This article shows you how to become an amazing customer service representative and get hired by top-notch companies. It delves into the specific things you should and shouldn’t say in your cover letter and resume for this type of position, as well as during your interview. Anyone who is looking to become a customer service representative can benefit from this article.
Parts of this Guide; This guide is divided into four parts
Part 1: Customer Service Representative Skills and Qualities
Part 2: How To Start Working As A Customer Service Representative
Part 3: The Customer Service Representative Work Environment
Part 4: Interesting Ways To Make Money As A Customer Service Representative
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Develop excellent communication skills. |
| 2. Master problem-solving abilities. |
| 3. Cultivate patience and empathy. |
| 4. Hone your interpersonal skills. |
| 5. Stay updated on customer service trends and best practices. |
| 6. Build a strong professional network. |
| 7. Continuously improve your customer service skills. |
| 8. Provide exceptional customer experiences. |
| 9. Set clear boundaries and manage your time effectively. |
| 10. Embrace a growth mindset and seek learning opportunities. |
Part 1: Customer Service Representative Skills And Qualities
The following skills and qualities will also be important for individuals who want to become a customer service representative:
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Communication Skills
A customer service representative should be able to communicate well both verbally and in written form. Customer service representatives are often required to answer questions, provide information and help resolve problems.
Patience and Politeness
The ability to remain polite and patient is essential for customer service representatives since they often work with difficult customers or customers who may not understand a product or procedure. Being able to stay calm in these situations can help put the customer at ease as well as make it easier for the representative to solve whatever problem the customer may be having.
Complaint Handling Skills/Ability To Deal With Unpleasant People (Or Situations)
One of a customer service representative’s main tasks is handling complaints from customers, so they must know how to handle these complaints while remaining polite and helpful, even when working with irate customers.
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Ability To Work Under Pressure
Customer service representatives work under strict deadlines and have multiple demands placed on them by their supervisors. This means that they must be able to work quickly while still completing their tasks correctly.
Part 2: How To Start Working As A Customer Service Representative
Here are the tips on how to start working as a customer service representative
Get The Basics
The first thing you should do when you are looking to become a customer service representative finds out what is required. There are different companies and each will have different requirements. You don’t want to assume you can work as a customer service agent at any company just because they have customer service agents.
Have Excellent Communication Skills
The ability to communicate well is vital to any job, but particularly important in this one. You need to be able to listen well and offer clear instructions when needed. You also need excellent written communication skills so that you can write emails clearly and concisely. It’s also important to be able to understand and speak with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Many companies are now operating internationally, so it’s very possible that you’ll interact with customers from other countries and cultures on a regular basis.
Be A Patient Person
If there’s one quality you absolutely need as a customer representative, it’s patience. You have to be patient with the customers, but also with yourself. Remember, it takes time to get used to being in this position and doing this type of work.
It’s important not to judge when you first start talking with a customer on the phone. They may sound angry or upset and that could make you feel defensive. But before you go off on them or try to talk over them, remember that they’re having a problem which is why they called your company for help in the first place.
They are calling because something is wrong and they need your help fixing it – so take a moment before responding and don’t be too quick to jump down their throat if they start sounding upset right away – listen calmly then respond accordingly by asking questions so that you can understand what exactly is going on before trying anything else
I know how frustrating these types of calls can be so it’s best not to get too worked up about them because then things will probably just get worse which means more headaches for everyone involved
Be patient with yourself as well – customer service isn’t easy work but if done right it can turn out pretty well
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Be Diplomatic
As an agent, your daily work will involve talking to customers and trying to solve their problems. No matter how frustrating it may be to hear someone complaining about the service or product you’re offering, it’s crucial that you maintain a professional and diplomatic demeanor at all times when dealing with people who are angry or upset. As hard as this may be, try not to take things personally you’ll just end up getting flustered and frustrated if you do.
Instead, make sure your tone is friendly and positive; even if the customer is being nasty, it’s still important to keep calm so you can help them effectively. If they ask invasive questions or start making personal comments that have nothing to do with the problem at hand (for example: “Why are you so stupid?”), tell them politely that those questions/comments aren’t relevant and guide them back toward addressing the original problem.
Be Flexible
You may be asked to handle different types of calls, use different phone systems, or even take on additional responsibilities as the need arises. Although this can be an exciting opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience, it also means that you might find yourself having to push through your comfort zone and complete tasks that aren’t necessarily in your duty description.
Customer service representatives have a duty to make sure their customers are satisfied. As such, they must often perform tasks they may not have been trained for but if it helps appease the customer and keep them from going elsewhere, then so be it.
This can mean doing something as simple as looking up information for your customer (like shipping rates or product availability), or even transferring them to another department if their issue is better suited for someone else’s expertise. A flexible attitude will help you get ahead in any field, especially when working with people so don’t forget: being flexible isn’t just about what job you do; it’s also about how you approach that job.
Have Some Background Knowledge
A customer service representative’s main purpose is to answer questions, so having background knowledge about the product or service you are selling is key. This knowledge base can come from a variety of places: reading through training manuals, doing your own research on the subject, or hearing about it from colleagues. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; if you don’t know the answer to something, find out! It’s better not to guess at an answer than to give false information.
