How long does it take to become a Sales Associate And Customer Service?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a sales associate and customer service. That is the time it takes to learn specific sales associate and customer service skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Sales Associate And Customer Service: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales associate and customer service and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Joseph Hancock

Working as a sales associate and in customer service, you need some patience. You're going to get some complaints from customers. As well as customers who aren't going to be happy, no matter how hard you try to make the situation better. Sometimes, all you can do is take a breath and count to 10.

But it's not all bad. In fact, most customers you interact with will be excited about buying whatever product your store sells. It's your responsibility to help customers buy said product and check out. The customer service side of your job involves helping with return purchases and any issues a customer has.

You don't need any formal education before working in this position. But you'll probably have to go through some on-the-job training. You'll also probably have to work some weekend shifts, and maybe even evening shifts. But that just means your day will be wide open for some fun in the sun or errands - whatever the case may be.

What's a day at work look like for a sales associate and customer service?

Joseph Hancock

Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

New graduates will need to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you "get to work" or you will soon be looking for a new job. The new world may be one where you don't go to an office, but instead work right from home, scheduling appointments and doing your own calendar. My last years working for Target in a regional field position taught me that no one was going to motivate me each day, I had to motivate myself. Also, it can be lonely working from home as a new graduate, so find outside interests and ways to make friends. I am from the old fashion ideologies that getting a hobby is extremely important, and that hobby is not going to the gym or watching television. It includes something that enriches your life to be a better person in society.

ScoreSales Associate And Customer ServiceUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,654

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.74%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 10.95%

Hispanic or Latino 22.03%

Unknown 5.44%

White 54.47%

Gender

female 60.23%

male 39.77%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sales associate and customer service

Explore sales associate and customer service education requirements

Most common sales associate and customer service degrees

High School Diploma

34.2 %

Bachelor's

30.8 %

Associate

20.7 %

Start to develop specific sales associate and customer service skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	20.87%
Plumbing	19.67%
Sales Associates	18.85%
Phone Calls	10.53%
Booking	9.00%

Complete relevant sales associate and customer service training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales associate and customer services learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales associate and customer service based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales associate and customer service resumes.

Research sales associate and customer service duties and responsibilities

Manage call center productivity levels by maintaining CSR schedule adherence.
Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
Investigate, analyze, and troubleshoot any issues with a particular delivery.
Elicit and record customer information and inquiries via customer relationship management (CRM) software.

Prepare your sales associate and customer service resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales associate and customer service resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sales associate and customer service resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable sales associate and customer service resume templates

Build a professional sales associate and customer service resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sales associate and customer service resume.

Apply for sales associate and customer service jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales associate and customer service job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average sales associate and customer service salary

The average sales associate and customer service salary in the United States is $28,654 per year or $14 per hour. Sales associate and customer service salaries range between $21,000 and $38,000 per year.

Average sales associate and customer service salary

$28,654 Yearly

$13.78 hourly

How do sales associate and customer services rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales associate and customer service reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022

Pros

I got to do a variety of tasks daily. Got treated with respect from management and other coworkers.

Cons

Sometimes I had to finish up job tasks that were assigned to others that were not completed.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Caring to the customer issues is what I do like first and the other thing it is a job that show determination level on the duty.

A zippia user wrote a review on 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

What is a sales associate and customer service and how to become one

What's a day at work look like for a sales associate and customer service?

Sales associate and customer service career paths

Key steps to become a sales associate and customer service

Explore sales associate and customer service education requirements

Most common sales associate and customer service degrees

Start to develop specific sales associate and customer service skills

Complete relevant sales associate and customer service training and internships

Research sales associate and customer service duties and responsibilities

Prepare your sales associate and customer service resume

Choose from 10+ customizable sales associate and customer service resume templates

Apply for sales associate and customer service jobs

How did you land your first sales associate and customer service job

Average sales associate and customer service salary

How do sales associate and customer services rate their job?

Sales associate and customer service reviews

Sales associate and customer service FAQs

How long does it take to become a Sales Associate And Customer Service?

Search for sales associate and customer service jobs

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