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Customer Service Assistant

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

HOW TO HIRE A Customer Service Assistant

What does a Customer Service Assistant do?

A Customer Service Assistant is the first point of contact of a customer when making any form of communication to the company. The Customer Service Assistant is responsible for assisting the customer in their concerns, may it be purchasing a goods or service, asking for refund or exchange, making a complaint, or finding information.

Day to day tasks of a Customer Service Assistant

Skills assessment

Customer Service Assistant definition

A Customer Service Assistant’s primary responsibility is to assist the customers in their concerns. Because the concerns vary, this person must be knowledgeable with the company’s products and services to be able to answer all the inquiries.

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HIRING PROCESS

Customer Service Assistant Hiring Process

Step 1: Understand the role
Step 2: Source Applicants
Step 3: Skills Assessment
Step 4: Interview
Step 5: Hire

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Assistant

A Customer Service Assistant must be approachable and has good knowledge about the product and services. As the first contact of the customer, they should appear friendly and able to communicate well.

Pro Tip

For entry-level roles, you may receive more applications compared to senior roles. You can emphasize the benefits of working in your company from the perspective of someone who is just starting their career.

WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS

How to write a Customer Service Assistant 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 Assistant 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

Pro Tip

In building your candidate profile, remember you’ve already identified what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Here’s where to list your “must-have” skills and maybe a couple of “nice-to-have” skills. For example, a Customer Service Assistant must have a customer centric mindset, and it would also be nice to be knowledgeable in any CRM tool.

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SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Sample skill tests for a Customer Service Assistant

Create a free account today to access the full assessment and more from our library

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Question 1

Active Listener

Question Type: Audio

You are on the phone with a customer who is very irate and angry. 

What tactics could you use to calm the upset customer?

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Question 2

Adaptability

Question Type: Text

Have you ever had to say “no” to a customer request? 

How did you handle the situation in order to preserve the relationship?

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Question 3

Communication

Question Type: Text

Following on from the last question, how would you exemplify your idea of customer service in this role?

INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS

How to interview a Customer Service Assistant

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 Assistant?

The US average for a Customer Service Assistant is $33,004 according to Glassdoor.com, and $33,150 from Talent.com. The lowest recorded is at $28,850, and the highest can reach up to $43,898.

Customer Service Assistant Salary United States

Customer Service Assistant salaries in the United States range from $28,850 up to $43,898. Entry level positions start at the lowest rate while more experienced ones can be offered a higher rate.

Customer Service Assistant Salary United Kingdom

Customer Service Assistant salaries in the United Kingdom range from £18,911 to £22,440 (GBP). The salaries depend on the location, years of experience, and the nature of business of the company.

Customer Service Assistant Salary Australia

Customer Service Assistant salaries in Australia range from $53,000 (AUD) up to $64,331 (AUD). Entry-level positions can start at $44,160, and more experienced ones can make up to $93,807.