Customer Service Resume: The 2023 Guide With 15+ Examples
So you want to create a customer service resume?
[Click here to directly go to the complete customer service resume sample]
Worry not! By the end of this guide, you'll know everything required to make the best customer service representative resume:
- Who needs a resume for customer service?
- How to write a customer service resume?
- How to curate your work experience section for customer service resume?
- What is the format of customer service resume?
In case you want to skip the in-depth guide and skip directly to the customer service resume sample section, you can go to the end directly.
The experts at Hiration have created a state-of-the-art online resume builder to make the process of making a customer service resume easy for you!
Customer Service Resume Sample
- Employee of the Month | Shutter CS | Sep '13
- Phantoms's Best New Employee | Phantom CS | '14
- Public Interaction & Personality Development | Kan's Institute | '13
- Summer Certification | Public Speaking | Welhem School | '07
- Secured 1st position in the Elocution competition held at Washington University in '10
- Regularly participated in inter-college parliamentary debates
- Awarded the McBright Scholarship worth USD 15k for undergraduate studies in ’09
- Spearheading a team of ~10 Customer Service Representatives to deliver flawless customer service across multiple fields
- Mentoring new representatives by supervising the on-boarding process and overseeing the training initiative
- Liaising & coordinating with BRM to manage and fulfill resource requirements on a daily basis
- Directing the preparation & review of daily survey transcripts by developing & maintaining tracker of resource details
- Formulating new promotional methodologies & devising recommendations for up-selling of concessions
- Processing incoming calls from policyholders & resolving issues by responding to customer queries
- Ensuring optimum levels of customer service as an in-charge of general facility maintenance
- Liaising with key internal & external stakeholders to manage escalations in an effective & quality bound manner
- Recognized as the 'Best Customer Service Associate' out of 20 members in the Division based on customer feedback
- Trained and mentored ~40 new Executives & Representatives
- Conceptualized and co-developed on-the-job training program to achieve a reduction in training time by ~25%
- Played a critical role in increasing business for the financial year '15 - '16 by ~10%
- Managed a high-volume of workload in a commitment-driven and high-pressure environment
- Led all troubleshooting initiatives pertaining to tablet and e-reader devices
- Brainstormed with management to conceptualize & implement risk management strategies for minimizing security threat
- Effectively processed customer inquiries and resolved complaints, billing questions and payment extension/service requests
- Played a key role in retaining existing client base by repairing trust and designing customer-centric solutions
- Resolved an average of 550 inquiries on a weekly basis by establishing performance benchmarks
- Languages: English, Spanish
Who needs a Customer Service Resume?
Whether you’re an applicant for an entry-level position or you are looking to switch career into a more dynamic service role as a customer service representative, you shall need a customer service resume that stands out among the rest.
Recruiters look out for resumes that demonstrate vivid interest in the field. Therefore, a customer service representative resume is best for both freshers who are just entering the field or established representatives who wish to switch companies.
It is also an excellent choice for retail workers who want to upgrade to customer service roles.
Why do you need a Customer Service Resume?
Due to the range of people who can apply, recruiters find huge volumes of customer service resumes in their inboxe. To land a job therefore, you require a strong CSR resume that shows off your biggest accomplishments and most relevant skills in the industry.
To create an engaging resume you must ensure proper writing and formatting for better readability and inclusion of appropriate information in the right order. We suggest that you use a professional customer service resume template.
You can also view customer service resume examples free on our website.
How to write a Customer Service Resume?
Be it a customer service manager resume or a customer service rep resume, make sure that your it is highly targeted to the career goal to make it more effective than general resumes.
HIRATION PRO TIP: Take a look at your resume as the hiring manager. You should be able to glance at the resume and immediately know that the applicant is seeking a customer service-related position.
We also recommend targeting your resume for customer service careers to better your chances. Make your customer serviceresume as specific to the position you are applying for as possible.
Include a career summary below your target job profile to target your resume and also highlight credentials which the recruiters are looking for.
Take a look at this customer service resume sample to get an overall picture.
Customer Service Resume Contact & Personal Information
Customer support resumes typically include basic information in the resume header. Today the recruiters prefer a streamlined approach with only the most important information:
- your full name
- city and state
- personal phone number
- professional email
You might want to make sure that the phone number has a professional voicemail message. If desired, you may also include a link to your LinkedIn account.
Customer Service Resume Summary
As a customer service representative, you should be good at listening and have great communication as well as interpersonal skills. For a great Customer Service resume summary examples resume check our resume examples section free on our website.
A customer service representative should possess knowledge of wide range of duties for the industry that they represent. You may have to provide information about a product, deal with concerns and questions, review customer accounts, or take customer orders.
Contact with customer could be over the phone, in person, and through email and your customer service representative resume should showcase the willingness to work around the clock.
