Customer Relations Representative Career

*A job as a Customer Relations Representative falls under the broader career category of Customer Service Representatives. The information on this page will generally apply to all careers in this category but may not specifically apply to this career title.

Job Description for Customer Service Representatives : Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.


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Customer Service Representative Career

What skills are required for Customer Service Representatives?

Importance Skills
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

What knowledge is needed to be a Customer Service Representative?

Importance Knowledge
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.