Updated: October 17, 2022
Customer service positions may be more competitive over the next decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the economy will shrink by 2% in this industry. Automation technology plays a big role in the expected change. More companies allow customers to handle frequent tasks like returns or exchanges through a bot or via a web portal. With less need for human oversight on standard procedures, companies may not be adding as many customer service jobs.
While the competition might be fierce for the remaining customer service jobs, those who excel in this field are likely to see expanded responsibilities. Customer service representatives might be called upon to perform more complex tasks and help turn angry callers into satisfied customers. Below is a guide to writing a better resume, along with downloadable samples and tips on tailoring your resume for each job posting.
Downloadable Resume Examples
Example #1 Entry-level
Example #2 Mid-career
Example #3 Senior-level
Jason
Miller Excited to provide excellent customer service to a variety of customers. Strong ability to handle all requests promptly to help with purchasing decisions and service requests. Excellent at handling high call volumes and resolving
issues quickly and with good results. Customer Service Representative Resume Examples (Text Format)
Years of Experience
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Your Street, Columbus, OH 43004Profile
Key Skills
- Experienced in both call center operations and retail stores
- Excellent communication skills
- Bilingual in both English and Spanish
- Skilled at de-escalation and problem solving
Education
A. A. Marketing
Anne Arundel Community College, Maryland, Graduated 2019
Professional Experience
Customer Service Representative, ABC Company,
Washington D.C.
February 2019-Present
- Politely handle both in-person and telephone complaints and requests from more than 100 customers daily
- Perform regular assessments regarding customer complaints to generate suggestions that improved customer satisfaction and retention by 5%
- Meet or exceed customer satisfaction numbers on a regular basis
Store Associate, DEF Store, Silver Spring, MD
April 2018-February
2019
- Served more than 80 customers daily, helping to locate products and finalize sales transactions
- Participated in regular, monthly inventory process and reconciled stock levels according to counts
- Handled customer returns and complaints with patience and attention to detail
Robert Johnson
(123)-456-7890
[email protected]
123 Your Street, Columbus, OH 43004
Profile
Customer service representative with 6+ years of experience supporting sales teams and turning cancellations into satisfied customers. Recognized for exceptional communication and listening skills and great interpersonal skills with a diverse clientele. Proven ability to deliver high customer satisfaction ratings.
Professional Experience
Customer Service Agent, TUV Firm, Alexandria, VA
January 2017-Present
- Handle 50+ escalated customer complaints per day, processing returns, exchanges and changes to service levels
- Train new employees on CRM software to deliver high-quality customer service
- Receive average customer service ratings of 87%, 13% higher than the company average
Customer Support Specialist, WXY Calls, Montgomery County, MD
March 2015-January 2017
- Worked in a high-volume call center processing transactions and assisting with service sign-ups
- Resolved an average of nearly 500 inquiries on a weekly basis while meeting all performance milestones for speed and accuracy
- Helped earn excellent customer service ratings via an external audit, earning 100% in categories such as communication, listening and problem-solving
Education
TUV Firm Customer Service Training
Completed four 3-hour modules including topics such as:
- How to greet and transfer calls
- The importance of building rapport and how to listen
- Clarifying and managing the flow of a conversation
- Conflict resolution
- Maintaining politeness during challenging situations
High School Diploma
HIJ High School, White Marsh, MD
Skills
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Multiline telephone systems
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Highly organized
- Problem solving
- Team leadership
Sam Wilson
(123)-456-7890
[email protected]
123 Your Street, Columbus, OH 43004
Profile
Experienced customer service professional with more than a decade invested in helping customers and improving satisfaction ratings. Familiar with CRM software and a variety of customer account tracking systems. Demonstrated skills at developing customer relationships and resolving complex issues. Seeking to use my skills to mentor a team of customer service representatives using industry-leading techniques.
Professional Experience
Customer Service Agent, Financial Firm, Alexandria, VA
January 2017-Present
- Demonstrate excellent communication skills by reducing cancellation rates on customer calls by 30%
- Train three call center employees on using multiline telephones, active listening and soft sales techniques
- Improved customer satisfaction rating to 98% by suggesting a change to processes that incorporated automation for simple return requests
Customer Account Representative, Answer Calls, Rockville, MD
March 2015-January 2017
- Assisted more than 75 customers daily with product locations, benefits and ancillary items
- Memorized all product offerings to more quickly and efficiently assist customers and answer inquiries
- Tracked all customer communications to ensure account accuracy and followed-up on purchases as needed
Education
High School Diploma
Acme High School, Baltimore, MD
Skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and experience working with a diverse clientele
- Tech-savvy and experienced working with a variety of software packages specific to customer service
- Experienced problem-solver with demonstrated ability to de-escalate customer interactions
- Typing speed: 65 WPM
- Intermediate knowledge of office automation software including Microsoft Office
- Greet, hold and transfer using multiline telephone systems
Common Key Skills and Action Verbs for Customer Service Representative Resumes
When applying to a position, the right combination of keywords is often critical be able to get past any applicant tracking systems (ATS). An ATS may only highlight a resume with enough keywords and the right action verbs, so a hiring manager may never see a resume that lacks the right phrases.
