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Customer services assistants and managers work
in most types of organisation. They deal directly
with customers, act as a link between customers
and other departments in the organisation, and
make sure customers have a positive experience.
Customer services assistants may work with customers
face to face, on the phone or by email. The work
varies from employer to employer, but may involve
answering enquiries, giving information, helping
to solve problems, and dealing with complaints.
Some customer services staff sell products, take
payments and issue refunds.
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Customer services staff may work behind
a counter or in a contact centre or showroom,
and are seen as essential in the drive
to increase
sales.
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Wholesale staff work in such organisations
as builders' merchants and vehicle
parts operations.
Full-time staff usually work 37 to 40 hours
a week, but shift work is common, and there
is plenty of
scope for part-time and flexible working.
Most people in the retail sector work in clean,
bright
shops and stores in customer-facing roles.
Many also work behind the scenes in offices and
contact
centres. Some jobs may involve travel to
visit different stores, suppliers and customers.
Employers include supermarket chains, department
stores, independent retailers, car dealers
and
mail order companies. Employment opportunities
are available with small businesses as
well as with very large retailers. Self-employment
is
common in some careers, such as market
trader or greengrocer.
People who work in customer services need
to be friendly and helpful, with the
confidence to handle
complaints in a fair but firm manner.
They must
usually be able to work well in a team
and enjoy working with people. IT skills
and skills with
handling money and finance are often
necessary.
Customer services managers manage a team
of customer services assistants, and
may be responsible for
training them, setting targets, motivating
staff to meet these targets, arranging
work rotas,
dealing with staffing issues and handling
difficult enquiries.
Most customer services staff work 37
hours a week, but this may involve
early mornings,
days,
evenings,
nights, weekends and bank holidays
depending on the employer. They usually
work in
clean, well-lit
buildings, and may spend a lot of time
sitting or standing in one place. They
sometimes use
a telephone headset and/or a computer,
and may wear
a uniform if they meet customers face
to face.
Salaries may range from £10,000 to £15,000
a year for customer services assistants
and from £15,000
to £40,000 a year for managers.
Customer services staff should:
- have excellent communication
skills
- be polite, confident and friendly
- understand
the needs of customers
- enjoy working with
people and be interested in the employer's
business.
Customer services staff work all over
the UK in many different sectors
including retail, manufacturing,
banking, insurance, travel and tourism,
telecommunications and IT.
Call us for further details on 0800 542 2848 |
