Customer Service Representative Skills

Use a simple, clean format that highlights your skills and experiences. Focus on readability by using bullet points and short phrases to present your skills. Properly organize your resume into education, experience, and skills sections.

“Adding a skills section to your resume is a great way to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most relevant strengths and competencies.”

– Ashley Watkins, NCRW, NCOPE, Job Search Coach

For example, an customer service representative’s bullet points might look like this:

• Applied problem-solving skills to reduce call escalations by 35%, improving first-contact resolutions.
• Enhanced customer experience by personalizing interactions, leading to a 20% increase in satisfaction scores.
• Delivered customer service by addressing 50+ customer inquiries daily, achieving a 98% customer satisfaction rating.

Use numbers to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible. This helps potential employers understand your abilities and the impact you can have on their organization.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for relevancy of how and when you applied those skills, so provide examples of this in your experience section. Bonus tip: Don’t just insert the skill like a task–include results.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

Example:

• Provided exceptional customer service by resolving complex account issues, reducing complaint escalations by 30%.
• Consistently managed inbound calls for peak hours, supporting team productivity and reducing missed calls by 40%.
• Implemented first call resolution best practices, raising team’s overall FCR rate by 10%.

Read the description carefully and emphasize the relevant skills and experiences. Highlight the skills that the employer seeks and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills in your previous roles. Doing so can demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the position and increase your chances of being invited to an interview.

“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when it comes to your resume. For every job application, tailor your skill set to match the job description. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that filter candidates based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. So, research the role you’re applying for and distill the skills required.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

In order to do this, “you must first understand what skills are most important for the target role,” says Ashley Watkins.

Here’s an example of how to tailor an customer service representative resume to a job description:

Job Description: Customer Service Representative at a Retail Company

Requirements: Strong customer service skills, experience handling inbound calls, problem-solving abilities, and a focus on enhancing the customer experience.

Tailored Resume Job Description:

• As an experienced customer service representative, I’m dedicated to delivering excellent support and ensuring a positive customer experience.
• I’ve developed strong customer service skills through handling high volumes of inbound calls, consistently maintaining a 95% satisfaction rate.
• In my previous roles, I resolved customer inquiries and complaints efficiently, often achieving first-call resolution and reducing follow-up calls by 30%.
• I’m skilled in problem-solving, using active listening and analytical abilities to quickly address customer concerns, resulting in improved retention and loyalty rates.
• I’ve also contributed to enhancing the customer experience by providing tailored solutions, which led to a 20% increase in positive feedback scores.
• I pride myself on maintaining a professional and empathetic approach, even in challenging situations, and consistently striving to exceed customer expectations.
• My focus on customer service excellence, combined with my expertise in inbound call management and problem-solving, make me a strong candidate for the Customer Service Representative position at your company.

“Focus on the sought-after and in demand skills. A great way to figure out what is currently in demand is by researching current job openings from your preferred companies and reading through the posting. Pay close attention to the preferred requirements section and build your skills section based on this list.”

– Chelsea Jay, Career & Leadership Development Coach – Seasoned and Growing

If you’re applying for a role requiring a broad skillset, categorize your skills.

“If you opt to include a designated skills section on your resume, include up to 10 of your core competencies. Excessive skills lists are overwhelming and sometimes confusing to the reader.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

For example, someone applying for a role as an customer service representative might benefit from segmenting their skill lists as follows:

Customer Interaction Skills

• Customer Service
• Inbound Calls
• Sales
• Support
• Customer Support
• Customer Experience
• Customer Satisfaction
• First Call Resolution

Communication Skills

• Communication
• Written Communication
• Interpersonal
• Empathetic

Technical Skills

• Microsoft Office (Microsoft)

Start each bullet point with an action verb. An action verb expresses an action, such as “create,” “build,” “manage,” “lead,” or “implement.”

Action verbs grab the reader’s attention and paint a vivid picture of what you accomplished at work.

Action verbs make your resume more interesting to read. They also show the kind of can-do attitude that employers are looking for.