$37,771	$18
   2	California	$37,431	$18
   3	Minnesota	$37,133	$18
   4	Colorado	$35,446	$17
   5	New York	$35,297	$17
   6	Illinois	$34,179	$16
   7	Connecticut	$31,545	$15
   8	Maryland	$30,805	$15
   9	Missouri	$30,575	$15
   10	Kansas	$30,533	$15
   11	Ohio	$30,070	$14
   12	Texas	$29,615	$14
   13	Virginia	$28,520	$14
   14	Florida	$28,189	$14
   15	Utah	$28,035	$13
   16	Tennessee	$27,095	$13
   17	Alabama	$26,898	$13
   18	Maine	$26,204	$13

   Average office assistant and customer service salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Medline	$37,865	$18.20	5
   2	Accenture	$34,504	$16.59	271
   3	CTG	$33,340	$16.03	8
   4	Bryant & Stratton College	$33,267	$15.99	6
   5	Ciox Health	$31,796	$15.29
   6	City of Topeka	$31,694	$15.24
   7	Mr. Electric	$31,565	$15.18	20
   8	My Florida Regional Mls	$31,414	$15.10
   9	Emerald Coast Utilities Authority	$31,111	$14.96
   10	Glass America	$30,874	$14.84	25
   11	ProVest	$30,422	$14.63
   12	Jerry Seiner Dealerships	$30,404	$14.62
   13	Randstad North America, Inc.	$30,394	$14.61	49
   14	Robert Half	$30,180	$14.51	433
   15	Burrell Behavioral Health	$28,668	$13.78	3
   16	Florida Department of Transportation	$25,432	$12.23
   17	State Of Florida	$25,190	$12.11	48

4. Writing an office assistant and customer service job description

   A job description for an office assistant and customer service 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 an office assistant and customer service job description:

   Office assistant and customer service job description example

   Are you looking for a part-time opportunity that can grow into a full-time career? We are an award-winning Farmers Insurance Agency that is laid-back (but busy), and family owned and operated. If you are someone who enjoys taking on responsibilities, helping clients (both on the phone and in person), and has excellent customer service and administrative skills, we want to speak with you. In the future, the right person will have marketing responsibilities and attend outside functions (such as chamber of commerce events). We would love to have someone who is not afraid to promote our fast-growing business.
   
   The CSR is responsible for providing exceptional customer experiences, processing policy alerts and change requests, learning about our products, and answering questions from existing clients and prospects. Insurance industry experience is not required (but is preferred). For the right candidate, there is an opportunity to get licensed If you enjoy sales and want to earn extra income. We are looking for someone who wants to grow with us.
   
   Also, do you enjoy puppy love? We bring our two yellow Labradors to the office who thrive on attention.
   20-25 hours per week, flexible hours
   
   Benefits
   
   Base salary – hourly rate Business casual work environment Optional health, dental, vision, and life insurance through Farmers Insurance ( not paid by agency ) Holidays and weekends off Snacks and beverages Agency will pay for all licensing for those interested in sales Protege Agent Sales Program opportunity ( own your own agency in the future)
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Provide an exceptional customer experience by quickly responding to all servicing inquiries and sales requests Service each customer contact as a cross and/or up-sell opportunity Daily use of customer relationship management software (salesforce.com) Process all policy alerts and change requests, follow up on outstanding required documents, complete evidence of insurance and ID requests, and handle all claims-related inquiries from customers Set up Farmers Financial Annual Reviews for the agent and producers Ability to write professional correspondences
   
   Requirements
   
   Must pass a background check Minimum 1-2 years of successful customer service or administrative assistant experience (insurance or financial service industry preferred) Minimum education: High School Graduate Be a confident self-starter with a sense of urgency who can work independently, as well as with other people - you might be in the agency by yourself on occasion Exceptional business writing, grammar, and spelling skills; you can effectively multi-task and quickly pivot to more pressing needs within the agency Possess a genuine willingness to learn the business, be intuitive, resourceful, and most importantly, coachable - no ego's here

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find office assistant and customer services for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with office assistant and customer service 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.

   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 office assistant and customer service

   Once you've decided on a perfect office assistant and customer service 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 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new office assistant and customer service. 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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