Stay Calm And Collected
When dealing with an irate customer, it’s important to remain calm and collected. If you lose your cool, you could make the situation worse by saying something regrettable or causing the customer to become more upset. There are several ways you can stay calm and collected when dealing with irate customers.
First of all, if a phone call becomes too stressful, hang up. You can try calling back later after taking some time to help yourself relax. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth until you feel less stressed out. It may also be helpful to think of something funny that happened recently, like a pun-filled email from a friend or a funny meme on social media, as this will help take your mind off the stressful situation at hand.
If none of these measures work and you still feel overwhelmed, then just walk away from the phone call and tell your supervisor that it became too intense for you to handle alone
Second of all, speak slowly and clearly so the customer can understand what you’re trying to say without getting frustrated at not being able to understand what’s going on during the conversation. If English is not their native language or they have difficulty hearing due to certain medical conditions like Meniere’s disease (a condition characterized by dizziness), then try using phrases that are simple enough even for someone who doesn’t know any English words at all!
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Don’t Take It Personally
When a customer is mad, don’t take it personally. They are not angry at you in particular; they’re frustrated with the situation, and you happen to be their only outlet. Personally, I find it helpful to remind myself that I’m all they have right now. If I can help them solve their problem quickly and efficiently while being courteous, then they won’t need to seek other outlets later on.
Learn From Your Customers
Feel like you don’t know your company well enough to do a good job greeting its customers? You’re not alone. According to a Gallup survey, only 27 percent of employees actually knew their company well enough to serve as a role model for customers. As it turns out, customers can teach you about your company in all sorts of unexpected ways.
One example: when I worked at Red Robin in high school, our busiest night was around midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. One time we ran out of french fries by the end of the first rush but unlike other times when we ran out of fries, the people who came back for more didn’t give up after one drive-thru run (in fact, they kept coming).
They waited around until we made more fries with the next order because they were too excited about having received fresh-cut fries again and were sad that they couldn’t get them right away. This meant that while I was busy making countless fresh fry orders during my shift, I witnessed an incredible commitment from our customers that night, one that never would’ve happened if they hadn’t been so loyal to our brand in the past.
Part 3: The Customer Service Representative Work Environment
The work environment for customer service representatives depends largely on where the job is located, but customer service representatives often work in call centers, retail stores, and even in their own homes.
For many customer service representatives, your typical day at the office involves sitting at a computer and answering phone calls. Some customer service representatives will have an office of their own, where they can sit in solitude and enjoy quiet people-watching (of course without being rude), but many will be placed in cubicles a style of desk that gives you just enough privacy to keep you from going insane while still ensuring that management can keep tabs on what everyone’s doing.
For other customer service representatives who work from home, the experience is even more isolating. Without the camaraderie of coworkers or a boss wandering around to check that everyone’s getting their work done (and maybe share a few jokes about something silly a client did), it can be easy for someone working from home to feel lonely and unmotivated.
Part 4: Interesting Ways To Make Money As A Customer Service Representative
There are many ways to make money, but customer service is one of the most unique. As a CSR, you’ll be interacting with customers all day long, which means you can find new ways to make money in your own unique style. Here are just a few ideas:
Become A Career Coach
Becoming a career coach involves a number of important responsibilities, including helping people identify their strengths and weaknesses, finding ways to improve their job performance and build good habits, set goals for their careers, and creating action plans to reach those goals. Here are the steps you can take to become a career coach:
Earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology or social work. To be successful as a career coach, it’s important that you have an understanding of your clients’ motivations and desires and how they can achieve them. Having formal training in psychology or social work will help you develop these skills.
Gain experience working as a counselor or professional life coach. You’ll need experience working with clients before becoming a career coach because this is what will give you the interpersonal skills needed to be successful in the role of helping others achieve their goals.
Join professional organizations like the National Career Development Association (NCDA) so you can learn how to get certified as a career development facilitator (CDF). The CDF credential is offered by NCDA for counselors who want to be recognized for being knowledgeable about various types of careers and ways of choosing them.
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Do Online Tutoring
Many people know you for your expertise in a given subject, which means that you are able to make money off of your skills by helping others. Tutoring can be very lucrative, and the best part is that it’s all on your terms. You can tutor as much or as little as you want without many responsibilities other than showing up on time to help the student learn.
Take advantage of online resources like Skype and Facetime to conduct tutoring sessions with students around the world. You may find yourself developing friendships with this network of students too which helps build your reputation even more!
Make Money Blogging
Making money blogging is super easy. All you need to do is:
- Start a blog.
- Make other people interested in the blog.
- Have those people click on ads and purchase things that are related to topics your blog discusses. (Through an affiliate program, you will receive a commission.)
Continuing to be interesting and informative for as long as possible will make others continue to read said blog, thus bringing in more money for you.
Become A Virtual Assistant
What is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant handles the day-to-day tasks that many people don’t have the time or skills to do themselves. These tasks include things like creating documents, organizing files, and handling emails..
