Customer Support Specialist Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a customer support specialist job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a customer support specialist. Feel free to use our customer support specialist job description template to produce your own customer support specialist job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a customer support specialist.
Who is a Customer Support Specialist?
A customer service specialist is a professional who is in charge of responding to inquiries, comments, and complaints about a specific company. A customer support specialist works in the customer service division of a company or other organization. When a customer has a problem, they serve as the company’s spokesperson. As a customer support specialist, it is your responsibility to manage customer service interactions for your company. Handling complaints, making recommendations, informing customers about the goods and services offered by a company, adhering to all company policies, and accurately documenting every interaction are some of the l responsibilities of a customer support specialist.
More specifically, they assist customers with their purchases, upgrades, and returns, as well as provide frequent guidance and technical support. Similarly, a customer support specialist acts as a liaison between a company and its customers. He or she will be the first point of contact for the client or visitor. They spend their days assisting customers with their problems via email, live chat, or phone.
Customer support specialists must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as in-depth knowledge of the company’s goods and services because they deal directly with customers.
Customer support specialists ensure that they deal with difficult situations and find effective solutions to problems as well as monitor and gauge customer satisfaction in order to ensure that the brand they work for is meeting its goals.
A high school diploma is all that is required for the majority of customer service specialist jobs. A bachelor’s or associate’s degree in business administration, on the other hand, is a desirable choice because many employers prefer customer support specialists with a college education.
In addition to these degrees, many employers require industry-specific in-house training.
Customer Support Specialist Job Description
What is a customer support specialist job description? A customer support specialist job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a customer support specialist in an organization. Below are the customer support specialist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a customer support specialist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a customer support specialist include the following:
- Answering customer questions in a timely and accurate manner via phone, email, or chat.
- Giving solutions advice and guiding customers through the features and functions of a product.
- Maintaining weekly reports on customer questions, answers, and feedback.
- Assisting peers in receiving training on how to provide better customer service.
- Introducing new customers to relevant and critical information.
- Providing prompt, high-quality service and keeping clients informed of new features and functionalities.
- Keeping a good working relationship with customers.
- Working in collaboration with other staff members to ensure that all company rules and regulations are consistently followed.
- Assessing customers and communicating their feedback on the products or services with the product, sales and marketing teams.
- Ensuring appropriate customer follow-up to ensure that their technical problems are resolved.
- Evaluating and assisting with social media customer complaints.
Qualifications
Customer support specialists have the following qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree in business, communications, or a related field.
- Previous experience working in a customer support specialist position or in a role related to customer service.
- Familiarity with virtual support tools and help desk software.
- Understanding of how customer relationship management systems work.
- Exceptional communication skills.
- The ability to multitask.
- Being able to act appropriately under duress.
- Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Learning a second language may be advantageous.
- Positivity and the ability to connect with customers.
Essential Skills
Below are the skills every customer support specialist must possess to remain successful in this career path.
- Time management:
Time management is the ability to complete tasks by a certain deadline. As a support specialist, you may be responsible for handling a large number of calls or emails at one time. You may also be responsible for updating clients on the status of their requests. This requires you to be able to prioritize your work and meet deadlines.
- Computer skills:
To retrieve product and service information, process orders, and communicate with clients by phone or email, customer service representatives need computer skills. Most need to know how to use file management, word processing, spreadsheet, and email or phone applications.
- Excellent Communication Skills:
Giving information to others is an act of communication. Customers can contact you as a support specialist by phone, email, or in person. You must be able to communicate effectively to be successful in this position. You should be able to explain technical concepts, as well as listen to and comprehend customer concerns. You must also be able to speak concisely and clearly to ensure that customers understand the information you provide.
- Team Leadership skills:
You will collaborate with members of your team as well as colleagues from other divisions of the company to stay informed about information and products/services offered. If you have this skill, you can effectively comprehend how the system works and easily explain it to customers.
- Technical knowledge:
A client support specialist must be well-versed in technology and software. You may be required to fix technical issues, provide customers with instructions on how to use the software, or troubleshoot technical issues. Software may also be required for data entry, report submission, and customer information recording.
- Customer service:
Using your customer service skills, you can provide high-quality service to customers and clients. Active listening, empathy, and patience are all necessary components of good customer service that can aid in problem-solving and the formation of strong bonds with clients. You can also use your customer service experience to train additional technical support staff.
- Empathy:
Empathy is the ability to understand and experience the emotions of others. Empathy is an important trait to have when dealing with customers as a support specialist. Empathy can assist you in understanding the needs of the customer and providing appropriate solutions.
- Problem-solving:
With problem-solving abilities, you can identify the root cause of a problem and devise a solution. As a customer support specialist, you may be in charge of assisting your clients with their problems. You may need to research options, select the best one, and explain it to your client.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Mastery:
In order to track tickets and record client interactions, customer support specialists must be familiar with CRM software. They must be able to create, edit, and search for customer records, as well as create and update tickets, in general.
