Customer Service Agent

Complete with job descriptions, skill profiles, and interview templates. Use this Customer Service Agent hiring guide to help you make the right decisions, fast.

HOW TO HIRE A CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT

What does a Customer Service Agent do?

Customer service agents give customers of your business a direct communication channel for inquiries and assistance. They will be the first point of contact to provide guidance and respond to a multitude of queries.

Day to day tasks of a Customer Service Agent

Demonstrate the value of the brand and services at every customer interaction
Respond to customers’ incoming calls and online enquiries, providing exceptional customer service at every interaction
Deliver on KPIs and targets relating to customer excellence, retention, responsiveness, quality, and call handling
Ownership of customer queries, delivering a first call resolution and highlighting potential repeat call drivers

Recruitment guide role overview illustration

CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT DEFINITION

A Customer Service Agents’ primary responsibility is to provide customer service, resolve issues, and ensure customer satisfaction. Because of this, they require key skills that enable them to be able to connect with customers in a variety of circumstances.

HIRING PROCESS

Customer Service Agent Hiring Process

1
STEP 1
2
STEP 2
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STEP 3
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STEP 4
5
STEP 5

STEP 1

Build the Ideal Candidate Profile

To find the best person for the role, you need to understand what the role involves. You can complete this with the hiring manager to define the role, its contribution, and the skills needed.

STEP 2

Write A Job Description Based On Skills

Once you understand the requirements for the role, you’ll need to understand the skills for success. You can then write an effective job description to promote your role.

STEP 3

Selecting The Ideal Candidate

See which applicants have the right skills for the role. Send all your applicants a Vervoe skills assessment from the expert library, or customize one for your organization.

STEP 4

Interview Top Performers

Your skills assessment results will identify top performers. Focus your time on interviewing those that have met or exceeded your requirements. Assessment results will also help guide which skill areas to focus on in the interview.

STEP 5

Making An Offer

Once you assess your candidates against these skills, you’re ready to offer the top performer(s). You should base your offer on the value that the candidate would bring to your team and your business as a whole. It is also important to ensure your compensation and benefits packages are competitive in the industry and help you attract and retain the top talent.

BUILD THE IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

Skills needed for a Customer Service Agent

A Customer Service Agent must be customer-focussed and empathetic. Because each customer is different, a Customer Service Agent needs to have skills in resilience and learning agility. They must also have exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Conflict Resolution
Active Listening
Communication

WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS

How to write a Customer Service Agent job description

Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position. Here’s what to include in your Customer Service Agent job description:

Job Title: What position are you hiring for?
Summary: What makes your company unique? What would it be like to work for you?
Responsibilities: An overview of the role’s day-to-day activities, and how the position contributes to the organization
Requirements: Skills a candidate must have to perform the job successfully
Benefits: Details of compensation, benefits, and any perks on offer

Use our sample Customer Service Agent job description

SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Sample skill tests for a Customer Service Agent

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Question 1

Communication

Question Type: Audio

You have an angry customer on the phone, and they’ve been on hold for quite some time. They recently bought a product from your business and it arrived faulty. After listening to their frustrations, how would you manage this call? Record your response to the customer in a brief audio recording.

Question 2

Conflict Resolution

Question Type: Audio

What would you do if a customer said you were taking too long to handle an issue?

Question 3

Active Listening

Question Type: Text

Listen to this audio and type out the relevant notes.

INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS

How to interview a Customer Service Agent

Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The interview should focus on any skills that require development that were highlighted from the skills assessment.

Now you know that candidates can do the job, the interview becomes more of a relationship building exercise where you can get to know the candidate on a more personal level, understand their motivations, and how they would fit in with the team.

MAKING AN OFFER

How much does it cost to hire a Customer Service Agent?

The US average for a Customer Service Agent is $33,648 according to Glassdoor.com while the reported average salary on USNews.com amounts to $35,860. The best-paid 25 percent make $45,400, while the lowest-paid 25 percent make $28,760.

United States

Customer Service Agent salaries in the United States range from $24,000 - $47,000 (USD). Customer Service Agent salaries in the U.S vary a lot depending on the industry and the nature of the enquiries that agents are taking, as well as the location.

Source: Source: Glassdoor.com

United Kingdom

Customer Service Agent salaries in the United Kingdom range from £17,000 - £24,000 (GBP). Customer Service Agent salaries in the UK vary a lot depending on the industry and the nature of the enquiries that agents are taking, as well as the location.

Source: Source: Payscale.com

Australia

Customer Service Agent salaries in Australia range from $43,000 - $64,000 (AUD). Customer Service Agent salaries in Australia vary a lot depending on the industry and the nature of the enquiries that agents are taking, as well as the location.