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What does a Sales Associate And Customer Service do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a Sales Associate And Customer Service do

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.

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Sales associate and customer service responsibilities

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

  • 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.
  • Move to the CSR position selling and leasing name brand products at a guarantee low price.
  • Provide technical support, and troubleshoot online-base ordering system.
  • Provide expertise for customers/contractors on information regarding plumbing and HVAC materials.
  • Execute annual analysis of inventory along with extensive POS system training.
  • Verify Medicare plan eligibility and document applicable inquiries via the internal applications
  • Respond to incoming customer and non-customer inquiries regarding plumbing and heating supplies.
  • Perform POS transactions accurately and efficiently and follow all cash handling procedures.
  • Increase overall Medicare broker satisfaction by providing consistent and reliable information services.
  • Provide detail reports cross-referencing membership information to build business according to observable trends.
  • Demonstrate the safety orientation and have customers fill out all necessary paperwork while multitasking and solving problems.
  • Participate in technical publications labor and cost estimation and preparation of PowerPoint presentations in support of marketing proposals.

Sales associate and customer service skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Sales Associate And Customer Services are proficient in Customer Service, Plumbing, and Sales Associates. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Sales Associate And Customer Services that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 21%

    Mail service responsibilities included all aspects of customer service for external customers including order processing and shipping and also dispute resolution.

  • Plumbing, 20%

    Responded to incoming customer and non-customer inquiries regarding plumbing and heating supplies.

  • Sales Associates, 19%

    Promoted to Customer Service Manager, oversaw sales associates and complied with company customer satisfaction policies.

  • Phone Calls, 11%

    Answered incoming telephone calls with professional and knowledgeable responses and provided expert product and service information

  • Booking, 9%

    Used Galileo and Amadeus booking systems and maintained computerized inventories.

  • Math, 8%

    Fast math skills was also needed in order to give correct change.

Common skills that a sales associate and customer service uses to do their job include "customer service," "plumbing," and "sales associates." You can find details on the most important sales associate and customer service responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a sales associate and customer service to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what sales associate and customer services do because "customer service representatives must be able to provide clear information in writing, by phone, or in person." Additionally, a sales associate and customer service resume shows how sales associate and customer services use communication skills: "sell quick and effectively skills used composure, sales techniques, great customer service, great communication/ verbal skills"

Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of sales associate and customer services is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday sales associate and customer service duties, as "representatives help companies retain customers by professionally answering questions and helping to resolve complaints." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "demonstrated ability to increase store profitability through both superior sales techniques and exceptional product knowledge to ensure customer satisfaction. "

Interpersonal skills. sales associate and customer service responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "representatives should be able to create positive interactions with customers." This resume example shows what sales associate and customer services do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "leverage strong interpersonal skills product knowledge to execute daily customer service. "

Listening skills. Another crucial skill for a sales associate and customer service to carry out their responsibilities is "listening skills." A big part of what sales associate and customer services relies on this skill, since "representatives must listen carefully to ensure that they understand customers in order to assist them." How this skill relates to sales associate and customer service duties can be seen in an example from a sales associate and customer service resume snippet: "provide effective customer support by listening to customers request and inquiring about additional ways to assist. "

Patience. Another skill commonly found on sales associate and customer service job descriptions is "patience." It can come up quite often in sales associate and customer service duties, since "representatives should be patient and polite, especially when interacting with dissatisfied customers." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day sales associate and customer service responsibilities: "established long-term customer relationships due to my patience and clarity of understanding exactly what the customer wanted. "

All sales associate and customer service skills

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Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume
Sales Associate And Customer Service Resume

Compare different sales associate and customer services

Sales associate and customer service vs. Customer associate

A customer associate is responsible for providing the best customer service by assisting the customers with their inquiries and concerns, as well as resolving their complaints, processing replacements, and issuing refunds as needed. Customer associates also sell products and services to the customers, demonstrating product features, and identifying business opportunities to drive more revenues and profits for the business. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills to process orders and payments timely and accurately.

We looked at the average sales associate and customer service salary and compared it with the wages of a customer associate. Generally speaking, customer associates are paid $4,335 higher than sales associate and customer services per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both sales associate and customer service and customer associate positions are skilled in customer service, phone calls, and sales floor.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sales associate and customer service are more likely to require skills like "plumbing," "sales associates," "booking," and "math." On the other hand, a job as a customer associate requires skills like "powerpoint," "troubleshoot," "customer retention," and "customer care." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Customer associates really shine in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $33,698. Comparatively, sales associate and customer services tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $30,394.The education levels that customer associates earn slightly differ from sales associate and customer services. In particular, customer associates are 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a sales associate and customer service. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales associate and customer service vs. Customer sales representative

The primary role of customer service representatives is to help customers with questions and complaints. It is also their duties and responsibilities to provide customers with information about services and products, take and process orders, and process returns and modifications. They also store records of customer transactions and interactions and provide feedback on customer service efficacy. Customer service representatives must also ensure that they can give customer satisfaction and offer the best professional support.

A career as a customer sales representative brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a sales associate and customer service. In fact, customer sales representatives salary is $10,090 higher than the salary of sales associate and customer services per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both sales associate and customer services and customer sales representatives have skills such as "customer service," "sales floor," and "product knowledge. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sales associate and customer service responsibilities requires skills like "plumbing," "sales associates," "phone calls," and "booking." But a customer sales representative might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer sales," "cleanliness," "excellent interpersonal," and "golf courses."

Customer sales representatives earn a higher average salary than sales associate and customer services. But customer sales representatives earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $38,373. Additionally, sales associate and customer services earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $30,394 annually.In general, customer sales representatives achieve similar levels of education than sales associate and customer services. They're 0.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales associate and customer service vs. Service associate

A service associate's role is to assist customers either through phone or in person. One of the service associate's primary responsibilities is to attain customer satisfaction by answering queries, performing troubleshooting methods, assisting in navigating through difficult tasks, handling complaints, resolving issues, and even processing payments. Furthermore, a service associate needs to be equipped with good communication skills to build rapport with clients as there are instances where they have to sell products and services.

On average scale, service associates bring in higher salaries than sales associate and customer services. In fact, they earn a $10,058 higher salary per year.sales associate and customer services and service associates both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "math," and "sales floor," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

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 associate and customer service is likely to be skilled in "plumbing," "sales associates," "phone calls," and "booking," while a typical service associate is skilled in "patients," "basic math," "loan payments," and "patient rooms."

When it comes to education, service associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sales associate and customer services. In fact, they're 3.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales associate and customer service vs. Customer service associate/cashier

A customer service associate/cashier is responsible for processing payments for the customers' orders. The customer service associate/cashier inspects the items, ensuring that the pricing and quantity from scanning are accurate. They also check for possible item defects and offer replacements, process payment refunds as needed, issue receipts to keep proof of payment, respond to customer's inquiries about a product, market promotional offers, and operate cash registers. A customer service associate/cashier must have excellent customer service skills and communication skills to boost customer satisfaction and increase sales goals.

Customer service associate/cashiers typically earn lower pay than sales associate and customer services. On average, customer service associate/cashiers earn a $1,721 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, sales associate and customer services and customer service associate/cashiers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "math," and "sales floor. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between sales associate and customer services and customer service associate/cashiers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a sales associate and customer service might have more use for skills like "plumbing," "sales associates," "phone calls," and "booking." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of customer service associate/cashiers require skills like "front end," "cash handling," "basic math," and "service desk. "

In general, customer service associate/cashiers hold similar degree levels compared to sales associate and customer services. Customer service associate/cashiers are 0.6% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of sales associate and customer service

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.

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