An ATS crawls through your resume, looking for specific keywords and phrases. If it doesn’t find them, your resume goes to the bottom of the pile. If it does have a good selection of keywords, it goes right to the hiring manager for consideration. Because your resume must pass both automated systems and excite the person behind the firewall, it is important to design a resume that naturally includes these phrases. The more keywords you work into your resume text, the more likely you are to land an interview.
Tips for Writing a Better Customer Service Resume
Quantify your customer service experience to feature your successes
When writing your resume, it is important to quantify your experience to give hiring managers a way to understand your skills and abilities at a glance. When pulling together bullet points for your resume, be sure to ask questions such as:
- How many customers did you help per day?
- How many products did you sell?
- How many people were in your department?
The goal is to provide concrete information that describes your performance.
Example #1
Good
Assisted more than 50 customers per day with purchasing decisions and product details to improve the customer experience, recommending sale items and earning a customer satisfaction rating 15% higher than the company average
Bad
Helped customers with sales transactions
Example #2
Good
Implemented upselling process that resulted in a 6% increase in total sales, earned certificate as Employee of the Month and took on a mentorship role for new representatives
Bad
Offered customers additional products and made recommendations
Highlight your communication skills and ability to listen to customer needs
A customer service career requires the ability to listen to customers, communicate product information and finalize sales or handle complaints. The ability to communicate politely and in accordance with company policies is critical for driving high customer satisfaction ratings. Include some concrete examples of your success at communication in your professional experience bullets, without ignoring the importance of concrete information.
Example #1
Good
Maintained a customer satisfaction rate 15% higher than the company average by delivering on customer needs and memorized the product catalog of more than 400 items to more rapidly assist customers
Bad
Met required benchmarks for customer satisfaction
Example #2
Good
Worked with customers on complaints, successfully avoiding service cancellation on 98% of calls and providing additional information about ancillary service
Bad
Minimized cancellation requests
How to Align Your Resume With the Job Description
A hiring manager might sort through dozens — or hundreds — of resumes to find a shortlist of qualified candidates. To help your resume make it to the list of resumes that lead to interview requests, be sure to include the skills and experience listed in the job description.
The job description posted by a potential employer often lists exactly what skills and experience the hiring manager wants to see. In general, any skill listed more than once or that is near the top of the job description is one worth highlighting on your resume. Before submitting your resume, take a few minutes to compare the post to the information on your resume. Make sure your resume details how your experience can deliver the skills listed in the post. Below is a sample resume along with some tips on how to find and include featured skills.
Example Customer Service Representative Job Description
KLM Corp is a leading call center handling customer service for a variety of major brands. Put your sales and service skills to work in a fast-paced environment working with diverse customers. This position requires you to work independently to assist a variety of customers with account renewals, cancellations and product searches.
Responsibilities:- Communicate product offerings to customers via phone and email
- Maintain client records and notes for all interactions
- Screen phone calls and take messages when appropriate
- Answer all customer inquiries quickly and accurately
- Handle high-volume call environment with tact and patience
- Deliver exceptional customer service, even with dissatisfied customers
Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- 2-3 years of experience working in a call center environment
- Experience working with financial accounts preferred
- Proficient in general office software including Microsoft Office and Outlook
- Familiar with multiline phone systems and VoIP
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Data entry experience
- Experience working with teams in a collaborative environment
The job description notes that the best candidate should have a combination of the following qualities and experience:
- Account
- Accurate
- Call center experience
- Communication
- Computer savvy
- Customer service
- Fast-paced
- Highly organized
- Multiline phone systems
- Sales
Using the keyword phrases pulled from the job description, take the time to make sure your resume matches up. Here is a quick example of how to organically include these keywords in your resume:
Customer Service Representative Work Experience Example
Customer Service Representative, Acme Call Center
February 2015-Present
- Provide excellent customer service to more than 60 callers per day in a fast-paced call center environment, boosting sales by 3%
- Collaborate with team members in a mentorship role to improve customer satisfaction ratings and ensure customer account accuracy when using multiline phone systems and office software
- Organize call notes for a diverse group of customers, using a variety of software programs to communicate order status and monitor account performance