Is Consumer Services A Good Career Path?

Yes, consumer services is a good career path. There are so many options in the field of customer service that its flexibility can’t be beaten. Many people use customer service jobs to springboard into different careers. Other people love making an entire profession out of helping others in this manner. And still, others find that it’s a great skill to have when they need to supplement their income.

No matter how you plan on using your experience in the customer service industry, it will always benefit you in the long run. Learning how to have patience with people and communicate can help build your professional skills; it can also help you build relationships outside of work and become a more well-rounded person.

Here are 11 great jobs in Customer Service:

Why Choose a Career in Customer Service

Do all of these options sound exciting? If you really enjoy working with people, this might be just the way you can do that and have a job that you love. There are a wide variety of ways to break into the customer service field.

Once you have some experience, you can earn seniority, move into a different field, or start climbing the corporate ladder. It’s a great way to customize your career path. These are just some of the reasons you might want to choose a career in customer service.

You have so many options. There are so many businesses that need good customer service personnel that you can work in just about any field you want. If you like variety, you can keep changing your field.
You’ll meet a lot of different people. If you thrive on human contact and talking to people, this is definitely the job for you. You’ll constantly be meeting new people and getting to interact with them.
You’ll become an expert. As time goes on, you’ll learn more and more about the industry you’re in and become an expert in a lot of different aspects of that business. Sometimes those skills will help you advance and move up the ladder.
You can get real-world experience immediately. If you’re not sure what you want to do for a profession, starting in customer service gets you into an industry or company so you can learn more about it. It’s a way to earn money and dip your toes into different professions.
It’s a good “back-up” profession. Some people who start out in customer service move on to other jobs – only to return to this profession later. There will always be a need for customer service professionals so you can have the peace of mind that there will always be work for you.
The skills you learn are important. Customer service requires a lot of interpersonal skills – or soft skills. These are things that employers love to see, and being able to prove you have them with a customer service job on your resume always looks good.

Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Customer Service

The reason customer service jobs are so popular is that many of them don’t require any education or certifications. But that’s not true in all cases. Some specific jobs do require education, and those people at the very top of the ladder have advanced degrees.

If you want to position yourself as a great candidate for a customer service career, you might want to start with some of the following certificates and educational experiences:

High School Degree. While many customer service jobs are entry-level positions, you’ll find that employers do like to see that applicants have earned their high school diplomas. Although some employers are more than happy to have students who are still in high school hold these positions, too.
On-the-Job Training. Every customer service job is going to have some sort of on-the-job training to teach you how to work their equipment or about their policies so you can give appropriate responses to the public.

You might have a very simple on-the-job training session, or you could have an extensive one that requires you to earn certifications – in computer technology, for example.
Industry-Specific Degree. Whether it’s a full degree or industry certificate, some customer service jobs require advanced education in your respective careers. For the highest levels, say a Chief Customer Officer, a master’s degree may be required.
Communication Skills. Soft skills like listening, interpersonal communications, and empathy aren’t usually something that’s taught, but they’re valued in customer service. If you live in a college town, you might be able to find a course in communications that would be useful and put you ahead of the rest when it comes to nailing that next job.

What Do People Working In Customer Service Do?

Customer service jobs often are the heart and soul of a business. These are the people who represent the company to customers and play a huge role in how the company is perceived. This is one of the most important jobs in any company, and it can lead to a lifetime career or be a springboard up the ladder of a company.

Whether they’re working through an online chat, in-person, on the phone, or meeting with individuals in a store or business, customer service people need to be excellent communicators and have a pleasant personality. But it goes further than that.

To really succeed, they also need to be quick learners, be excellent listeners, have a flexible and creative mind, and know how to relate with other people. If this sounds like you or it sounds like a challenge you’d like to explore, then customer service might be the field for you.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.

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