All customer service jobs involve interaction with customers, and those who hold them are required to provide information in response to inquiries about services and products. They are also required to resolve and handle complaints while serving as a go-between between the company and its customers. Some customer service jobs involve handling general inquiries, questions, and complaints, while others require a specialization in particular areas. Determining the top customer service jobs or the best customer service jobs is largely based on expected salary, required education and qualifications, benefits, advancement opportunities, and work environment.
The Nature of the Work
A large number of customer inquiries involve simple and routine requests and questions. Customer service representatives, therefore, may be asked to provide customers with credit card balances or to assist them in checking on the status of a product order. However, there are also inquiries that are less routine and more involved, sometimes requiring more research or a more detailed explanation on the part of the customer service representative.
One of the primary duties of most customer service jobs is to handle the inquiries and complaints of customers, attempting to resolve problems according to guidelines that have been established by the company the representative is employed by. These procedures may involve a number of different steps, including asking questions to determine whether or not the complaint is valid, offering possible solutions to the problem, or providing exchanges, refunds, or other offers to please the customer. Customer service jobs may also involve following up with the client until an issue has been resolved or a question answered.
In terms of the nature of the work involved with customer service jobs, determining what the best customer service jobs in the industry are may relate to the level of requirements a certain candidate is looking for. Some customer service positions require that the entire day be spent on the phone dealing with customers over long distances, while others may involve a large amount of email interaction. Still others may have to do with talking face-to-face with customers from a customer service counter or the reception desk in an office setting.
Another indicator of which are the top customer service jobs is how much training and what qualifications are required, not only for hiring but also for advancement within the company. Some entry-level customer services jobs require very little experience or education, while others, like healthcare customer service jobs, may require some medical experience and expertise in addition to traditional customer service experience. The level of education and training required in order to fill customer service jobs definitely plays a role in determining whether or not jobs in customer service can be considered top customer service jobs or not.
Another indicator of the top customer service jobs or best customer service jobs is the salary and other benefits offered by each. In May 2006, the median hourly earning for customer service representatives was $13.62. The middle 50 percent of customer service jobs earned between $10.73 and $17.40, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $8.71 per hour and the highest 10 percent earning as much as $22.11. The highest-paying industry for customer service representatives was insurance carriers, earning $15.00 per hour on average. Customer service jobs in agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities are next in line, with a top earning average of $14.51 per hour. The third-highest-paying customer service representative jobs fall in the depository credit intermediation industry, with a median hourly wage of $13.68. Next in line is employment services, with an average hourly wage of $11.74 per hour, with telephone call center customer service representatives coming in last with a median hourly wage of $10.29 per hour. These are the highest-paying customer service representative jobs, making them some of the top customer service jobs in the industry.
In addition to earning hourly wages for their employment, full-time customer service representatives in the top customer service jobs who work nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays may also receive differential pay for their shifts. Because call centers are most frequently open during extended hours or even 24 hours a day, some customer service representatives can have a flexible work schedule that does not conform to the traditional 9 to 5 workweek. Other benefits are offered to most full-time customer service representatives, including life insurance and health insurance coverage, benefits, bonuses, pensions, training provided by the employer, and even discounts on whatever products and services are offered by the company.
