Customer Service Advisor: Job Profile and Role

Let’s say you have ordered something online which does not meet your expectations or you have frequented a hotel and now you want to leave feedback. The person you address now is a customer service advisor who deals with your queries, issues, and overall feedback. Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills are some of the competencies that ensure this person can help you.

If you are interested in this job, you now have some of the skills needed to work in this profession. In the following sections, you will find out more about the job of a customer service advisor. You will get an idea about the average annual salaries, the required qualifications, and what a day in the life of a customer service advisor looks like. You also get three tips for thriving in this job.

Short Summary

• As a customer service advisor, you deal with customer enquiries, complaints, issues, and overall feedback. It is your job to come up with solutions that are beneficial to both your customers and your company.
• As a customer service advisor, you may be in charge of giving quotations on products and letting your customers know estimated delivery times. You also need to be aware of promotions and discounts on certain products and services.
• As a customer service advisor, you need to remain calm and be able to work well under pressure. Also, you need to be both a team player and someone who can work on their own.

Job description

It is your customer service advisor job to support your customers in all product/service-related enquiries, issues, and complaints. Therefore, it is also your job to provide the relevant product information and solutions where needed. You may also be in charge of orders and deliveries which means that you need to be on top of availability, delivery times, and potential delivery delays. Furthermore, it is your responsibility to remain calm and professional at all times.

Responsibilities

• Meeting Targets
• Giving Quotations
• Product Knowledge
• Problem Resolution
• Adhering to Policies
• Upselling/Cross-Selling
• Arranging Order Deliveries
• Assisting/Helping Customers
• Checking Product Availability
• Handling Payments/Transactions

Different types of Customer Service Advisors

• Complaints Handling Advisor
• Retail Customer Service Advisor
• Call Center Customer Service Advisor
• Travel/Hospitality Customer Service Advisor
• Financial Services Customer Service Advisor

Salary

If you want to work as a customer service advisor in the UK, you can expect an annual starting salary of around ￡20,000 which can increase to ￡25,000 per year. As you can see, your work experience is one salary-influencing factor. But it is by no means the only one. Your average annual wages will also be affected by the company you work for and its location.

Working hours

You need to be prepared to work between 37 and 40 hours a week if the job of a customer service advisor is your chosen career. Typically, your working hours will be split into shifts that can be in the mornings, during the day, and in the evenings. You should also expect to work weekends and bank holidays, depending on the set-up of your employing company.

Employers

If you want to start looking for your first customer service advisor job, you have multiple employment choices and industries in which you can apply. Your services will be needed by financial institutions, retail businesses (often combined with e-commerce), the hospitality sector, and telecommunications, to name but a few. We recommend that you figure out which one of these or other sectors fits your job expectations the best.

Qualifications

You can approach the career of a customer service advisor by applying directly with a company, completing a college course, or completing an apprenticeship. The last two options generally come with entry requirements in the form of GCSEs at specific pass grades. These can range from 3 to 1 (D to G), 9 to 3 (A* to D), and 9 to 4 (A* to C).

Moreover, you should have an in-depth knowledge of customer service software, such as Zendesk, Zoho Desk, and HappyFox. Depending on your employment, you can also benefit from familiarity with NetSuite and similar business management software.

Skills

It is a given that you need excellent customer service skills when you want to succeed in the job of a customer service advisor. Even though you always need to check the exact skills requirements listed in the job ads, we are also certain that the three skills we will look at in this section are also among those you should have if you want to work in this job.

Inner Zen

As fulfilling as working with customers can be – it can also be a proper nightmare since you will come across customers that will test your patience to the limits. Situations like these require your inner zen, meaning that you need to stay calm and professional. Flipping out will not help you solve a problem but make it worse. Being triggered by an angry customer can also result in your sacking since this is not a professional way to handle things.

Communication

Dealing with customers requires that you have strong communication skills. If you work face-to-face with customers, these skills should also include non-verbal communication sprinkled with a dose of emotional intelligence. This way, you can read people and find out what they are not saying. Combined with your spoken and written communication skills, these competencies help you perform a brilliant customer service experience.

Problem-Solving

Generally, customers approach you because they have an issue with an order or a service – be it that an order is delayed or that a product does not meet their expectations. Here, you need to apply your excellent problem-solving skills. They enable you to find a solution that is not only beneficial to your customers but also for your company.

