Customer Service Assistant

Typical Salary

£12,500 To £30,000

Typical Hours

37 to 40 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Customer Service Assistant

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You can take a college course before applying for a job. Courses are widely available and include:

Level 1 Certificate in Customer Service
Level 2 Certificate in Contact Centre Operations

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

You can do an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship in customer service.

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply for jobs if you have customer service experience, for example from working in a shop, hotel or contact centre.

Employers may expect you to have some GCSEs, or equivalent qualifications, but also good communication skills and a friendly personality.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

customer service skills
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
sensitivity and understanding
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
excellent verbal communication skills
active listening skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day activities may include:

answering customers' questions by phone, email, webchat or face-to-face
giving quotations and checking product availability
selling and taking payment
handling complaints or passing them to a manager
entering customer information onto a computer database
tracking orders and giving refunds

Working Environment

You could work at a store, in a contact centre or in an office.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could progress to team leader or customer services manager.

You could also move into sales or account handling.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.

Restrictions & Requirements