While writing a summary statement for your resume for customer service, focus on writing between four to six concise lines of text. These lines comprise your "sales pitch" since it is likely that they are the first lines a recruiter will read.
The first sentence usually details your job title and the years of experience you have. The second sentence focuses on one major accomplishment or a few hard skills related to the industry. The following statements encompass your major experiences or responsibilities. The final sentence may list two or three relevant soft skills.
Always write in third person. Sentence fragments always allows you to add the most relevant information in a short space. Moreover, you can optimize keywords to clear Applicant Tracking Systems .
Not targeting relevant keywords from the job might result in your potential employer assuming that you are sending resumes at random to a lot of jobs. This leads to the assumption that you are not specifically interested in their job really.
The following are resume summary examples for customer service rep resume:
~5 years dedicated customer service representative with five years of front-office experience in the IT industry. Possesses a proven track record in devising customer-centric solutions. Known for the ability to resolve a wide range of customer issues of unmatched quality and stellar customer feedback. Reliable and trustworthy with an uncompromising commitment to providing optimal customer service.
A customer service resume objective statement should be included in the resume of junior candidates. Since you don't have much real world experience, writing a good objective for customer service resume gives you an edge over other candidates.
It states your goal, your belief and what you are working towards. In case you are a fresher below is a resume objective for customer service:
Highly motivated individual with a zest for learning and a desire to work as a customer service representative in the fashion industry to ensure proper attention is paid to the customer's requirements.
Below is a snapshot of summary sample to help you create an impeccable summary for your customer representative resume sample:
Customer Service Resume: Work Experience Section
A powerful profile at the header of the customer service resume, suggests a candidate with relevant and long experience.
Ensure that your work experience section provides an overview of your most relevant skills and experience till date. Since these are relevant for the position, they must be tailored each time you're applying for a new role.
Your work experience section commands an important spot in the middle of your resume which is where the employer scrutinizes well. So to increase the chances of your resume being found when an employer searches for those words on job websites you should include keywords like "customer retention" and "customer service" given that you have them in your experience.
Providing Quantitative information for your achievements serves best when it comes to a resume for customer service. You're essentially validating your accomplishments- it is the best way to make your resume for customer service stand out from other resumes.
It is not enough that you "raised sales" at a previous position. Provide a percentage or dollar amount by which you raised the sales. Describe your methods briefly.
List your work experience in reverse chronological order. Focus on customer-centric skills and specific achievements.
Only listing only responsibilities will reduce fair chances of your resume being processed further. So instead of writing:
Improved customer retention and developed new practices by suggesting shorter scripts
you may write
- Achieved increase in customer retention rates by 30% by introducing new call center processes to reduce time spent waiting by customers.
- Developed new approach for training customer service staff to ensure that the staff was better prepared for issues, reducing errors by 20%
- Suggested shorter customer call script for the help center which was taken up by the management team and implemented.
While writing in bullet points, consider using strong words that illustrate your involvement at the most.
By using power verbs like "Achieved", "Developed", and "Suggested" you will further emphasize your abilities to the recruiter.
Emphasize your skills by highlighting the outcomes of your work. For customer service professionals the accomplishments could include contributing to response rates or improving customer satisfaction ratings.
In case you're having trouble identifying accomplishments, here are a few tips to include as achievements, if:
- Your customer service expertise resulted in the increase of sales.
- You received unsolicited feedback from happy customers.
- You offered impeccable service to a high number of customers.
- Customers repeatedly requested for your service.
- You helped improve customer satisfaction rankings.
- You generated referrals due to your focus on customer service.
- You recommended/implemented improvements to customer service programs.
- Your employer praised you for receiving positive reviews or industry accolades for service quality.
- You/your team got recognition/awards for customer satisfaction/sales achievements.
- You trained workers to provide exemplary customer service.
- You resolved a challenging service issue.
Always include action verbs in a Customer Service Resume. Action verbs add a "punch" to your resume that allows you stand out from the crowd. Here are a few action verbs commonly associated with customer care:
| Answer | Listen |
| Communicate | Maintain |
| Conduct | Manage |
| Consult | Post |
| Implement | Provide |
For an in-depth review of action-verbs, with industry-wise samples and examples, check out our Guide on Action Verbs!
Below is a snapshot of professional expereince section created via our online resume builder:
Customer Service Resume Skills
You must include both strong soft skills and customer service skills throughout your resume. You should also list previous customer service positions you may have held.
Although there are plenty of specific industry skills in the customer service field, employers also want to see evidence of general skills that show you are a hard worker and a good team player.
Do not make a random list of skills. Instead focus on including customer service resume skills discussed in the job description. In the customer service resume examples, you may find a list of skills which you could describe in action with clear examples.
