When planning out a career path, it can be difficult to know which positions and career opportunities will take you to your end goal. The skills and experience gained from jobs early on in your career can set you on a certain path, but it can be hard to tell what that path is when you’re just starting out.
Customer service and client service roles can be a great place to start. Customer service jobs exist in virtually every business and industry, and the skills gained in these roles will last throughout your career. However, the responsibilities of the position can look very different from company to company.
Because of this, it might not always be clear what roles you can take your CSR experience into. This article breaks down some of the more popular jobs and career paths where your customer service skills can give you a leg up.
Customer service is a broad field and many of the core skills like listening, communication, problem-solving, multitasking, and building customer relationships have value in other roles.
1. Concierge
Hotels hire concierges to book reservations for hotels and plan itineraries for travelers. If you’re interested in traveling and helping others get to know your community better, you may want to think about becoming a concierge. Concierges help travelers become acquainted with local restaurants, transportation, or any other events in the area. This would also be a great opportunity to connect with a diverse array of people.
2. Call Center Representative / Customer Service Representative
Call center positions can be either remote or inside a physical call center, depending on the business. If you want to work in an environment that is fast-paced and allows you to help people, then this career path is for you.
3. Receptionist/Front Desk Agent
If you are someone with strong face-to-face and phone communication skills, then a position as a receptionist is worth looking into. Similar to a call center/customer service role, you get to meet a lot of new people, but it is different in that there is more opportunity to develop personal relationships with the clients you interact with.
4. Client Services Coordinator/Account Manager
Client services coordinator positions are based on building and maintaining relationships with clients and ensuring that they are satisfied with your company’s products and services. At most businesses, communication is done primarily by phone, email, and working closely with other departments to resolve issues.
5. Member Services
If you are looking to bring your customer service experience into the financial services industry, an opportunity in member services might be for you. You typically find member services roles within a bank, credit card company, or credit union. This role is similar to a client service coordinator/account manager role where you answer questions and work closely with members to find the best financial solution for them.
6. Patient Coordinator
If you have a passion for helping others in the healthcare field, then working in a doctor’s office, hospital, medical center, rehabilitation center, or insurance company might be a great option for you. Some of the duties can include scheduling appointments, verifying insurance, obtaining approvals, or arranging health services.
7. Technical Support Representative
If you consider yourself tech-savvy or enjoy working with computers, then a technical support representative job might be for you. Depending on the company, this role can look similar to that of a call center representative, account manager, or somewhere in between. Be aware some technical support positions require specific training classes, certifications, or degrees.
8. Digital Support Associate/ Social Media Coordinator
If you can’t get enough of social media, a job as a social media representative might be for you. This individual is responsible for managing a company’s social media platforms and responding to feedback from customers. In addition to sending DMs and providing customer assistance, typically this role will write a company’s social media posts and directly engage with the page’s followers.
Conclusion
Customer service is a broad field and many of the core skills have applications in other positions throughout someone’s career. The general skills that are needed for customer service are strong listening, communication skills, problem-solving, multitasking, and building customer relationships.
Most customer service jobs will require a minimum of a high school diploma and will provide on-the-job training. If your goal is to have a career in any of the fields above, obtaining a job in customer service is a great place to start!