If you are a confident person who connects with people easily, then you may be looking into a career in the customer service industry. While many customer services related positions may require applicants to have only a high school diploma, more and more companies are on the lookout for potential employees who have some form of customer service training. Customer service training programs graduates will also have a better chance of reaching the supervisory or management levels in this field
Certificate
of Completion in Customer Service
Certificate programs in customer
service are designed to help students provide service and support to customers.
Certificate programs prepare students for entry-level positions as sales
representatives or receptionists. Students interested in completing a certificate
program in customer service typically need a high school diploma or equivalent.
Program
Coursework
In a certificate program for
customer service, students take courses that help them develop customer
relations and management skills.
- Conflict resolution
- Time management
- Behavioral styles
- Computer literacy
- Document processing
Employment
Outlook and Salary Information
Employment opportunities for service
representatives are expected to grow quickly, at a rate of 18%, in the period
between 2008 and 2018. While salaries for individuals working in customer
service vary depending on the industry, the mean salary for a customer service
representative in 2008 was $31,790, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
Continuing
Education Information
Most employers offer on-the-job
training to customer service representatives. These training periods
familiarize new employees with the company's computer system and products.
However, some industries, such as insurance, require customer service employees
to be licensed. Requirements for licensure vary by state, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Associate
of Applied Science in Customer Service
This degree, though not common,
prepares students for jobs as customer service representatives. An associate's
degree in customer service introduces students to techniques used to deliver
quality customer service care. Customer service associate's degree programs may
be part of the business department of community colleges. A high school diploma
is usually required for program admission.
Program
Coursework
Coursework in this type of degree
program introduces students to the best practices used in customer service.
- Principles of customer care
- Communication
- Consumer objectives
- Marketing
- Employee management
Popular
Career Options
Although customer service
representative is the most common job title for customer service positions,
other workers need customer service skills, such as:
- Sales clerk
- Administrative assistant
- Receptionist
- Bank teller
As a customer service
representative, you're the face of the company and the first point of a
customer's contact. You have an enormous opportunity to make a customer's
experience the best they've ever had--or have them talking for years about how they'll
never do business with "your" company.
Most customer service jobs
involve working out of call centers, and representatives need to be comfortable
performing basic computer operations. As part of the customer service job,
you'll be given extensive training specific to your own company and industry,
but degrees in customer service jobs imply a certain level of potential
competency to an employer.
There are numerous customer service-oriented training
programs available through online universities. Most offer classes in general
business practices and with an emphasis on customer service. Upon completion of
a customer service career training program, you will receive a certificate,
associate's or bachelor's degree, depending on the length of the program.
Graduates of these programs may find work with insurance carriers, banks,
retail companies, telecommunications providers and manufacturing firms. The details
of customer service positions vary greatly from job to job, as one who works at
a bank might carry out the tasks of a teller, while another working at a phone
company could answer questions about bills and problems with phones. Jobs in
customer service may act as a springboard to higher positions within the
company, particularly management and product research.
Some inquiries may require thought on the part of the operator, as well as further questions concerning the nature of the problem. The operator may have to look up information for the customer while on the phone. In the event that the operator cannot answer a question, a supervisor should be available. Supervisors routinely check in on the performance of their workers by listening to recorded conversations.
Call center jobs can be demanding, as operators are usually given a new call as soon as they finish with a previous one. They strive to be as efficient as possible by satisfactorily concluding each call in the minimum amount of time. Some centers are functional at all hours of the day, so operators may have to work odd hours.
However, not all customer service jobs are in call centers. Some positions require responding to questions and complaints over e-mail, and others even involve face-to-face discussions with the customer.
Degrees in Customer Service: In
any business where they serve customers in one way or another, customer service
is an important part of the process. Customers will generally remember and
avoid the places where they received poor customer service, while they will
always return to the places that made them feel as if their patronage was not
just welcomed, but appreciated.
The customer always wants to feel as if they
are important, and it is the Customer Service Manager who is tasked with
finding ways to do just that. You can find Customer Service Managers in retail
stores, food dining establishments, call centers, real estate offices, and
other various places.
Usually, though, one would not necessarily need a degree
in Customer Service in order to get the job of a Customer Service Manager, but
with bigger companies they only want to hire those who have college degrees in
business areas like Customer Service. It takes a special kind of person to be
successful in customer service. Anyone can learn the logistics of it, but not
everyone has the personality that is required to go along with those logistics.
In order to be successful as a Customer Service Manager, you not only need to
know everything about customer service, but you also need to be very friendly
and personable so that you are approachable by customers.
