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What does a sales and service associate do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a sales and service associate do

A sales and service associate is responsible for selling goods and services for the customers and help them with their purchasing needs. Sales and service associates respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, recommend products according to the customers' specifications, and ensure that the stocks are adequately filled. They also help management in identifying business opportunities from the current industry trends that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's sales and profits.

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Sales and service associate responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real sales and service associate resumes:

  • Set and achieve monthly goals in new accounts and investment referrals; encourage cross-sells of services as per management
  • Experience booking and closing loans.
  • Collaborate with agents in booking appointments and fielding calls.
  • Prepare and maintain a log in CRM of all quotations and customer relate activity.
  • Cashier, inventory, plumbing, paint, lawnmowers, pump repair and pool cleaning service
  • Offer customers an opportunity to test drive vehicles; conduct follow up calls and CRM.
  • Perform lobby engagement activities to connect with customers and position PNC products to meet their needs.
  • Assist with identifying and troubleshooting home repair problems including electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and mechanical situations.
  • Coordinate reservations for incoming guests base on room availability and guests desire accommodations.
  • Deliver a full PNC conversation with every client interaction to identify appropriate PNC solutions.
  • Provide customer care by setting aside on-hold reservations, and answering incoming telephone calls with professional and knowledgeable responses.
  • Operate POS cash register in areas of purchasing, returns, exchanges, and enforce store policies
  • Play a key role in the development and implementation of a new POS system for capital equipment.
  • Earn role expansion to encompass auto sales after exceeding rigorous automobile sales objectives.

Sales and service associate skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Sales And Service Associates are proficient in Sound Judgment, Sales Process, and Customer Problems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Selling skills, Math skills, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Sales And Service Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Sound Judgment, 18%

    Exercise sound judgment in issuing credit and making exceptions regarding policy in order to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.

  • Sales Process, 12%

    Exhibited outstanding customer service skills, providing sales for the company and guiding customers through the sales process.

  • Customer Problems, 11%

    Formulate appropriate plans to resolve customer problems and improve productivity.

  • Financial Transactions, 11%

    Handled the task of processing complex financial transactions accurately and efficiently.

  • Product Knowledge, 10%

    Established customer relationships through product knowledge and accountability.

  • Outbound Calls, 7%

    Handled inbound and outbound calls for Account Managers, payers, and clients to resolve billing errors.

Most sales and service associates use their skills in "sound judgment," "sales process," and "customer problems" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential sales and service associate responsibilities here:

Selling skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a sales and service associate to have is selling skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers." Sales and service associates often use selling skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "served as the front line for customer sales and problem solving for the usps as a window sales representative. "

Math skills. Another essential skill to perform sales and service associate duties is math skills. Sales and service associates responsibilities require that "retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers." Sales and service associates also use math skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "use technology-based business equipment and basic mathematical computations to process customer transactions and produce accurate reports. "

Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for sales and service associates to perform their duties. For an example of how sales and service associate responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "a friendly and outgoing personality is important for these workers because the job requires almost constant interaction with people." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a sales and service associate: "utilized strong interpersonal communication skills to appease and manage customer relations. ".

Customer-service skills. sales and service associate responsibilities often require "customer-service skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers." This resume example shows what sales and service associates do with customer-service skills on a typical day: "educated customers on the most effective way to access aaa products and services through a variety of distribution channels. "

Most common sales and service associate skills

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Compare different sales and service associates

Sales and service associate vs. Associate sales representative

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

The annual salary of associate sales representatives is $4,249 lower than the average salary of sales and service associates.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both sales and service associate and associate sales representative positions are skilled in sales process, product knowledge, and outbound calls.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sales and service associate are more likely to require skills like "sound judgment," "customer problems," "financial transactions," and "reservations." On the other hand, a job as an associate sales representative requires skills like "work ethic," "patients," "excellent interpersonal," and "sales techniques." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, associate sales representatives reach similar levels of education than sales and service associates. Associate sales representatives are 2.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales and service associate vs. Sales clerk

A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.

Sales clerk positions earn lower pay than sales and service associate roles. They earn a $29,517 lower salary than sales and service associates per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Sales and service associates and sales clerks both require similar skills like "product knowledge," "sales floor," and "quality customer service" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sales and service associate responsibilities requires skills like "sound judgment," "sales process," "customer problems," and "financial transactions." But a sales clerk might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "stock shelves," "sales transactions," "store policies," and "store displays."

Sales clerks earn similar levels of education than sales and service associates in general. They're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales and service associate vs. Sales associate and customer service

Sales and customer service associates are employees who are responsible for closing out sales deals and attending to customer needs. They are in charge of selling company goods and services to potential clients, often citing the common needs of prospective clients to ensure sales. They also handle customer inquiries and complaints and try their best to mitigate any problems that would arise. They are expected to be experts on company products to ensure that they can provide the best service to customers. Sales and customer service associates should have strong interpersonal skills, customer service skills, and communication skills.

On average scale, sales associate and customer services bring in lower salaries than sales and service associates. In fact, they earn a $26,602 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on sales and service associates and sales associate and customer services resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "product knowledge," "outbound calls," and "sales floor.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sales and service associate is likely to be skilled in "sound judgment," "sales process," "customer problems," and "financial transactions," while a typical sales associate and customer service is skilled in "sales associates," "cross-referencing," "customer orders," and "credit card transactions."

When it comes to education, sales associate and customer services tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sales and service associates. In fact, they're 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales and service associate vs. Lot associate

A lot associate is an employee who is responsible for helping customers to load heavy merchandise into their vehicles and provides excellent customer service. Lot associates collaborate closely with store managers and sales associates to ensure a smooth workflow and satisfying shopping experience for customers. By following safety procedures, lot associates must maneuver carts to gather and return them to the storefront. They must also maintain the cleanliness and professional appearance of the front end of the store.

Lot associates typically earn lower pay than sales and service associates. On average, lot associates earn a $22,672 lower salary per year.While both sales and service associates and lot associates complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like product knowledge, sales floor, and customer service, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A sales and service associate uses "sound judgment," "sales process," "customer problems," and "financial transactions." Lot associates are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer interaction," "depot," "safety policies," and "front end. "The average resume of lot associates showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to sales and service associates. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of sales and service associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.