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Customer service assistant

Alternative titles for this job include Customer service adviser

Customer service assistants deal with customers' enquiries, purchases and complaints.

Average salary (a year)

£16,000 Starter

to

£28,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 40 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How to become a customer service assistant

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

College

You can take a college course before applying for a job. Courses are widely available and include:

  • Level 1 Certificate in Customer Service
  • Level 2 Certificate in Contact Centre Operations

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course
  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

More Information

Apprenticeship

You can do a customer service intermediate apprenticeship or an advanced apprenticeship as a customer service specialist.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

Direct Application

You can apply for jobs if you have customer service experience, for example from working in a shop, hotel or contact centre.

Employers may expect you to have some GCSEs, or equivalent qualifications, but also good communication skills and a friendly personality.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

On a typical day, you might:

  • answer customers' questions by phone, email or webchat, on social media, or face to face
  • give quotations and check product availability
  • sell products or services and take payments
  • handle complaints or pass them to a supervisor
  • add customer information onto a computer system
  • track orders and arrange deliveries

Working environment

You could work at a store, in a contact centre or in an office.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team leader, training officer or customer services manager.

You could also move into sales or account handling.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Recruitment Resourcer/Administrator Apprentice

  • Wage: £146.25 Weekly
  • Location:

Customer Service Business Level 2 Apprenticeship

  • Wage: £161.25 Weekly
  • Location: Sheffield
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Intro To Customer Service Level 1

  • Provider: BURY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
  • Start date: 26 April 2021
  • Location: Lancashire

NVQ Certificate in Customer Service Level 1

  • Provider: BEDFORDSHIRE & LUTON EDUCATION BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
  • Start date: 01 September 2021
  • Location: Bedford
Find courses near you

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