Five Things to Show on a Customer Service Resume

John Scott
Posted by in Customer Service


 

Job openings for customer service representatives may be plentiful, but the competition is also fierce. Entry-level positions may garner hundreds of applicants; supervisory and upper-management roles may require years of education and experience. By including five important things on your resume, you can turn your good customer service skills into an interview or a promotion.

 

Any customer service representative should be able to communicate clearly in a variety of ways, so that is something your resume needs to showcase. Communication skills are essential for speaking with consumers, handling complaints, and turning negative situations into positive opportunities. Employers want agents who can speak on the same level as customers while providing valuable information about products, services, invoices, and technical issues. If your ability to communicate comes across in a resume, you give employers a strong reason to be interested in you.

 

Great customer service representatives know how to take feedback and apply it to processes. Use your past employment to illustrate your ability to accept feedback and improve your own work output or the customer service processes in a department. McDonald's executives recently warned franchise owners to take customer service more seriously. The fast-food giant responded to growing customer complaints by sending a message through its restaurants: customers want to be treated well, purchase quality products, and eat in a quality setting.

 

Highlight achievements and results. Customer service representatives tend to work in fast-paced environments with specific hourly, daily, or monthly goals. List awards or statistics, such as satisfaction or conversion ratings. Also, target information to your niche when applicable, including telephone-related information for a call-center job and supervisory stats for a management position.

 

Include technical skills in addition to traditional good customer service skills. Customer service representatives in today's workplace must be able to multitask with numerous interfaces and computer programs while assisting the consumer. List specialty software and computer skills even if the company to which you are applying uses different programs. You want to show that you are capable of learning and quickly adopting new systems.

 

Show that you are a sustainable employee with the ability to grow. Highlight long-term employment and structure your resume so that different jobs with the same company tell the story of your progression within the organization. If you don't have a long employment history, try to include service history that proves you can stick with something. For example, if you are a recent graduate, your resume could be bolstered if you've been a longtime volunteer with a local agency.

 

Landing a customer service representative position is an achievable goal. Make sure you understand what the employer is seeking and do your best to highlight those attributes in your resume. Once you are done with the document, make sure you proofread it for typos or errors before you send it out.

 

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

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  • Melissa Kennedy
    Melissa Kennedy
    This is such a great discussion!@Shari - Listening skills are so important. It's best to show these skills during an interview, rather than just list them on a resume.@Donna - You're right, complaints are a great way to get feedback about the quality of service you provide.@Jean - Especially when you're working at a call center, the scripts can be a nightmare. I used to dread the new and "revised" scripts I would get almost daily. The worst thing is that management doesn't care about how you help the customer. All they care about is that you follow the script.
  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson
    Thanks for all of the great comments.
  • Shari C
    Shari C
    Great customer Service is the defining difference in any industry that invoves the public. Listening and communicating are essential.
  • Donna O
    Donna O
    The article definitely hit on strong points that should be addressed in resumes. I agree that customer feedback should not be taken lightly. Complaints are opportunities for improvements whether is be service, product or enhanced marketing strategies.
  • Mary C
    Mary C
    Excellent advice.  I learned something.
  • Rangaswamy K
    Rangaswamy K
    The comments outlined are thought provoking.
  • Jean B. T
    Jean B. T
    I agree with this article as a recent hire in the customer service industry.  The article was very well written.  What I have seen is so true and hired with a large group of other people have seen many people who did not last in the position.  It was not what they expected.  A point that I must make about the position I am currently in is that the scripts for the job are poorly written and are a challenge because they become tongue twisters and are so lenghtly that people receiving the calls get frustrated because they don't understand the message or that people are often to busy to communicate.  This makes the job more difficult then what it should be.
  • Tatjana B
    Tatjana B
    Excellent article about customer service;
  •  Marcus P
    Marcus P
    I liked the article posted on 5/3/2013 about percussive customer service solutions. Businesses all over are always in need of people that can translate the knowledge of people experiences. People are always willing to help people get by day- to - day, and it warms my heart to know that people are getting along. I have lived through a lot of circumstances that involoved clashing scenarios in our world. "Live and let live!"
  • Charles B
    Charles B
    I love it  very informative
  • Wil M
    Wil M
    The ability to listen and to assuredly clarify with your customer that you are listening.Also when you are face to face with a customer you should use direct eye contact and be aware of your body gestures.

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