- Active Listening:
Active listening is the ability to hear what someone is saying and then respond to them in a way that demonstrates your understanding of their needs. As a customer service representative, you may interact with a diverse range of people, each with their own set of needs and concerns. When interacting with customers, active listening is an important skill to have because it can help you understand their needs and provide them with the best service possible.
- Product Expertise:
Customer support specialists are well-versed in the operations of their companies’ products. They will be unable to assist customers if they have problems because they will not fully understand your product.
In most organizations’ the employees go through a mandatory onboarding process which includes customer support training during their first or second week on the job.
Having an in-depth knowledge of a company’s product helps you build an understanding of the user’s experience so that you can be able to solve whatever challenges they are facing using the product at any point in time.
- Self-Control:
Customer service representatives typically converse with anxious or extremely angry customers who are dissatisfied with a product. When employees respond in an offensive manner or turn the conversation into an insulting argument, the customers tend not to come back for business.
In this context, exercising self-control simply entails treating customers with courtesy and refraining from rudely attempting to make a point. You must be courteous during your conversation. Every client has the potential to close a sale. Customers are still the best salespeople for any business and should be treated as such; your level of restraint will determine how satisfied the customer is with the company.
How to Become a Customer Support Specialist
Individuals interested in this career path can follow the steps below to become a customer support specialist:
- Education:
To work as a customer support specialist, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. An associate’s degree in business administration, communications, computer science, or a related field may be preferred by some employers.
- Training and Experience:
Customer support specialist typically receives two to three weeks of on-the-job training. To understand complex financial regulations, finance and insurance professionals may need several months of training.
General customer support specialist training may include learning how to use computers and phones, as well as how to use a company’s products and services and answer questions. Trainees frequently assist experienced employees during their first few weeks on the job.
Getting relevant experience can also help you stand out as a candidate for customer service jobs. Consider positions in the service or retail sectors, where you may frequently interact with a variety of clients. Work on your interpersonal and communication skills to gain confidence while working in customer service.
- Consider a professional certification:
Finally, consider obtaining a professional certification to demonstrate your abilities and position yourself as a candidate with exceptional qualifications. Certified Client Service Professional (CCSP) and Certified Client Service Specialist (CCSS) are two popular field credentials (CCSS). You can give yourself the knowledge, abilities, and tools you need to succeed as a customer support specialist by obtaining one of these certifications.
- Put together a resume that reflects your experience:
Your resume should include your contact information, an objective or summary of your goals as a customer support specialist, and a list of your skills and certifications, in addition to your education. It should also include any positions in which you dealt with clients, took calls, or provided information. Respond to job postings for customer support specialists or related positions that you find online or in your local newspaper.
- Prepare for your interview:
Prepare for the interview. Consider your responses to interview questions posed by a company seeking customer service representatives. Ask a friend or family member to assist you in preparing for a mock interview, and then ask them to provide feedback on how you performed. In your interview, be approachable and professional to demonstrate to your potential employer that you have effective communication skills.
- Enhance your Career:
Getting promoted to a managerial position can help you advance in your customer service career. Customer satisfaction and the efficient operation of the department are both dependent on the experience an agent gains.
Maintaining your technical skills may make it easier to advance in your career. Another way to boost your marketability as a customer service agent is to provide service via chat lines, email, social media, and online tools. Utilize any training provided by your employer in these areas, or look into classes offered by colleges, career schools, or online training programs.
Furthermore, customer support specialists looking to advance their careers should consider joining organizations such as the National Customer Service Association (NCSA). Benefits include continuing education in addition to leadership and management training.
Where to Work as a Customer Support Specialist
Customer support specialists are most commonly found in retail establishments, call centers, insurance or credit agencies, banks, or credit unions. They frequently work at desks and interact with customers directly in stores. They work at computers in open-plan call centers, interacting with customers via phone, email, or online chat. Some customer support specialists can also work from home using computers to call, email, and chat with customers.
Given that these are some of the most common places for customer support specialists to work, they are likely to find work in a call center or a retail establishment.
Customer Support Specialist Salary Scale
Client support specialists’ salaries are determined by their level of education, years of experience, place of employment, and hiring organization.
According to Payscale.com, the average total compensation for an entry-level customer support specialist with less than one year of experience is $44,499, which includes tips, bonuses, and overtime pay. An entry-level customer support specialist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average annual salary of $46,859.
Moreso earns an average total salary of $48,207 as a mid-career customer support specialist with 5 to 9 years of experience.
An experienced customer service representative with 10 to 19 years of experience earns a total salary of $48,291 on average.
Workers in their late careers (20 years or more) earn an average salary of $50,368.