Customer service is what makes brand experience best.

“Instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer” 

customer services representatives salary and peoples services wages

Scott Cook-the director of eBay

That’s why you can find these jobs in almost every industry. Be it tech, healthcare, hospitality, or ecommerce, client assistance is a must.

In turn, customer service officers pay also varies according to the industry, expertise and responsibilities. Besides that, factors like location, organization and your position also affect the income.
According to salary surveys, customer satisfaction jobs pay from $20,000 to $60,000 depending upon the job type and worker’s skills and experience.

In this guide, we have enlisted the median pay for different CSR positions. Also, you will find which skills and job positions pay the highest in the customer support industry.

Consumer Services Jobs (Salary, Skills, Education, and Job description)

What is consumer services industry?

Customer assistance is a multifaceted business sector essential to all B2C companies. By definition, it covers all jobs that involve a direct interaction with customers.  The primary job of CS employees is to assist customers with their needs.

In general, following services come under the umbrella of consumer support jobs:

• Provide basic guidelines about products
• Handle complaints and satisfy customers
• Find out appropriate solutions for customer problems

Consumer services income

Generally speaking CS workers make around $37-38k per year and $16-18 per hour.

Usually customer service representatives are paid two ways. Either they have a fixed salary or are paid per hour. And here we are providing an estimate on how much you can make in either of these two ways.

• Stats from Glassdoor show that customer service people earn $38, 452 per year on average. And if you are an experienced agent, you can make up to 56k per year. On the other side, average pay per hour for a customer service provider ranges from $15 to $22 depending upon your location and company.
• ZipRecruiter catalog infer that national average for US is about $39,098 per year and $19 per hour.

• These stats are close to the report of US Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS. According to the BLS, average salary of consumer service representative in USA in 2022 is about $37,780 per year or $18.16 per hour.

What Skills Do You Need For Customer Services?

Education requirements for customer satisfaction jobs  are not high. Oftentimes, you can even get a job with a high school certificate.

But you must have certain skills so that you could offer excellent customer experiences and resolve their issues.

Following ten skills will help you make a lucrative career in Consumer Services industry:

1.      Empathy and Friendliness

People services jobs are best for those who find a pleasure in:

• Interacting with random people,
• Building relationships,
• And helping them solve problems.

As these jobs need a lot of communication and direct interaction with people, extroverts have a huge plus.

That does not mean introverts can’t work in consumer services. They can BECAUSE the actual requirement is empathy and not being outgoing.

With an innate desire to help others, consumer services would not be that hard for you. If you deal your clients with empathy, patience and a positive attitude, you can surely have a successful career in this field.

2.      Active Listening

The goal of customer support services is to build a good customer relationship. And trust is what gives strength and longevity to any relationship. But you customers will never trust you if you give them attention.

Solution of the problem: Active Listening!

• It is a habit that you can build with practice.
• Focus your attention to the customer.
• Let the customer complete. Don’t interrupt in-between.
• As they speak, try to understand their point-of-view.
• Give acknowledging comments afterwards and then move on to explaining the possible solutions.

3.      Problem Solving

People come to support team when they face an issue. Your success in CS sector depends upon your problem solving ability.

• Can you understand the customer’s situation?
• Can you find out what’s causing them trouble?
• How quick you can figure out a solution for the issue?
• How effective are your solutions?

All these factors affect your performance scores in client support roles. This makes following attributes essential for this job:

• Technical knowledge about company’s products or services
• Creative thinking
• A willingness to go the extra mile

Good news is you can gain all three with some effort and training.

4.      Clear Communication

You must be able to express yourself effectively and ensure the customer understands your message.

That’s because you can only help a person when you understand what they say (by active listening). And also when you can make them understand what you say.

No CSR can be successful if they cannot deliver their points eloquently to the customers. You listened to their problems, paid attention to understand the reason and figured out the best solution. But, these efforts are useless if you cannot describe the solution to that person.