Check out our 2022 Guide on Resume Skills here!
There are a few skills hiring managers look for on your customer service resume. They are looking for both directly relevant and transferable skills. These include:
- Customer Care skills include experience in interacting with customers, be it as a waiter or a front desk worker or an ice cream scooper or a salesperson.
Although directly relevant experience would make your resume strong yet any personal, quantifiable or mentionable interactions with customers on a professional level are considered transferable on a customer service resume.
Interpersonal skills suggest having a friendly and positive personality. A skilled communicator is able to speak clearly, authoritatively, calmly, and persuasively. You boast of handling conflict and anger.
Competence skills would include your tasks with training new recruits. Your past reviews or ratings or even awards. Your average stack up in comparison to with your co-workers, how well your are complimented by customers for your service.
Management skills: Both low level and high level employees are expected to display management/managerial skills. It becomes more important to demonstrate managerial skills in a customer service manager resume. One good example is the ability to train other employees or to execute a new project idea, measure the effects, and fine tune is what separates a manager from the rest. Other management skill would include conceiving new methods to:
- Increase efficiency (decrease customer wait time, increase issue resolution rate, resolve problems faster)
- Increase customer satisfaction ratings
- Increase sales (via upselling, discounting, pitching)
- Reduce costs (training, labor, equipment, software, etc.)
Communication Abilities includes your knowledge about how to up sell. Mention related products and special offers while you assist customers, how you convince customers in search of information.
The job of a customer service representative involves a lot of communication. You should be good at it, whether it is over the phone, email or in person, professionally even when customers are unruly or unreasonable.
Salesmanship is an important part of being a customer care representative. After good communication skills comes your ability to sell your company's products and services.
You must understand how to up sell, mention related products and special offers, and assist customers in buying. These skills are mainly gathered through experience.
Coachability is being able to take directions and follow through is a critical part of starting anything new. In this case, you will face a very demanding learning curve. You would need guidance from people with more experience. S you must showcase your coachable skills through extra-curricular or co-curricular activities like having years of experience with a sport, instrument, or any kind of organization.
Proficiencies
Complaint Resolution Time
Efficiency Rating
Previous Customer Reviews and Ratings
Percentage Ranking Among Customer Service Agents
Upsell Ranking
Attributes
- Results-Oriented
- Patient
- Articulate
- Effective in Conflict Resolution
- Impressionable
- Excellent Communicator
Other effective customer service skills for resume are:
| Patience | Attentiveness |
| Acting Skills | Time Management Skills |
| Goal Oriented Focus | Ability to Handle Surprises |
| Tenacity | Closing Ability |
| Strategic thinker | Strong listening skills |
| Self-motivated | Patience |
| Takes direction | Persuasive |
- Technical:
Research necessary skills for your job, and reflect on how your relevant or transferable skills can best be displayed on your resume.
Customer Support Software
- Support Center
- MS Office
- Kayako
- LiveChat
- Zendesk
- SupportCenter
- C-Desk
- Blazedesk
- Microsoft Office Suite (Data Entry)
- Excel
- Word
- Outlook
Customer Support Hardware
- Laptops (Mac or PC)
- Microphones
- Headphones
Below is a snapshot of skills section from a customer service resume sample:
Achievements & Certifications
An achievments section is a must in every resume. In the achievements section of a customer service resume write anyawards you got for exceptional customer service. Examples of such awards are:
- customer service agent of the year
- employee of the month
It may also be beneficial to include certifications like:
- completed on the job training course "X"
- completed professional sales training
Below is a snapshot showcasing Awards & Reconition and certifications & Training:
Resume Format for Customer Service Resume
A customer service resume is typically written in reverse chronological order. Your most recent work experiences come at the top of the resume and move downwards to the former. You need not be too fancy with your customer service resumes. But be well formatted. Do not go extremely basic for the position either. A well-formatted resume always stands out.
- Include bullet points to describe the scope of your responsibilities.
- Tailor each point to reflect the skills as per the job description.
- Include numbers to specify your achievements
Key Takeaways
Different customer service positions include customer service - agents, cashiers, advisors, clerks, assistants, administrators, managers, representives and consultants.
Therefore you must ensure that you personalize your resume according to your target profile as capabilities and skills for each profile are vastly different. We have picked some of the best examples in our templates section. They should give you are fair idea of how a customer service resume should look like.
Take a look at our customer service resume examples free on our website.
- Always remember that you are the face of your personality
- Follow the reverse chronological order
- Have a great resume summary that includes your years of experience
- Target your Customer Service Representative Resume to the career goal to make it more effective than general resumes
- Make sure your career story reinforces your professional personality
Still left with some doubts around optimizing your customer service resume? Drop in a comment below!