If you're looking for tips on writing an excellent customer service job description, you've come to the right place. More than ever, high-quality customer support is critical to the livelihood of your business.
For most customers, your support team is the main point of contact they have with your company. A good customer service experience can be the difference between churn and repeat customers.
Outstanding customer service means hiring outstanding candidates, which starts with writing the best possible customer service job description. This post gathers valuable tips and a template you can use to get started.
Table of Contents
- Inside Customer Service Job Descriptions
- Tips for Writing a Customer Service Job Description
- Customer Service Representative Duties
- Customer Service Representative Job Description Templates
Inside Customer Service Job Descriptions
Customer service job descriptions outline the responsibilities of your representatives. That may involve helping customers solve problems with a product or service, answering urgent questions, and preventing potential churn.
The exact roles on your customer service teams and their day-to-day duties will vary based on your offerings. However, every customer service position should focus on ensuring customer success.
By helping customers achieve their goals, service reps generate delightful experiences, foster loyalty, and develop brand advocacy.
Tips for Writing the Best Customer Service Job Description
1. Start with your "about" section.
The beginning of your customer service job description is all about you. The "about" or "why" section is where you share your company's values and culture.
This is a make-or-break section of your job description. Give your candidates an accurate representation of your organization that makes them want to join your team. Make sure to impress with the passion you and your employees feel when working at your company.
In this support representative job description from SevenRooms, the "why" section inspires candidates with the company's overarching mission of empowering customers.
SevenRooms also invites candidates to join the team as owners and help the organization grow. The language appeals to candidates who are in search of an environment where they can thrive.
Pro tip: Inspire candidates with your best qualities. Potential hires can then understand what makes your company a unique and compelling place to work.
2. Be specific in your job overview.
In your overview, highlight the essential qualities of your customer service team. You should demonstrate to candidates that the customer service team is essential to the success of the company as a whole.
If your overview section is generic and uninspiring, then the role will seem lackluster and unimportant to your potential candidates.
This customer support associate job description from VTS emphasizes the vital role customer service plays in supporting clients. The overview also emphasizes a hands-on, proactive approach to customer service that candidates should embody.
Pro tip: Show that you genuinely care about the character of the people you hire, especially since customers trust customer service information more than any other business unit. The best customer service candidates aren't just good at their job but also good, honest people. Your customer service job description should appeal to those types of individuals.
3. Clearly outline the role's responsibilities.
Crafting a concise-yet-comprehensive list of responsibilities is an art. Reading 20 bullet points, each with long sentences, might scare candidates away.
Instead, try to keep your responsibilities section brief and highlight the main points.
In a list of responsibilities, you want to balance being clear about the role and not overwhelming candidates with an endless list of tasks.
Let's look at this job description for a customer support specialist at HubSpot. The role's responsibilities have been condensed to just seven bullet points. The descriptions are concise but give enough information for candidates to understand the role.
The best candidates will read thoroughly, understand their responsibilities, and prepare to ask questions about those responsibilities in an interview.
If you're unsure where to start, here's an essential list of duties for any customer service rep.
Customer Service Representative Duties
- Respond to and resolve product or service problems that customers are experiencing
- Meet individual metrics for case volume, availability, and customer satisfaction
- Work effectively across a variety of communication channels: in-person, phone, email, live chat, social media, etc.
- Attract and retain customers by answering questions and providing suggestions that lead to short- and long-term success
- Delight customers during every service interaction
- Maintain customer records and refer potential leads to the sales department
- Collect and analyze feedback after completing customer inquiries
- Work collaboratively with teammates to solve customer issues quickly and efficiently
- Report customer complaints and escalate issues when necessary to prevent potential churn
- Relay universal product flaws and failures to engineering and product development teams
- Solve for the customer's problem, not for your own convenience
4. Outline necessary qualifications.
The qualifications section allows you to list what you genuinely want out of this position. It also helps potential candidates understand whether they are qualified for the position, as well as what they should prepare to speak about in an interview.
