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Job description: Customer Services Assistant

As a Customer Services Assistant you'll be part of a team responsible for making the customer's experience the best it can be.

Answering customer's queries makes up a large part of your role, keeping you in regular contact with them either face to face, or over the phone or via email. It's also your responsibility to keep up to date with all products, services and procedures.

Your daily routine will vary depending on the kind of organisation you work for. It could include anything from unpacking goods, stocking shelves and arranging displays to taking part in customer promotions or events. If you are part of a retail or banking customer services team, your work may involve handling payments on a regular basis.

As a Customer Services Assistant you could work in a shop, bank, local government office, in a call centre, or perhaps for an insurance or energy company. Within these, you would be an invaluable service of information within in a specific customer services team or department.

Hours and environment

Usually the role would require you to work a 37 hour, 5 day week, which may include weekend work too. Supermarkets, other out-of-town retail outlets, garages, airports and hotels are often open in the evenings, or in some cases 24 hours a day, so working hours are variable. If you'd prefer part-time work, this is often available.

The environment you'll be working in is usually indoors. Here you'd be expected to sit or stand in one place for lengthy periods, and, in smaller organisations, you could also have to move stock from storerooms to display areas. You'd be expected to wear a uniform, especially in larger organisations, though some may be more casual.

Skills and interests

To be a good Customer Services Assistant, you must:

have a genuine interest in working with and helping customers
have good communication skills
be able to work as part of a team
be well presented, polite, tactful and friendly
be numerate, lively and quick-thinking
be patient and calm
be patient and calm
be able to handle complaints and difficult situations
be able to handle complaints and difficult situations
understand computer systems and cash registers for some jobs

Entry

You will need a good general educational background. Some organisations require at least two to four GCSEs (A-C)/three to five S grades (1-3), perhaps including English and maths. Other companies will favour you if you have NVQ/SVQ Customer Service Level 2 or 3.

If you wish to join a larger organisation, especially in banking and finance, you may be asked for more GCSEs/S grades or higher qualifications such as A levels/Scottish Highers or Intermediate GNVQ/GSVQ level II. In smaller organisations, your personality and character and any relevant experience would often be considered more important than academic qualifications. For details of qualification equivalents see:

Many new staff are taken on straight from school or college, as well as people with experience of working in the general public.

Training

Larger organisations usually have their own internal training programmes, which include the specific skills needed to work with it or in its line of business. In smaller organisations, you will usually be trained on the job, learning from existing staff or supervisors.

In-house training programmes often include assessment for NVQ/SVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Customer Service. These can also be studied at local colleges or training organisations.

If you're aged between 16-24, a Foundation and Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (MAPPs) may be available.

For details see: MAPPs (England); Skillseekers MAPPs (Scotland); National Traineeships MAPPs (Wales); and MAPPs (Northern Ireland).

Opportunities

Opportunities within customer services are plentiful, especially in urban and well populated areas. Retail companies tend to offer particularly good opportunities.

From Customer Services Assistant you have the chance to be promoted to supervisory or management roles in many cases. Some medium to large companies will offer training as an assistant if you show the potential for promotion. As an existing member of staff in a smaller organisation, supervisory or management jobs would be open to you, based on experience and knowledge you will build whilst working there.

If you wish to move on to a completely different type of business, or into a wider role within the same organisation, this is possible as many customer services skills are transferable.

Annual income

Whilst you're a trainee assistant, you can earn between £8,000 and £10,500 a year, and as you become experienced this can raise to between £9,000 to £13,000. Working in a large organisation as an experienced Customer Services Assistant you could earn from £13,000 upwards.

In the retail trade, there would also be the possibility of bonuses or commission available to you.