by Melissa Freeman, Customer Service Rep for Executive Auto Shippers

I may only be a “Customer Service Rep,” but my college education, extensive training, and personality allow me to be excellent at my job. A job that requires much focus, attention to detail, and understanding of the customers’ needs. In return, I get wonderful customers, but I also get the customers that seem to think my job is not important enough to pay attention or care about what I am saying. Customer service reps get a bad rap due to people thinking this is a low-level job that pays minimum wage and the rep is a gum-chewing, rolling her eyes, read from a script dunce! 

A customer service rep is not in a call center making telemarketing calls trying to sell you a free vacation or an ad in a newspaper. A CSR is a highly trained individual in an industry that is a for-profit business who answers the phone and helps customers understand the services provided. There are no cold calling or automated calls going out, but the calls come in, and we educate. You as the customer are calling in to get my expertise on the product or service you are interested in, and I answer all your questions and supply additional information to you to make sure you understand exactly what the industry is about. 

I am the first point of contact, and in the Auto Shipping business I work for, I am your last point of contact as well. I am the one you will talk to and deal with throughout your entire process. I place your order, and I work with dispatchers on your order. I am continually working on your order to make sure it is going the way it should. I follow your vehicle from pick up to delivery. My job does not stop when we hang up the phone. 

I chose the CSR profession as my career because I love people, and I thoroughly enjoy helping people. However, there is and always will be, customers who do not understand my role. Customers who are rude, demanding, selfish, and do not listen when I am trying to educate them. Customers who will curse you, yell at you, and think your job is not important. These customers are the ones who have little to no respect for what actually takes place in the role of CSR. 

I would love to challenge customers to try my job for a day and see how you fair as this is not an easy position to fill. It takes dedication, education, understanding, and a happy face even with the toughest of customers! It is a job only a select few can handle, and not many will survive. We are your counselors, teachers, mediators, sales reps, customers service reps, and more. We are the backbone of the business, and we lead not follow. We are your customer service representative, and we deserve your respect!