This job description for a customer support specialist at Aircall lists the points of knowledge and skills required for the position. This includes hard skills, like experience with JIRA, and soft skills, like communication, positive energy, and a willingness to learn.
An ideal candidate will have the technical skills to do the job and the personal skills to delight customers. Customers are more likely to stay loyal to brands that offer friendly and effective customer support, so it's vital to emphasize how candidates can meet that expectation.
You don't want to hire an unqualified employee, so be sure to list all the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. This is a great jumping-off point for a mutually beneficial relationship.
5. List additional, compelling details.
Is there any additional information that your candidates should know? You can list these details at the end of your job description.
Be sure to avoid any unnecessary tidbits. This section should focus on compelling details that could attract high-value candidates. This may include benefits, training information, and commitments to diversity and inclusion.
Pro tip: Be sure to mention where the position is located in this section. If the role isn't fully remote, be sure to explain expectations on time spent in the office versus working from home.
This job description for a customer support associate role at CB Insights includes a list of all the job benefits. The post also includes information on company culture and commitment to diversity and inclusion. While this section isn't required, it may sway some candidates towards or away from applying.
Now that you've learned how to build a customer service job description, we'll share a template that puts these best practices to work. And, remember, the most important thing is to add your company's personal touch. You'll want to transform a basic, formal job description into a passionate, exciting one.
Customer Service Representative Job Description Templates
Customer Service Representative [or title of the open position]
About [your company]:
Here at [your company], we pride ourselves on our [qualities that your company holds dear]. Our mission is [your mission]. [Some company values] are some of our many values, and we hire people who are ready to embody these qualities every single day. [Some personal remarks about your company].
Overview:
We at [your company] recognize the value that our Customer Service team brings to the company. As the face of the company to most customers, the Customer Service team gets the opportunity to build a strong customer experience and lasting relationships with our customers. [Some personal additions about your Customer Service team]. We are looking for a [some adjectives you admire] person to join our Customer Service team. If you are passionate about working with customers and have an interest in [your company's industry], this is the perfect position for you!
Responsibilities:
- The first item on this list should be the primary objective of this role: What the employee will be doing every day, what they'll be measured on, and how they'll do it.
- [Example:] Use empathy and active listening when attempting to find solutions to customer problems.
Qualifications:
- The first item on this list should be the most desired skill or knowledge for the role: This is something without which the candidate will find it very difficult to be successful in the position.
- [Example:] Outstanding communication skills.
Details: [if applicable]
- The first item on this list should be the most important detail that the candidate needs to know: This may be a top-selling benefit or an essential component of the position.
- [Example:] Required to work Monday through Friday, 3 PM to 12 AM.
Customer Service Manager [or title of the open position]
About [your company]:
Here at [your company], we pride ourselves on our [qualities that your company holds dear]. Our mission is [your mission]. [Some company values] are some of our many values, and we hire people who are ready to embody these qualities every single day. [Some personal remarks about your company].
Overview:
We at [your company] recognize the value that our Customer Service team brings to the company. As the face of the company to most customers, the Customer Service team gets the opportunity to build a strong customer experience and lasting relationships with our customers. [Some personal additions about your Customer Service team]. We are looking for a [some adjectives you admire] person to lead our Customer Service team as the Customer Service Manager. If you are passionate about working with customers and have an interest in working as a manager in [your company's industry], this is the perfect position for you!
Responsibilities:
- The first item on this list should be the primary objective of this role: What the manager will be doing every day, what they'll be measured on, and how they'll do it.
- [Example:] Hire and train new customer service representatives.
Qualifications:
- The first item on this list should be the most desired skill or knowledge for the role: This is something without which the candidate will find it very difficult to be successful in the position.
- [Example:] 3+ years experience in a managerial role.
Details: [if applicable]
- The first item on this list should be the most important detail that the candidate needs to know: This may be a top-selling benefit or an essential component of the position.
- [Example:] Required to work in Cambridge, MA.
With the right customer service job description, you have the power to attract top talent at your organization. So it's important to take the time to really make yours shine.