In this Knowledgebase
Who Works in Customer Service
- Overview of who you interact with regarding your customer needs
- Breakdown of what a CSR truly brings their employer
Customer service is a broad industry that employs people from all walks of life. Who exactly is behind the support line offering phone, chat, email, and social media support?
Here’s a general overview of what you can expect for when you reach a Customer Service Representative (CSR).
CSR Levels
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agent When you contact a company you may not be interacting with a real human, it will be an AI programed and trained to give you basic support.
Newbie
Will have less than 6 months of experience
Intermediate
Has been with the company at least 1-2 years
Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Senior Agent
They have been with the company at least 2 years and have outstanding product knowledge and usually excellent customer service skills
Trainer
This is a SME that has demonstrated that they have all around outstanding skills all CSRs should have, and for this they have the opportunity to train newcomers
Supervisor
This individual is tasked with supervising all operations and will handle most escalations.
Manager
Very rarely takes calls but focuses on taking care of all short, mid, and long-term planning of the contact center.
Customer Service Skill
Natural
Some people have the skill of being able to connect with absolutely anyone they come across in any channel of communication. These individuals will have the ability to demonstrate empathy, care and support because it’s within their nature to be service-oriented.
Acquired
These individuals may be introverted, shy, or new to the customer service trade, and for this reason have to work hard to sound caring and empathic to their customer’s need. However, they are service-oriented because above all, they wish to serve their company and their customers well. These individuals will have the vision to grow in or outside the organization so they will generally work hard to achieve their personal and professional goals.
No natural skill but still functional
Certain CSR really do try to please their customers, and they will serve their customer’s needs but will not sound natural. In fact, they may sound like they are not fully engaged but their voice may not communicate friendliness of the desire to help but they do.
No natural skill and may struggle to communicate
Some individuals may not have the capacity to thieve in a fast-paced, and evolving customer service environment. As a customer when you talk to them, they will sound lost, confused because they may not know they need to do to begin to support their customer. These CSRs wi
Years of Experience
The average length of a CSR’s tenure is roughly 2 to 3 year
Thus, most CSRs will have less than 5 year of experience so they will usually have intermediate knowledge of their trade.
Location
Local – A Company’s CSR works in close proximity or in the same building as the company who employs them.
Remote – This is someone who is generally in the same city as their company,
Outsourced – When companies need to save money on paying North American wages, they will outsource to mainly India, Philippines, or South America.
Language
- Native English Speaker
- Bilingual+
Age Group
- Most CSRs will be between 18 to 35 years of age
- Second biggest age work will be 35 to 50 years of age
- Minority will be people in their 50s
- Smallest minority of CSRs consist of individuals who near-retirement or past retirement age
Proficiency with Technology
CSRs who do not work with technology will have the following range of tech knowledge:
- Most CSRs have basic proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel and Windows
- Minority will have intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office, and other software
- Smallest minority will have expert-level of Microsoft Office, Windows and other software
Number of Customers Served Per Day
- 40 to 70 customers on average
- 70 to 120 for contacts that are easy
Number of Escalations Handled Per Day
- 1 to 3 on average
Company Tenure
- The average tenure of a CSR is 2 to 3 years across most industries
The Outcome of a company being Customer-Centric
When a company is fully committed to customer service, they will do their best to hire, train and grow individuals who want to excel at serving the needs of their customers. Thus, as customers we can look for CSRs being focused in achieving the following when we interact with them over the phone, email, chat or social media.
- Ability to establish rapport with customers
- Active Listening
- Detail-oriented
- First Contact-Minded
- Empathetic
- Teamwork to achieve company or department goals
- Solution-minded