Robert Half and other companies around the world will be celebrating the helpful heroes who help us out of jams, patiently explain complex ideas, locate useful resources, troubleshoot tough problems, and calm our frustrations.
Customer Service Week, October 3–7, is a time to recognise the contributions of millions of professionals in this fast-evolving field and their growing impact on us and businesses today.
Customer-facing professionals are increasingly commended for the invaluable service they provide and the experiences they create.
In fact, companies are redefining these roles to focus on elevating the customer experience to improve interactions between a brand and its customers.
Why choose customer service as a career
The customer service field has expanded into a multitude of careers that can pave a long and rewarding career path. As customer expectations have developed and grown — especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began — the entire industry is evolving to amplify the customer experience, including offering some of the most sophisticated and specialised roles in the administrative space.
Businesses are learning how closely customer service is tied to delivering revenue, meeting key performance indicators, and growing the customer base. To offer support beyond traditional call centres, savvy business leaders are expanding service teams, investing in staff development, and increasing compensation.
Related: What are the best paying jobs in administration?
So why choose customer service as a career?
It’s a fulfilling profession for those who would enjoy a more client- or customer-facing role. Not only does a customer service career offer long-term opportunities, but the skills also required — mastery of new technology, emotional intelligence, problem-solving and communication — are highly transferrable. Customer service jobs are also well-suited for remote work and flexible scheduling.
The customer service career track can lead to multiple pathways of specialisation — such as people management, account management, customer advocacy, and working with clientele at the highest levels. There is even a C-suite position to aspire to: Chief Customer Officer.
To see compensation levels for various customer service roles, check out Robert Half’s latest Salary Guide.
When asked why others have chosen customer service as a career, the industry puts you in a position to deliver memorable and authentic experiences, which can exceed customer expectations and inspire customers to pay it forward in their own lives.
Whether helping someone at a critical moment, changing an attitude, teaching a skill, or showing empathy, customer service professionals can create lasting impressions that will build even stronger customer relationships.
Our managers share why professionals should choose customer service as a career path
“The reason why I would choose customer service as a career path is that the skills you learn can be transferred into any industry or company. I also love to find solutions that result in a win-win situation for customers.”
Sarah Piesse, Division Director, Perth
“A customer’s experience when dealing with a company is everything. The experience one has when communicating with someone in customer service can make or break their relationship with that business – it can turn their day around, turn a negative experience into a positive one, and ultimately leave them an advocate for the business or brand. In a world where automation is commonplace and on the rise, how great does it feel to communicate with someone who cares and who wants to help? It’s priceless!”
Emma Sestic, Senior Division Director, Sydney
"A customer service role in both back and front of house is a fantastic career choice that can lead into numerous career path outcomes. Customer service is arguably one of the most critical job functions in any company (small or large). You’re the backbone of the company’s success through retention, loyalty and repeat business. Meeting customer needs is paramount in keeping a business growing successfully. Having a customer centric approach will open a lot of doors and the skills that you develop on the job can be applied in any career!”
Elise Martin, Division Manager, Mount Waverley
“Everyone should consider working in customer service, especially if they want to take that first step into an office setting. Many companies are happy to hire people who do not have a lot of experience but show potential. They offer professional development, are prepared to invest in their employees and offer long-term prospects. The companies we work with want employees who are looking for longevity. If you demonstrate potential, your career could advance significantly.”
Sylwia Jankowicz, Senior Division Director, Melbourne
How to grow your customer service career
To get on a customer service growth track, here are several strategies to enhance your skills and get noticed:
1. Learn your business’ business
Whether you’re working in hospitality, healthcare, or product support, at a contact centre, or in another field, you’ll benefit from gaining a thorough understanding of your company and its industry. Research the company’s history, current market trends, competitors, growth strategies and operational details. You can then use this knowledge to identify and recommend solutions to your manager that can help address customer challenges.
2. Understand how success is measured
Be fully aware of your organisation’s customer service goals and how they are quantified. Benchmark and scale your own success.
3. Ask your manager for real-time feedback
This may take you out of your comfort zone, but there’s no better way to chart your path to success than to turn your areas for improvement into strengths.
Related: 7 must-have administrative skills you need to up your game
4. Talk to industry veterans
Learn from colleagues with lots of customer service experience under their belts. You could even ask them to help you role-play different business scenarios to learn how they handle challenging conversations.
5. Talk to satisfied customers
They don’t even have to be your own. Seek out stories of excellent interactions and learn how those relationships were solidified.
6. Turbocharge your writing skills
Many customer interactions occur in writing, whether through email, chat services or social media, so polish your written communication to ensure your responses are delivered succinctly, professionally, and correctly for a wide audience.
7. Get comfortable with changing technologies
As the customer service field continues to evolve, tools will constantly transform. Get ahead of it by researching tech trends and keeping an agile, adaptable mindset.
Why work with Robert Half to find you a customer service career
With customer service jobs booming , you have many more options, allowing you to research your desired role and uncover the best choice of employer — one who values your unique talents and aspirations.
At Robert Half we identify what is most important to a candidate so we can match them with an employer that can help them build their skillset and pursue long-term career goals.
We’re ahead of the game in connecting customer service personnel to remote and hybrid jobs, and we aim to create a personalised experience for both the candidates we place and those we hire ourselves.
Are you looking for your next career opportunity? As a leader in customer service recruitment, Robert Half can help you find the right customer service role for you in Australia.
