Customer service assistant
Customer service assistants respond to customer enquiries about products and services, and handle feedback and complaints.
Also known as: Customer service adviser, call centre worker
- Starter salary£20,000 a year
- Experienced£30,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a customer service assistant, you could:
- answer customer questions by phone, email, webchat, social media or in person
- explain products, services and policies
- take orders and check stock availability
- arrange appointments
- sell products or services and process payments
- handle feedback and complaints
- deal with contract renewals and subscriptions
- update customer information on a computer system
- track orders and arrange deliveries or returns
Working environment
You could work in an office, in a contact centre or at a store.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- sensitivity and understanding
- active listening skills
- administration skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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, including:
- customer service
- contact centre operations
- principles of customer service
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You can apply to do an apprenticeship with an organisation, for example:
- Retail Service, Supply and Administration Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
Direct application
You can apply for jobs directly if you have customer service experience, for example from working in a shop, bank, hotel or contact centre.
Employers will also look for:
- some GCSEs, including English and maths, or equivalent qualifications
- good communication skills
- IT skills
- a friendly personality
Foundation apprenticeship
You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.
If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- are in care or have been in care
- are in prison or have been in prison
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
- 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
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- become a customer service team supervisor , or be promoted to customer services manager
- take up a job in training, human resources or marketing
- move into other areas of a business, like sales or account handling
You can also use your customer service skills to transfer between different industries.
Professional and industry bodies
You could join The Institute of Customer Service to use their resources and find professional development training opportunities.
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0