Career Path

You can look at different career progressions and options in the customer service sector. With work experience, you can become a customer service manager. Equally, you can think about becoming a team leader or a customer service training officer.

Educational Background

If you want to become a customer service advisor, you do not need an academic background. The typical approach to this career is doing a college course or completing an apprenticeship. Even though these educational approaches are also not mandatory, they may benefit you when it comes to applying for a job. Theoretical and practical knowledge will give you an advantage over other applicants. 

You can gain this knowledge in the following college courses and apprenticeships: a Level 1 Certificate in Customer Service and a Level 2 Certificate in Contact Centre Operations (college courses), a customer service intermediate apprenticeship or a customer service specialist advanced apprenticeship.

Entry Level

There are no classic customer service advisor entry-level positions. However, when starting your first job, you will start from scratch. As the team’s newbie, you will have to gain relevant experience when it comes to dealing with customers and using the relevant software. We recommend that you find a customer service advisor mentor who shows you all you need to know about your future career.

Continuous Learning

We are certain that you are interested in thriving as a customer service advisor. Therefore, we have compiled a few training courses, qualifications, and certifications that will benefit you. For example, you can do an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Certificate/Diploma in Customer Service with City & Guilds. 

You can find similar courses at the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and the CPD Online College which offers Customer Service Skills Courses. It is also useful to check with your employer about the option of in-house training, for example, when it comes to business management software like NetSuite which is a bit of a law unto itself.

A Day in the Life of a Customer Service Advisor

Dealing with customer enquiries and feedback will shape your working day. But more tasks than these will keep you occupied. Some of these we will take a closer look at in this section.

Task Splitting/Allocation

You and your colleagues need to define who will take on what tasks/customers during the day. Therefore, task splitting and allocation are some of the first things that you deal with when giving out advice to your customers. This way, you can all work efficiently and without getting in each other’s way. You also avoid enquiries that are dealt with more than once. This, in turn, contributes to professional handling on the one hand and satisfied customers on the other hand.

Collaboration

Collaborating with your colleagues in your or other departments is another task you perform daily. Yes, you have your allocated number of customers. But this does not mean that you should not ask your colleagues for help if you need it. This may also extend to other departments, for example, your colleagues working in logistics. By checking back with them, you can provide the information that eventually helps your customers.

Be On-Call

You are not only in charge of answering emails and tickets. You are also responsible for taking phone calls and speaking to the customers directly. This is not everyone’s cup of tea which is why you need to make sure that this particular task is okay for you. Also, direct contact with customers is the Champions League among your daily tasks since it requires your absolute best when it comes to applying all the soft skills you have.

Tips for Thriving as a Customer Service Advisor

Gaining further qualifications and doing further training are some of the ways that help you thrive as a customer service advisor. Which other things ensure your continuing success is what we will look at in this section:

• Be tech-savvy
• Change perspective
• Improve your competencies

Be Tech Savvy

We have already mentioned that you will benefit from an in-depth knowledge of customer service and business management software. This does not only apply to NetSuite but to other CRM software as well. If you want to thrive, you should also be a whizz with ticket systems like Zendesk and HubSpot and messaging business apps like Slack.

Change Perspective

Whether you are dealing with a happy and satisfied or a disgruntled customer – as a customer service advisor, you should always change perspective and see things from their point of view. When faced with an issue or complaint, think about how you would feel in this situation and what you would expect from a customer service advisor. Walking this mile in someone else’s shoes – or your own – will help you thrive in your profession. It will also help you come up with the right solutions.

Improve your Competencies

At the same time, you should work on improving your competencies. Even though you may already have above-average skills, it never hurts to be even better at what you are already good at. Attending the appropriate workshops, seminars, and webinars not only helps you to improve. It also gives you the option of meeting fellow customer service advisors who can give you further valuable tips.

One more Tip for Thriving as a Customer Service Advisor

If you want to succeed in your job, you should accumulate thorough knowledge of the company you are working for. This includes knowing everything about its values, services, and products. Ideally, you are also passionate about what your company is selling since your customers will detect whether you are serious about your job or not.

Frequently Asked Questions