Tips:

• Effective communication needs emotional intelligence as well as the technical knowledge about the services or products of the company.
• A few tips for better communication are clear voice, friendly tone and using simpler language with less jargon.

5.      High Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a must-have for a CSR person.  Handling complaints and solving problems is mentally demanding.

Good CSR agents know how to stay calm under pressure. The customers can be upset or angry. But you must answer them in a polite, professional, and respectful way.

The best strategy is not to react to their words. Instead, breathe, take a moment, and focus on resolving the issue.

6.      Patience

Not everyone is patient, but client support agents must be!

Let the customers have their time.

Let’s be honest, support agents don’t deal with the customers at their best moments. Understand that they are facing a frustrating issue. They are angry and confused. And might get mad on you, although it’s none of your fault. The best way out here is not to their words personally.

Have patience and let them say what they want to say. Know that their words represent their frustration.
Stay calm and attentive. Ignore the offensive words and figure out the exact problem.

Note down their paint points. And once they have said it all, reassure them that you understand their problem. Then give them the best solution for their problem.

When you show patience and empathy, you gain the trust of the people.

7.      Adaptability

No two customer interactions are the same. Hence, the ability to change according to the trouble at hand is a must-have for CSRs.

You must be flexible and welcoming to provide excellent services.  Stay calm and adapt according to diverse situations and personalities.

8.      Team Work

Customer service is often a team effort. Often you need help from technical staff or the operation manager to resolve an issue.

In turn, better CS results come when team members:

• Collaborate well,
• Share information,
• And support each other.

9.      Avid Learning

A learning attitude will help you excel in customer support career faster. Be open to learn new things, whether it is product knowledge, new technology, or better communication techniques. The willingness to gain knowledge and improve your skills will take you far ahead of your pears.

10. Manage Boredom

            Another thing about CSR jobs is they can sometimes become too boring.

Many people who had worked in different customer support roles agree that people often call help centers for small issues which can be solved with a little effort. Many are surprised by how public can misunderstand very basic, simple things like plugging in the electronic devices!

All in all, CSR jobs have their own pros and cons. If you can go along it in the long run depends on your communication skills, stress management and personality. However, it is not the easy-money game though and you would surely have to put in effort to do great.

This Reddit comment summarizes the CSR job very well.

Customer services Education and Certifications

What do Consumer Services Jobs pay depends mainly on the skills of the service agent.
Customer service education requirements are low for entry level jobs. For instance, you can become a retail store salesman or a waiter with zero education.

But you will need specialized training for certain jobs like technical assistant.

In such cases, a certificate from an authorized institute increases your credibility. Having a certificate or degree also gives you an edge in job interviews for other CS fields as well.

You can learn client service skills in short courses. Or you can go for an associate or full-fledge bachelor’s degree.

To help you solidify your consumer services skills, we have enlisted some reputed courses up next:

1. You can enroll for Certified customer Service Professional (CSP) training to learn the basics of support services. This program is offered by National Customer Service Association (NCSA). They provide in-person coaching, teaching how to communicate with consumers. Plus, you can take this course online and get the certification.
2. Individuals seeking a career in hospitality can join Certified Hotel Service Professional (CHSP) program. This course is designed by American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). It is a program focused on the hospitality industry. So, you can learn the best greeting practices.
3. Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) offers Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP). This certificate validates your expertise in creating exceptional customer experiences. With a CCXP certification in hand, you can easily get a job in consumer services at reputable organizations.
4. Certified Customer Experience Professional is a training program of US organization Global Customer Experience Management (Global CEM). Launched in 2006, this program has trained hundreds of client support professionals across North America, Europe and Asia. Their program focuses on creating a branded customer experience. Hence, it is best if you are planning to pursue a career in a big brand.
5. Airports Council International offers education and training in Passenger Experience Management. In this program, you can learn all about providing customer support on airports. This is a good program if you dream of working in an airline or aviation.
6. Canada-based organization CCPC Global organizes training, teaching standardized customer service procedures. You can become a Certified Client Service Specialist (CCSS) and Certified Client Service Professional (CCSP) with these programs.
7. If you have technical skills especially related to electronic, you can get a certification from ISCET (International Society of Certified Electronic Technicians). Pass the Customer Service Representative (CSR) exam and become a certified technician.

