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What is a senior customer service representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
Sally Hiott B.S. MBA, DBA
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A senior customer service representative is an individual who is responsible for providing excellent customer service and support to customers.handle complex customer inquiries and complaints,supervise and train other customer service representatives, and ensure that they provide quality service to customers. They work closely with other departments to ensure that customer issues are resolved promptly and effectively. Ultimately, a senior customer service representative plays a critical role in maintaining positive relationships between the company and its customers.

What general advice would you give to a senior customer service representative?

Sally Hiott B.S. MBA, DBA

Assistant Professor of Marketing, Charleston Southern University

Show employers how you would not only fill an open position regarding the work at hand, but show them how you would be an asset to their team. We are in very team driven work environments currently, and hiring managers want to know what you can bring to the table. Filling a void is great for the workload, but enhancing a team culture makes them not want to work without you!
ScoreSenior Customer Service RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
2.7

Avg. Salary $35,008

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 6.98%

Black or African American 11.67%

Hispanic or Latino 19.88%

Unknown 5.28%

White 55.48%

Gender

female 71.07%

male 28.93%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a senior customer service representative?

Pros

  • Opportunity to help customers and make a positive impact

  • Higher pay than entry-level customer service roles

  • Ability to mentor and train newer employees

  • Possibility of flexible schedules or remote work options

  • Opportunities for advancement within the company

Cons

  • Dealing with difficult or upset customers can be stressful

  • Long hours or irregular shifts may be required

  • Repetitive nature of customer inquiries can become tedious

  • High-pressure environment with strict performance goals and metrics

  • Risk of being blamed for company policies or decisions beyond personal control.

Senior customer service representative career paths

Key steps to become a senior customer service representative

  1. Explore senior customer service representative education requirements

    Most common senior customer service representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    45.8 %

    Associate

    24.2 %

    High School Diploma

    18.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior customer service representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Outbound Calls5.57%
    Windows5.37%
    Customer Inquiries4.90%
    Product Knowledge4.41%
    Quality Standards4.17%
  3. Complete relevant senior customer service representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior customer service representatives 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 senior customer service representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior customer service representative resumes.
  4. Research senior customer service representative duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and verify accuracy of payments, wires, and ACH transactions for payroll and distributions.
    • Interact extensively with customers to achieve timely issue resolution while maintaining high standards for dock organization and cleanliness.
    • Assist as a cashier handling money, checks, and credit card transactions on company's POS system when need.
    • Research and correct contribution and distribution forms for IRS.
  5. Get senior customer service representative experience

    Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a senior customer service representative. The most common roles before becoming a senior customer service representative include customer service representative, cashier team lead and administrative assistant.
  6. Prepare your senior customer service representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior customer service representative 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 senior customer service representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior customer service representative resume templates

    Build a professional senior customer service representative 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 senior customer service representative resume.
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
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    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
    Senior Customer Service Representative Resume
  7. Apply for senior customer service representative jobs

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

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

How did you land your first senior customer service representative job

Zippi

Are you a senior customer service representative?

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Average senior customer service representative salary

The average senior customer service representative salary in the United States is $35,008 per year or $17 per hour. Senior customer service representative salaries range between $28,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average senior customer service representative salary
$35,008 Yearly
$16.83 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do senior customer service representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

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1 star

Senior customer service representative reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022
Cons

I don’t like escalations from the customers


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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.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

I like building relations with other companies, keeping customers satisfied and growing in all areas,


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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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