Customer service representative job description template

What a customer service representative does

Customer service representatives handle the conversations that decide whether a customer stays. They answer questions, fix problems, and calm down people who are already frustrated, often across phone, chat, and email in the same shift. Applicants want to know the channels, the volume, how performance is measured, and whether the job is remote. Saying this upfront cuts down on early attrition, which is the biggest cost in support hiring.

Customer service representative job description template

Copy the description, replace everything in [brackets], and cut any line that isn't true for your job. The duties and requirements are a starting point written by HR practitioners, not a legal standard, so edit them to match the real work.

Customer service representative

Details
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager title]
- Location: [City, State, or remote]
- Employment type: [Full-time, part-time, or seasonal]
- FLSA status: Nonexempt
- Pay range: [$X to $Y per hour]

About [Company]
[Two or three sentences about what your company does, who it serves, and why people like working here.]

Job summary
We're hiring a customer service representative to help our customers by [phone, chat, and email], solve their problems the first time, and leave them glad they reached out.

What you'll do
- Respond to customer calls, chats, and emails within service level targets.
- Answer questions about products, orders, billing, and accounts.
- Troubleshoot problems and resolve issues on first contact when possible.
- Process orders, returns, refunds, and account changes.
- Document every interaction accurately in the [CRM or helpdesk].
- Escalate complex cases to the right team and follow up with the customer.
- Share recurring customer feedback with the product and operations teams.
- Meet quality, satisfaction, and productivity goals.

What you'll need
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Clear, friendly written and verbal communication.
- Comfort using several computer applications at once.
- Typing speed suitable for live chat.

Nice to have
- One year of customer service or call center experience.
- Experience with [Zendesk, Salesforce, or another helpdesk tool].
- Bilingual skills.

Skills
Empathy, Active listening, Problem solving, Patience, Clear writing, Product knowledge.

Physical demands and work environment
Contact center or remote home office. Seated computer and headset work, with scheduled breaks.

Pay and benefits
[$X to $Y per hour], based on experience and location. [List benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan match, paid time off, and training.]

Equal opportunity
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview, contact [name] at [email or phone].

How to customize it for your job

• List the channels: phone, chat, email, or social.
• Say whether the role is remote and what equipment you provide.
• Explain how performance is measured.
• Describe training length and schedule.

Then check it against the HRTally job description standard, our 10-point checklist, and run it through the inclusive language swap list. Both take about five minutes.

How much to pay a customer service representative

Half of US customer service representatives earned more than $21.53 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That national figure is a starting point, not a pay range. Pay for the same job can differ by 30 percent or more between metro areas, so check the BLS occupation profile for state and metro data before you set your range.

For hourly roles, the legal floor matters as much as the market rate. Check the current rate where the job is based in our minimum wage by state table, and the state's overtime and break rules in our state labor law library.

To convert between hourly and annual pay, use our salary to hourly calculator. If you hire in a state or city with a pay transparency law, the range must appear in the posting itself. Our pay transparency laws guide lists where, and our guide to salary bands explains how to set ranges you can defend.

Exempt status, licenses, and legal notes

FLSA status: Nonexempt (overtime eligible). Job titles don't decide overtime eligibility. Duties and pay do. Our guide to exempt vs non-exempt employees walks through each test, and the overtime calculator shows what a nonexempt employee is owed.

Customer service representatives are nonexempt. Time spent starting up computers and logging into required systems before a shift is generally compensable work time, a point the DOL has emphasized in call center guidance. Remote agents must be paid for all time worked, so track logins and make sure they're not working off the clock. Some states also require reimbursement of home office expenses for remote workers, including California and Illinois.

This is general information for US employers, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by state and city, so confirm the current rules or talk to employment counsel before you rely on them.

Interview questions to ask

Ask every candidate the same core questions and score answers against the same criteria. Structured interviews are fairer and predict job performance better than open conversation.

1. Tell me about a customer you couldn't satisfy. What did you learn?
2. How would you explain a refund denial without losing the customer?
3. How do you stay calm with a caller who's yelling?
4. What would you do if you didn't know the answer to a question?

When you're ready to schedule, use our interview invitation email template. For a full hiring process, read the recruitment process guide.

Frequently asked questions