Customer Services & Call Centre Jobs

Are you a 'people person'? Do you like problem solving, working as part of a team and interacting with the general public? Then a career in customer service might be the right path for you. Customer service jobs are one of the biggest growth areas in employment in the UK, as companies realise that an efficient, friendly and human ‘front of house’ contact point is vital to promote business and industry growth.

What is a customer service job? Customer service representatives provide an essential link between the customer and the company. And it isn’t all about being sat at a computer desk in a call centre for eight hours a day. Customer service jobs encompass a broad range of situations including working in public access environments such as shops, department stores and even going out to customers’ homes or places of work. Customer service representatives are responsible for dealing with enquiries, sourcing particular goods that customers may request and of course, solving problems.

What kind of person becomes a customer service rep? One of the most important qualities in any customer service job is that the person is friendly, approachable and willing to go that extra mile for a customer. They are the representatives of the company and as such have to portray that company in a positive light, making the experience a good one for the customer. Good communication skills are essential, whether the role involves working on the telephone in a call centre or being ‘front of house’ in a major department store. A good customer service representative also has to have the ability to problem-solve and work as part of a team within their environment. Although the work can be repetitive, it can also be very challenging and stimulating. Every situation will be different and the days of ‘have you tried turning it off and on again?’ have long since been consigned to the dustbin of bad customer relations!

A professional and responsible attitude is important, particularly if you are dealing with customer complaints. As a customer service representative, it is your job to rectify any problems that the customer has with a product or service, so customer service jobs demand that the representative stays calm and is polite and professional at all times, no matter how angry the customer gets.

What qualifications do I need? There are formal NVQ qualifications that you can take to become a customer service representative, although these are not essential for the job. However, because of the nature of modern business, a basic understanding of computer operation is important, particularly for those working in call centres. The majority of your job will use computers, so you have to be reasonably familiar with operating a basic Windows system, for example. For more technical support roles, you may be required to have formal qualifications that cover the area you are working in such as IT or electronics.

Where can I find a customer service job? Customer service jobs are one of the biggest growth areas in the employment market, so no matter where you live you should be able to find plenty of opportunities to work in customer services. Check online, in local press and with local companies to find the latest vacancies. Customer service jobs are also often good introductory positions into a company, so the opportunity for advancement is quite strong. Experienced customer service representatives can go on into managerial positions as team leaders, using their skills and experience to improve the service or products supplied to the customer or take on supervisory roles within a customer services department.