How To Write The Perfect Customer Service Job Description

At Sling, we firmly believe that the success of every business is driven by two things: customer service and hiring. Hire the right customer service reps and your business will thrive. Hire the wrong customer service reps and your business will flounder. It’s as simple as that. For some, hiring the right people depends on the interview process. We contend, though, that success in hiring starts well before that—when you write the customer service job description.

In fact, an excellent customer service job description makes the interview process easier by first telling you exactly what you’re looking for in an employee, then by attracting the best potential candidates. This combination can have a profound effect on the success of your interview, your hiring decision, and, ultimately, your business as a whole.

But how do you write the perfect customer service job description? What should you include and what should you leave out? The experts at Sling will answer those questions, plus a whole lot more. Along the way we’ll discuss:

• Traits that make an effective customer service representative.
• Why those traits are important.
• How to incorporate those traits into your job description.
• The most important sections of a great customer service job description.

After that, we’ll provide simple instructions for crafting the ideal customer service job description and provide a sample you can use to get started. Let’s dive right in!

Finding The Right People

Finding the right person to fill a customer service position shouldn’t be a hit-or-miss process. All too often, though, that’s exactly what the employee search becomes: a roll of the dice. That’s because managers tend to rely solely on the interview to show them the best fit.

But remember, an effective employee search starts long before you place the help wanted ad. It even begins before you put pen to paper to craft the job description itself. It all starts with a list of the traits you feel make for the perfect customer service employee.

Keep in mind that these traits should be based on your needs and the needs of your business. To get you started, we’ll share some of the essential traits that any good customer service employee should have.

Traits That Make An Effective Customer Service Representative

1) Patience

Customers who encounter issues are going to want to tell you about their problems, sometimes in extreme detail. At these times, patience is crucial. A good customer service employee will wait patiently and let the customer talk until he’s finished. This helps the customer feel like he’s being heard and can go a long way toward improving the situation.

2) Concern

Every customer service employee needs to be concerned about the well-being of the customer, regardless of the problem that customer is having. This concern is deeply rooted in the interest the employee has for the success of the business itself. If an employee isn’t concerned about the business, he’s not going to be concerned about its customers.

3) Self-Control

Some customers are going to stay calm and communicate in a rational way even if they have a major problem. Others, however, are going to let their emotions get the better of them over the smallest thing. A few may even insult you directly. It’s these situations that demand strong self-control.

When the customer service employee stays calm, it allows the customer to vent his frustration without creating a “me against you” situation that could continue to escalate. Keep in mind that the customer may just want to be heard, and this is the only way he knows how to get his message across.

4) Attentiveness

When a customer has a problem, he wants to be given the attention necessary to get the situation resolved quickly and effectively. That means more than just taking the time to fix whatever is wrong. It means being attentive to the problem and the customer.

In a face-to-face situation, attentiveness means looking the person in the eye, following the conversation, and responding to what the customer has to say.

5) Efficiency

Solving some customer complaints may involve more than just giving away a free gift. In those cases, the resolution process might involve multiple steps. It’s during these times that efficiency becomes an essential trait for any good customer service representative.

Maintaining efficiency and solving the problem in as few steps as possible can make the customer feel valued, which can reinforce his perception of your business. Who knew you could get so much out of being efficient?

6) Thick Skin

Some refer to not being easily offended as having a thick skin. Whatever you call it, it’s a must-have trait for any good customer service representative. It’s a fact that customers are going to get angry. They’re going to yell and scream. The ability to not take offense will go a long way in those emotionally charged situations.

7) Respect

Respect is treating others the way you would like to be treated. If you had a problem, would you want to be ignored? Of course not. The person on the other side of any customer service issue feels the same way. Good customer service requires that the employee be respectful at all times, regardless of a customer’s attitude.

Now that we’ve listed the traits that make for a great customer service employee, let’s investigate the job description itself.

Writing The Perfect Customer Service Job Description

It’s time to apply the traits we’ve discussed to the task of creating the perfect customer service job description. Begin by dividing the job description into four main sections:

• Job Title.
• Job Summary.
• Responsibilities & Duties.
• Qualifications & Skills.

Let’s look at each section individually and see how we can complete them by taking into account the seven ideal customer service traits.

1) Job Title

The job title should be as straightforward and simple as possible. Do your best to keep the title to 80 characters or less, including spaces. For your customer service job title, you might write something like:

• Customer Service Rep.
• Customer Service Representative.
• Customer Service Supervisor.
• Customer Service Technician.

Each of those titles is less than 80 characters and describes the position nicely.

2) Job Summary

The job summary section should provide the following information:

• A brief description of your business.
• The part the customer service employee will play.
• Any expectations you may have about the job.

It’s in this section that you include those traits and skills you defined earlier to describe the ideal candidate. Include descriptive words like “calm,” “helpful,” and “flexible” to communicate what you’re looking for in a customer service employee.

3) Responsibilities & Duties

The responsibilities and duties section should contain as much information as possible about what the prospective employee might be asked to do during the course of his workday. For simplicity’s sake, write the information in a bulleted list. Check out the sample customer service job description below for details.

4) Qualifications & Skills

In the qualifications and skills section, write another bulleted list composed of everything the prospective employee must have to be considered for the customer service position. Things like:

• Experience.
• Personality traits.
• Computer skills.
• Education.

Now let’s see how the traits and the four sections described above fit together to create the perfect customer service job description.

Sample Customer Service Job Description

As promised, we’ve included a sample customer service job description that you can tailor to meet your specific needs. Use it to help produce the perfect customer service job description of your own.

BEGIN SAMPLE

Wanted: Customer Service Representative

A local company needs a friendly, organized, and efficient customer service representative to join their team. If you enjoy solving problems and helping people have a great day, we want you to assist our customers. The successful candidate will be responsible for cultivating a friendly relationship with customers while ensuring that they receive prompt service and support.

Responsibilities Include:

• Follow procedures as outlined in the employee handbook.
• Greet customers warmly.
• Listen attentively to customers’ concerns.
• Take care of all customer needs.
• Use company software to log information.
• Seek help when necessary.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years customer service experience preferred.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Ability to stay calm, organized, polite, and efficient under pressure.
• Good problem-solving skills.
• Excellent manners.

Send résumé to:

Your Name and Address Here

END SAMPLE

Don’t Make Writing The Perfect Customer Service Job Description A Headache

Writing the perfect customer service job description doesn’t have to be a complicated task. Start by breaking the process into small pieces for easy completion. Then write the job description using our sample according to the traits that you need in a good employee.

It can be just that simple. For more restaurant-management resources and help scheduling your employees, check out everything GetSling.com has to offer.

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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for specific advice.

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