How do you get started? One option is to take an online course in how to be a VA and how to market yourself as one. You can find these courses on platforms like Udemy for about $15-$20 each. An alternative is to learn from a book: check out Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker for guidance on how to become a successful VA. Once you understand what it takes, try advertising your services on sites like Upwork and Freelancer until you build up enough clientele to work independently and set your own rates.
Social Media Manager
If you love social media, then this is the position for you! Customer service managers need people with strong interpersonal skills to help build relationships with clients and customers. They also need people who are good at multitasking and can handle multiple projects at once.
The company hires several different types of social media managers, including content creators and community managers.
The former creates original content for the company’s various platforms while the latter manages interactions with users on those same platforms. For example, if there’s a problem with an account or order, that person would be responsible for responding to it via direct message or email instead of just ignoring it as many companies do today.
Customer Service Trainer
Another option is working as a customer service trainer. Working as a customer service trainer allows you to help train new employees on how to properly handle customers effectively. As a trainer, you will work with your company’s new hires or interns and provide them with tips on how to interact with customers effectively. You can also help other employees learn how to deal with different types of customers and situations so that they can be better at their job overall.
Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer – If you’re looking for interesting ways to make money as a customer service representative, you should consider becoming a freelance writer. There are many different freelance writing jobs available online. You can write articles that can be published in magazines or newspapers, research papers, eBooks, and more.
All of these jobs require excellent written communication skills, which you already have if you’re working as a customer service representative! The great thing about being a freelance writer is that you can choose which types of projects you want to work on and how much time you want to dedicate to each one.
Become A Content Writer
Many companies hire freelance writers to write their blog posts, website pages, and other content. If you’re looking for more creative ways to make money and enjoy writing, consider becoming a freelance writer.
Data Entry Specialist
This is one of the first jobs to be outsourced and it is still a very viable way to make money as a customer service representative. You will be responsible for entering information into databases, which are stored on servers that are maintained by companies that want to be able to access data from their customers. You will also need to know how to input information into their databases in order to help them find what they are looking for.
Salesperson
As with many other professions, the job market for salespeople has changed over time and now it is possible to become a salesperson online. There are several websites that allow you to sell products online, but you must keep in mind that you will still have to have extensive knowledge of marketing tactics in order to succeed with this type of work.
Content Moderator (E.G., Facebook, Youtube, Instagram)
If you’ve ever tried to moderate an online forum or social media group, you’ll know how tricky it can be to keep everyone happy. If you enjoy solving problems and helping people, consider becoming a content moderator at one of the many companies that hire customer service representatives. This kind of work is usually flexible, so you can do it part-time while keeping your day job or full-time if you need the extra income right away. The pay is good and you get to do something meaningful!
Transcriptionists (Medical And Legal)
For those with excellent communication skills and who love writing, this could be a great option! Transcriptionists transcribe audio recordings into text documents, which are then used by lawyers in court proceedings or medical professionals when documenting patient visits. The pay is decent and varies based on the type of transcription work required. You may even get paid per word typed.
The best customer service representatives are equipped to handle just about any situation thrown their way. Follow these steps to become an amazing freelance customer service representative:
- Take courses to learn customer service skills
- Learn how to use customer service software
- Get certified as a customer service representative
- Take courses in other areas to increase your skill set
- Apply for customer service representative jobs
Final Thoughts
In this guide, I discussed how you can become your own boss without losing your passion for serving others through freelance customer service work. While freelancing comes with its own set of challenges, such as less structure and fewer benefits than traditional employment, there are many perks available that make it worth it.
You get to choose whichever customers you want to work with and have control over how much you charge for your services (within reason). Freelancing is also flexible in terms of time; since all projects are completed remotely, you can work on them whenever it fits into your schedule.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on related topics:
How to Hire a Freelance Customer Service Representative: This article provides valuable insights and tips on hiring a freelance customer service representative for your business.
How to Be a Freelancer: Learn the essential steps and considerations to become a successful freelancer in this comprehensive guide from Indeed’s career advice section.
Advice on Becoming a Freelancer: Discover expert advice and practical tips on how to start your freelance career and navigate the freelancing landscape effectively.
People Also Ask
How Do I Become A Freelance Customer Service Representative?
The first step is to choose your qualifications. Next, find work online by setting up a profile on specialized websites such as Upwork.com or Freelancer.com. Once you’ve completed these steps, it’s time to start applying for jobs.
Where Can I Find Freelance Customer Service Representative Jobs?
There are many different sites where you can look for freelance customer service representative jobs; but our favorite place is [site name]. We recommend that you create a profile on [site name] and use the site to find jobs that interest you. You can also sign up at other sites like Upwork or Freelancer to maximize your chances of finding work.
What Does A Freelance Customer Service Representative Do?
A freelance customer service representative takes inbound calls from customers who need help with their order or have questions about products offered by companies they work for remotely without being physically present in person at all times during business hours when not working outside these hours (e.g., evenings/weekends).
This makes it possible not only to make money on your own schedule but also to save money because it costs less than hiring someone full-time and outsourcing tasks such as answering phones which normally require higher salaries due in part due cost-of-living expenses related to living near an office building location where most employees would need some sort of transportation access nearby location.”
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.