These courses are taught by CS experts and are internationally accepted. Fee for such courses usually ranges from $350 to $1500.

However, you can also opt for online CS training. Platforms like LinkedIn, Coursera, Udemy and Hubspot offer such courses. These online modules are either free or cost as low as $49. So, anyone can take them.

Additionally, you can get associate degrees in various customer service-related fields. Many universities offer programs in business administration, hospitality management, and retail management.

Formal education on client relationship management is also available on graduation level. You can pursue bachelor’s degrees in business administration, marketing, or mass communication. These degrees make you a strong job candidate for consumer support roles.

Customer Service Representative Job Description

Consumer service workers are a company’s front men. They are the ones who makes or breaks a brand’s repute.

Successful CSR persons can increase the sales and get referrals for their company.

Job Description

Generally customer support employees have following duties:

• Greet and guide new customers
• Respond to helpline queries via email, chat or telephone
• Communicate with clients to get feedback on products and services
• Upselling by informing the happy customers about new products and offers

Best paying jobs in consumer services

If you are looking to get started in CS and are wondering what do consumer services jobs pay?
Here is a brief description of 15 best-paying roles you can have in consumer services. Plus, we have listed the average salary these customer services representatives get.

1.     Retail Store Manager

The job of store managers is to run a retail store and look after all its operations. They are responsible for:

• dealing with customers
• processing transactions
• managing inventory
• supervising other employees

On average, retail store managers earn from $11.45 to $35.34 per hour. The yearly average comes to be $47,574.

2.     Client Services Coordinators

These are people who lead customer service teams. Their job includes both client management as well as team management.

On one side, they cater client’s relationship with the brand. They develop and implement marketing strategies. Hence they play key role in retaining clients and increasing sales. Sometimes, they also negotiate with clients for profitable contracts.

And on the other side, they also cater to the needs of customer service teams. It is their duty to hire and train a CS team that increases brand repute and upsells the product.

Owing to these duties, client services jobs pay lucrative salaries. Their median income is around $70,329 per year.  While the hourly range is from $16.83 to $61.30.

3.     Technical Support Representatives (TSRs)

As the name tells, the primary job of TSRs is to resolve technical issues.

If you can work out tech-driven problems, you can work in technical support. It includes both hardware and software troubleshooting. Owing to the technical aspect, these jobs pay well.

Only a person with the right skill and training can do these tasks.
You must understand the system (hardware or software) very well. Because that’s the only way you can resolve the technical issues. The job is to find what is causing the trouble. And suggest an appropriate solution for it.

These problems can range from basic connectivity issues to complex software errors.

Sometimes, tech support agents explain troubleshooting techniques to users.  Besides that, they also manually resolve the issues for consumers.

Depending upon skills and experience, TSRs earn from $12.02 to $31.97. Average pay per year is $43,954. So, if you have the skill, this would be a good paying job for you.

4.     Concierge

Organizations hire concierges to offer personal assistance to their guests, patrons or consumers. Usually, these people are employed in hotels, apartment buildings, and high-end offices.

Their job includes greeting guests and helping them have a good experience by:

• Providing information about available amenities
• Making reservations as needed
• Assisting in personal tasks like luggage handling, or making travel arrangements
• And addressing client complaints.

Customer services jobs in hospitality pay  from $11.06 to $25.48 Per hour. In a year, most people working as a concierge make about $37,689 as per 2023 stats.

