All About Customer Service Career
Just about every industry holds opportunities for customer service careers. Customer service jobs are often a foot in the door to higher-paying jobs in an industry.
The working environment for customer service professionals varies from call centres, business offices, hotels, to storefronts, clubs, hospitals, and many more. No matter what the position or industry, the most important customer service skills are patience, a pleasant personality and the ability to communicate well.
What Kind of Education Do I Need?
You can get an entry level customer service job with a high school diploma, but a systematic career training is essential if you plan to pursue a long term career in customer service. Most customer service professionals have a high school degree, a vocational degree, a bachelor degree, or an associate degree. After all, a proper customer service program will provide you with opportunities to acquire and apply knowledge of customer service and information skills to meet the demands of today’s business, which will greatly differentiate you from candidates without any background knowledge or training.
Most companies provide on-site training that last 2-3 weeks. Also, some companies, especially financial organizations, require customer service professionals who deal with insurance and finance to be licensed.
How Much Can I Make?
According to PayScale Canada, the average hourly rate for a Customer Service Representative (CSR) is C$14.30 per hour. The average annual salary for customer service representative ranges from $23,868 to $46,075, possibly with a maximum bonus of $4,534, a maximum commission of $10,304, and a maximum profit sharing of $3,898. A skill in Inside Sales is associated with higher pay for this job.
The most popular skills that lead to higher pay for customer service professionals include data entry, problem solving, telephone communication, customer relations, and customer service; while the most commonly obtained skills for this occupation include Microsoft word, PowerPoint, and computer skills.
What Are the Popular Career Choices?
Here are some popular career choices for you to consider if you’re entering the field of customer service:
Call Centre Representative
You could work from home or work inside a call centre to answer phone or email inquiries from customers.
Concierge/Front Desk Representative
Many hotels have concierges or Front Desk Representatives who book reservations, suggest activities and arrange transportation for guests.
Client Relations Associate
Client relations associates are responsible for building and maintaining relationships with an organization’s most important customers.
Client Services Coordinator
Client services coordinators handle order processing, coordinate services, track deliveries and installations, and resolve customer issues.
Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives interact with customers to process orders, provide information about an organization’s products and services, and resolve issues.
Member Services Specialist
Member services specialists provide high level customer care to members. They answer questions, provide services, and explain benefits to members.
Clinical Office Assistant/Receptionist
Clinical Office Associates are the first contacts with patients. They handle in-person and phone communications, schedule appointments, get approval for and arrange services and procedures.
As the largest career college in Canada with 50 campuses across the country, Academy of Learning College attributes the growth in our success to identifying the gap between the formal education available and the realities of the working world. We fulfill the needs of learners by developing customized programs for each student, while meeting the requirements for convenient and effective training at an affordable cost. Browse our program list by province and find the best program that suits your needs!