Customer Service Jobs: Options, Job Titles, and Descriptions

Technological advances are changing the landscape of customer service roles. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 2% decline in job growth from 2018-2028, many roles known traditionally as customer service are morphing into more specialized roles specific to their industry.

While it becomes increasingly easy to interact with customers via smartphone or other electronic devices, these customer-facing roles maintain the personal touch between a company and its customers, no matter how big or out of reach. As such, demands on customer service representatives will grow in scope and skill.

Customer Service Job and Education Requirements

Employees in these client-facing positions use customer service skills to solve technical problems, choose a product, schedule an appointment, resolve conflict, and more.

As such, experience and education requirements typically vary. The good news is that most customer service roles are entry level, meaning that many employers are willing to train you so long as you possess some of the key soft skills, such as friendliness, professionalism, and bearing.

For most customer service jobs, you need only a high school diploma and a willingness to handle customers from all walks of life. As many of these jobs become more specialized, you might consider taking it upon yourself to read the job descriptions and learn some of the desired technical skills (like various kinds of software) in order to become more competitive.

Customer Service Job Titles

Retail Customer Service Representatives: Retail stores (both physical location and online stores) rely on their employees to provide a high level of customer care at every level. Cashiers, salespeople, management, and billing departments are examples of customer service jobs in a retail setting. Even in retail, many companies are hiring remote customer service representatives, which gives more of their workforce the chance to work from home.

• Account Coordinator
• Account Management Coordinator
• Account Representative
• Account Specialist
• Bilingual Customer Service Representative
• Business Service Representative
• Call Center Customer Support
• Cashier
• Custodial Customer Representative
• Customer Care Operator
• Customer Care Representative
• Customer Interaction Management Specialist
• Customer Liaison Officer
• Customer Relationship Specialist
• Customer Service Agent
• Customer Service Ambassador
• Customer Service Asset Manager
• Customer Service Associate
• Retail Associate
• Retail Sales Associate
• Teller
• Telephone Support Specialist

Guest Services Representative: The hospitality industry is similarly reliant on guest services employees to maintain their reputation. Restaurants and hotels are staffed largely by employees in the service of providing the most satisfying experience to their clients.

• Concierge
• Front Desk Associate
• Front Desk Manager
• Bellman
• Client Relations Associate
• Flight Attendant
• Guest Service Agent
• Host/Hostess
• Server

Receptionist: Front-office greeters, or receptionists, are common to all business offices, including insurance companies and medical offices. They are all essential to providing information and services to clients, customers, patients, and even fellow staff members.

• Administrative Assistant
• Benefit Coordinator
• Customer Care Associate
• Front Desk Agent
• Front Desk Associate
• Front Desk Coordinator
• Front Desk Manager
• Health and Welfare Services Supervisor
• Medical Receptionist

Paralegal: Paralegals and other non-attorney staff give status updates, collect information, host prep calls or other informational calls, and prepare documents for clients. They must be able to carefully guide clients to provide the correct documentation and even provide moderate legal advice on behalf of the attorney.

Of all the customer service roles listed here, paralegals maintain one of the more intellectually demanding jobs and may even be required to hold a bachelor’s degree. They also make one of the higher wages with a median salary of $51,740 a year.

• Legal Assistant
• Certified Paralegal
• Paralegal Specialist
• Law Assistant
• Paralegal Assistant
• Legal Analyst
• Law Associate
• Litigation Paralegal

Technical Support Representative: Yet another category of customer service jobs is in the technology and computer assistance field. These jobs may require more specialized education and/or on-the-job training. Technical support representative jobs are growing fast at a rate of 10% until 2028.

• Computer Support Specialist
• Computer Service Representative
• Contact Center Help Desk
• Contact Center Representative
• Customer Service Technician
• Field Technical Support Engineer
• Help Desk Associate
• Help Desk Support
• Help Desk Technician
• Online Customer Support