5.     Personal Financial Advisor

Personal finance advisors offer personal services for financial management. They assess client’s income, expenses, assets, debts, and risk tolerance. And using this information, they give clients personalized plans for money management.

They provide guidelines about budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and tax minimization.

Finance advisory is a high end job in customer service sector. On average, personal finance advisors make, $66,164 per year. Exact pay differs for everyone on the basis of clients and skills.

6.     Sales Manager

Sales managers lay out sales plans and bring business to the company. They come up with marketing strategies to win potential clients. They keep an eye on market trends to make sure that the sales team doesn’t miss out on opportunities. This job includes attracting potential clients and converting leads into paying customers.

Data-driven business decisions are also their responsibility. They track metrics like conversion rates, deal sizes, and retention ratios to improve funnels and generate more sales.

On one side, they lead the sales staff but also recruit and train them. Coaching, motivating and monitoring, all comes under their job responsibilities.

Sales mangers make about $75,848 around the year. On hourly scale, the compensation is in the range $13.66-$68.51, varying with experience, position and performance.

7.     Human Resources Manager

No organization can work efficiently without human resource managers. These are the people responsible for operations like:

• talent acquisition
• employee relations
• team management
• conflict resolution
• Regulations and policy compliance

It is one of the executive roles in customer service sector. Usually, these employees work in leading roles. So, their salaries are also good. Average yearly income for an HR manger is about $86, 132. Hourly pay rate ranges from $18.75 to $62.26.

8.     Event Coordinator

Event coordinators do everything from conception to completion for a successful ceremony.

They plan out the event theme according to the client’s vision and audience. And then, make arrangements to turn that concept into reality. Their tasks include

• Budgeting
• Venue selection
• Vendor Sourcing
• Travel arrangements
• Promotions
• On-site event management

Event coordinators charge from $12.98 to $37.98 per hour for their services. Average yearly income is $50, 890.

9.     Bank Teller

These are persons you ask for cashing checks or processing transactions in a bank. They manage money deposits, withdrawals and transfers.

It is their job to make sure smooth transactions with safety and accuracy. These workers also:

• verify account IDs
• process loan payments
• help customers with money orders an foreign currency exchange

So, how much does a job pay for customer services?
Primarily, it depends upon the individual’s experience and duties. Median pay of bank tellers is $36,351 per year. While pay per hour can range from $12.02 to $24.04.

10.     Medical Receptionist

Medical receptionists are the persons that you meet first when you visit a clinic or hospital. These people are responsible for scheduling patient’s appointments, maintaining their records, and processing insurance claims. Guiding patients and attendants is their core responsibility.

They also answer phone calls, take messages for doctors and nursing staff and direct calls to appropriate department of the hospital.

Many times, hospital waiting area is under their command. So, they are responsible for keeping it clean and comfortable.

Usually hospital receptionists get an hourly compensation in the range $11.30 to $23.08. Yearly remuneration average is $36,833.

11.   Member Services Representative

These people’s service agents work in organization where people pay on a regular basis. Some examples of such settings can be:

• Gyms and fitness centers
• Libraries
• Credit unions and banks
• Clubs and restaurants
• Retail stores
• Subscription plans of everyday products

Typically a member services representative processes transactions from members. Updating accounts, issuing refunds and canceling memberships, all these come under their responsibilities.

These are persons, members approach when they have questions. These queries are about products/services’ features or membership terms.

Getting feedback from members is another important duty of these workers.

Peoples services representatives’ wages depend on the organization they work for.  Entry-level jobs start at $8.65 per hour. On the other side, experienced agents working in big organizations earn about $24.04 per hour. Median yearly pay for these employees is $33, 096.

12.  Flight Attendants

Flight attendants are responsible for making air travels comfortable.

• Give you safety briefings
• Provide food and boarding assistance
• Make pre-flight emergency checks
• And handle in-flight emergencies

In short, these service agents make any good airline experience possible.

