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

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Steve Hood
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Senior customer service specialists are leaders in a company's customer service department and superstars at helping clients. Sometimes they're called senior customer service representatives. No matter what they are called, a senior customer service specialist is usually in charge of a whole customer service department. They hire new employees, train them, and encourage their team to meet company standards. Senior customer service specialists also help customers themselves, especially if they're dealing with an incredibly complicated issue.

Senior customer service specialists need to have excellent interpersonal skills to lead their team and keep customers happy. Depending on where they work, they also need to provide technical support if customers are having trouble using the company's products.

The most important qualification in becoming a senior customer service specialist is customer service experience. Many work as customer service representatives for several years before earning a promotion to a senior position. Although some senior customer service specialists have bachelor's degrees, formal education is not as necessary for this role. Senior customer service specialists earn an average salary of $49,338 a year.

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

Steve HoodSteve Hood LinkedIn profile

Director of Industry Services, ICHRIE

Hospitality and tourism graduates of 2020 are faced with a similar challenge as hotels in the current COVID situation. Many are having to think outside the box and reinvent themselves. It may mean looking at different chains, different locations, and different roles, but there are still opportunities.
ScoreSenior Customer Service SpecialistUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $35,466

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 7.64%

Black or African American 11.40%

Hispanic or Latino 19.77%

Unknown 5.36%

White 55.11%

Gender

female 69.26%

male 30.74%

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

Senior customer service specialist career paths

Key steps to become a senior customer service specialist

  1. Explore senior customer service specialist education requirements

    Most common senior customer service specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    49.8 %

    Associate

    24.5 %

    High School Diploma

    14.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior customer service specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Client Facing10.09%
    Customer Support6.21%
    Inbound Calls6.11%
    Customer Calls5.31%
    Credit Card5.24%
  3. Complete relevant senior customer service specialist training and internships

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

    • Interact extensively with customers to achieve timely issue resolution while maintaining high standards for dock organization and cleanliness.
    • Compile, analyze and interpret important loan documents to troubleshoot and correct mortgage loan problems.
    • Communicate with center leadership and corporate customers any observe performance gaps; tracking and analyzing compliance to call center service standards.
    • Authore and review client PowerPoint content for aesthetics and TurningPoint compatibility.
  5. Get senior customer service specialist experience

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

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior customer service specialist 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 specialist 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 specialist resume templates

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

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior customer service specialist 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 specialist job

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Average senior customer service specialist salary

The average senior customer service specialist salary in the United States is $35,466 per year or $17 per hour. Senior customer service specialist salaries range between $29,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average senior customer service specialist salary
$35,466 Yearly
$17.05 hourly

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How do senior customer service specialists rate their job?

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Senior customer service specialist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022
Cons

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


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022
Cons

I don’t like escalations from the customers


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Customer engagement manager needs to leverage strong skills in internal and external communications, cooperation, and collaboration, as well as make decisions and problem solving. This position has endless opportunities to develop.

Cons

So far, I did not find.


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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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