Customer Service Associate Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides complete information on the job description of a customer service associate, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

What Does a Customer Service Associate Do?

A customer service associate is commonly the main point of contact a customer makes with any organization.

The job description of the customer service associate involves providing first line support to customers, and as such the person to perform this role ought to possess the ability to enjoy people and be friendly to whoever steps into the organization.

Another important skill he/she should have is the ability to handle customers who walk into the company’s facility in an upset mood.

Any time a customer wants to make a request, lay a complaint, get an advice, place an order, or find information, a customer service associate is the one he or she walks up to.

This is a full time position that requires working from Mondays to Fridays but could sometimes include weekends.

The primary responsibility of this position is to work with customers – whether in person, by phone, or online.

This is one position almost every establishment must have; this is because every company has customers it has to cater to.

In some firms customer service associates are responsible for cash register operations and store inventory duties.

As the company’s public face, the service associate is expected at all times to listen to every customer complaint and ensure to respond to them in the most calm and polite way possible.

No matter how abusing or difficult a customer may be, the associate is to tolerate them as they come.

In cases where customers’ queries pose to be very serious, the service associate will refer to superior personnel.

He or she is expected to have and maintain a broad knowledge of the company’s products and/or services; know the benefits and qualities of them all and also gets to contribute ideas on how to improve productivity and performance of the company as it regards customer relations.

From time to time, he/she will participate in educational opportunities so as to update their job knowledge.

Customer service associates play a great role in the success and performance of any organization as they are largely responsible for the impressions a client or customer has towards the company.

This is why they are expected to understand customers and their requirements which will enable them to provide and proffer appropriate solutions.

Depending on the nature of the company, a customer service associate may be required to perform cash register operations.

Customer Service Associate Job Description Example/Sample/Template

People working as customer service associates in most firms majorly perform the tasks, duties, and responsibilities shown in the following job description example:

• Greet clients the moment they step into the company’s environment and also as they walk out
• Answer phone calls from clients
• Ensure customer satisfaction and an enjoyable experience
• Take and process customers’ orders
• Prepare customers’ correspondences
• Communicate with customers
• Resolves minor customer complaints
• Provide updates on customer documentation
• Provide advice to clients
• Verify customer’s complaints and provide solution
• Assists clients in their choice of product/service
• Provide entry-level trouble shooting
• Provide necessary information about products and service
• Keeps records of inquiries by documenting into appropriate account
• Build and maintain good relationship with customers
• Help around with ideas to improve customer experience, which in turn improves the productivity of the company
• Monitor and review, prepare and process documents such as proposals and contracts
• Make recommendations to management based on customers’ needs
• Provide administrative support and assistance

Customer Service Associate Job Description for Resume

If you need to prepare a resume to use in applying for the job of customer service associate, the sample job description given above provides relevant information that you can apply in completing the resume’s work experience section.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Customer Service Associate

There are certain skills that employers usually look for when hiring new people to work as customer service associates, these include:

• Good sales experience
• Past experience in similar position or similar organization
• Competency in customer interaction
• Proficiency in the use of computer
• Exceptional customer skills
• People skills: Customer service associates should be able to create and keep good relationships with clients
• Effective communication skills
• Ability to embrace change
• A strong passion for winning
• Effective management skills
• Ability to work effectively under pressure without breaking down
• Ability to multitask and get assignments completed in record time without mistakes
• He/she must be enthusiastic towards work, as well as a result driven individual
• He/she must be self-motivated with good business acumen
• Possess good presentation, problem solving, and analysis skills