Median yearly salary for flight assistants is $47,079. Pay per hour ranges from $5.29 to $47.12.

13.   Public Relations Specialist

These are the media-persons of a company. They manage a company’s public image and communicate effectively with the media.

Hence, they act like a bridge between a brand and public/media. Designing and executing PR campaigns for the brands is their main responsibility. It’s their duty to supervise:

• Press releases
• Social media campaigns
• Community outreach programs

Public relations specialists get an average pay of $64, 362 per year.  Hourly wages range from $14.18 to $46.88, mainly depending upon their skill level and the company size.

14.  Front Desk Manager

These persons manage the front desk of a hotel, office, or other establishment. In this job, your responsibility is to:

• Greet visitors
• Provide information about services, reservations and procedures
• Oversee check-ins and check-out
• Handle cash
• Resolve complaints

These workers get from $10.34 to $29.81 pay per hour. While the average yearly income is around $39, 997.

15.  Help Desk Analyst

This is one of the customer service jobs you can get with no experience.
Helpline analysts provide technical guidelines to consumers from a remote place. These jobs include:

• call center positions
• ecommerce chat support
• email helplines

These people handle various types of queries related to company operations. But the key task is to communicate with customers and guide them along a process.
 E.com managers resolve check out issues for the people. They guide them about the buying process. And also answer their questions about different products.
Call center workers do the same but mode of communication is voice calls instead of text. So, their job also requires active listening and a friendly voice.

These consumer service representatives get hourly wages in range $14.42 to $35.82. Yearly median income is about $50,106.

Customer Assistance Jobs-High Income States

According to the US news, customer service coordinators are paid the highest in:

• San Jose, California   $52,630
• San Francisco, California $50,510
• Boston, Massachusetts $47,490
• New York, New York $46,850
• Seattle, Washington $45,710

FAQs

What do all consumer services jobs have in common?

It is evident form the name of the job. The common duty of all CSR workers is to “deal with customers.”

In all cases, clients are the focus-point in this department. No matter what is the field or medium of communication.

Are there Consumer services jobs in USA?

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, USA, more than 2.9 million jobs CSR jobs are available in USA. 2,982,900 to be precise!

Job forecasts predict a decline in job growth in this field in the upcoming years. Still, 373, 400 new opening are projected every year

What are some tasks performed in consumer services jobs?

Duties of client assistance workers vary according to the position and the organization they work for. Following are the common tasks performed in these jobs:

• Greeting consumers and guiding them through a procedure
• Answering consumer queries about the organization’s products or services
• Resolving technical issues
• Order processing and money-handling

Is remote working possible in consumer services?

Yes, you can also work in remote CS positions. Common remote jobs include ecommerce chat specialist, cyber support etc.

What makes working in consumer services difficult?

The biggest challenge of consumer services is to pacify angry customers.

How can I prepare for a consumer services job interview?

Search for the questions that are often asked in interviews. You can look into Reddit threads or ask a person who is already working in client support. Prepare your answers to these common questions beforehand.

Ask a friend to be your interviewer for practice.

During the interview make sure you:

• Dress professionally,
• Arrive early,
• And ace the interviewer with confidence.

What is the typical work environment for consumer services jobs?

The work environment for CS jobs is usually fast-paced, customer-focused, and team-oriented. Oftentimes dealing with angry and confused customers can make this job demanding.

Client service sector is also getting more technology-driven to provide excellent customer experiences.

What customer service jobs can you get with no experience?

No experience customer service jobs include:

• Retail store salesperson or cashier
• A hotel’s receptionist
• Call center worker
• Data-entry clerk
• Waiter/waitress at a restaurant

External Links:

https://stats.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/customer-service-representatives.htm

https://www.zendesk.com/blog/customer-service-statistics/

https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/blog/how-many-jobs-are-available-in-consumer-services

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/customer-service-agent-salary-SRCH_KO0,22.htm

Salary estimates

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries

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