Customer Services Assistant/Manager

Customer services assistants and managers work directly with customers. Their work varies according to their employer's business. Some work with customers face to face, while others communicate with them by telephone, email, text messaging, fax, post or over the internet.

A customer services assistant's job may involve:

• answering customer enquiries
• giving information
• arranging services for customers
• dealing with complaints
• taking information from customers and entering it on a database
• issuing refunds.

Customer services managers manage a team of customer services assistants. Their work may involve:

• helping to recruit and train customer services assistants
• setting targets and motivating staff to meet them
• dealing with difficult or sensitive enquiries
• arranging work rotas
• dealing with staffing issues.

Working hours vary. Staff may work shifts or on a rota to cover early mornings, days, evenings, weekends and bank holidays, and in some organisations, a 24-hour service. Part-time work is often available for customer services assistants, and occasionally for managers.

Customer services staff usually work in clean, well-lit buildings. They may spend most of their day sitting or standing in one place.

Salaries range from £12,000 for a customer services assistant to £50,000 or more a year for a customer services manager.

A customer services assistant/manager should:

• have excellent communication skills, particularly listening and speaking
• be confident and friendly
• understand the needs of customers
• be able to remain patient, calm and polite in difficult situations
• enjoy working with people.

Customer service assistants and managers are employed throughout the UK in many different sectors. They include retail, manufacturing, banking, building society, insurance, travel and tourism, IT and telecommunications, electricity, gas, water, local government and the NHS.

There are no set entry qualifications and employers have their own requirements. Some ask for GCSEs (A*-C), or the equivalent, especially English and maths. Previous experience of working with people is particularly useful.

There are Diploma qualifications that may be relevant. They include business, administration and finance, public services, and retail business.

Some people enter this work through an Apprenticeship or Advanced Apprenticeship in customer service or retail.

Training is mainly on the job under the supervision of experienced colleagues. Customer services staff may be able to work towards a range of qualifications.

Promotion may be to team leader or supervisor, then manager. Customer service managers may be promoted to more senior positions or move to other employers to progress.

Further details