Careers / Customer Service Representatives

Customer Service Representatives — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$44,770

United States, 2025

Employment

2,595,750

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.

O*NET code
43-4051.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Typical tasks

  • Confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints.
  • Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
  • Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.
  • Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
  • Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
  • Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.
  • Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation.
  • Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$31,750
10th
$36,870
25th
$44,770
Median
$51,780
75th
$63,590
90th

10th percentile

$31,750

25th percentile

$36,870

75th percentile

$51,780

90th percentile

$63,590

Most important skills

  • Service Orientation4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Speaking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.4
  • Critical Thinking3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Time Management3.1
  • Writing3.0
  • Negotiation3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Social Perceptiveness3.0
  • Persuasion3.0

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 12 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

12

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Active Listening4.04.0Not selected4.0
Speaking3.93.8Not selected3.8
Service Orientation4.03.6Not selected3.6
Critical Thinking3.33.5Not selected3.5
Reading Comprehension3.43.1Not selected3.1
Complex Problem Solving3.13.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.13.0Not selected3.0
Writing3.03.0Not selected3.0
Negotiation3.03.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.03.0Not selected3.0
Social Perceptiveness3.03.0Not selected3.0
Persuasion3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Jose, CA$60,4808,8602025
San Francisco, CA$57,83019,9302025
Seattle, WA$53,55025,8402025
Napa, CA$53,3606402025
Santa Rosa, CA$51,8101,7502025
Vallejo, CA$51,2101,1302025
WA$50,33039,7602025
Burlington, VT$50,1601,2502025
Stockton, CA$49,9902,6502025
Bridgeport, CT$49,9705,6602025
Sacramento, CA$49,94011,5102025
Boston, MA$49,92037,7802025
Kahului, HI$49,7506902025
Olympia, WA$49,6301,4302025
Manchester, NH$49,6304,6802025
New York, NY$49,590125,5702025
CA$49,560176,8502025
Minneapolis, MN$49,48038,6302025
Longview, WA$49,4603802025
Oxnard, CA$49,1902,8602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Customer Service Representatives to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.