Customer service personnel have a unique skill set that ensures a top-quality experience for guests in various industries, from hospitality to retail shopping. However, customer service jobs as a whole are expected to decline by about 5% through 2033, creating a more competitive job market.
You can make customer service a substantial part of your resume by spelling out how you have helped guests. This guide shows you how to include customer service resume skills that make you a top candidate and provides customer service skills resume examples to use as a starting point.
Whenever you apply to a client-facing job, get specific on your resume about how you’ve supported past customers. Give detailed examples of times you generated high value through your advanced service skills. In doing so, you’ll ensure your resume positions you effectively for the next chapter in your career.
Identifying Customer Service Resume Skills
Before you start working on your resume directly, take 10 minutes or so to jot down whatever customer service resume skills come to mind first regarding your background in customer service.
Is there a particular job in your work history that stands out about your level of service? Or a recent training program that gave you a new edge in managing client calls efficiently? Or, more generally, do you subscribe to a particular service approach or philosophy that you feel helps you succeed?
Your first thoughts and answers to these questions often indicate how you can best develop customer service as a key theme on your resume.
Creating a Key Skills List
A bulleted key skills list lets you highlight your core competencies in a skimmable way that doesn’t take up a lot of space on your resume. You can tailor the list to every job by adjusting the wording to match phrases in the job description or swapping out the most relevant skills from your brainstorming list.
Customer service skills resume example for key skills section
- Active listening methods
- Brand loyalty
- Client communications
- Client satisfaction and retention
- Complex solution-finding
- Conflict and complaint resolution
- Consultative sales strategies
- Customer experience
- Customer needs assessment
- Customer service and relations
- Internal and external customer support
- Stakeholder relations management
Incorporating Customer Service Resume Skills in Your Application
Now that you’ve brainstormed some initial ideas, it’s time to determine where to incorporate your capabilities. A key skills section is an easy solution, but it’s not the only place. Use the following tips and customer service skills resume examples to learn how to incorporate your qualifications in every section.
Profile or summary section
Incorporating hard and soft skills for customer service in your resume’s profile or summary section ensures the hiring manager sees you have matching qualifications right away. Add in a few adjectives and keywords to describe yourself and the services you provide customers.
However, avoid using redundant adjectives with any part of your profile’s professional title. For instance, if your title is customer service representative, you don’t need to describe yourself as “customer-focused” or “service-oriented.” Your profile will have more variety and color if you instead opt for one of the other options above.
Some sample skills for a resume for a customer service position include:
- Adaptable
- Attentive
- Calm
- Client-focused
- Courteous
- Customer-focused
- Diligent
- Efficient
- High-quality
- Knowledgeable
- Organized
- Proactive
- Prompt
- Service-oriented
- Solution-oriented
- Thorough
- Top-caliber
Customer service skills resume example for profile
- Client-focused sales associate with over five years of experience.
- Diligent in understanding client concerns and generating prompt product solutions.
- Recognized for providing efficient, high-quality service to key customers.
Professional Experience Section
The professional experience section of your resume provides you the most opportunity to get specific about your customer service skills and experience. Start by reviewing the following list of service-related actions. Note whichever activities overlap best with your background and/or the details you brainstormed earlier.
- Addressed and answered customer concerns
- Built lucrative, long-term client relationships
- Communicated with customers about new product options
- Consulted and advised clients on service solutions
- Cultivated positive customer relationships
- Deepened relationships with key clients
- Delivered high-quality services to customers
- Directed customers to their desired products
- Engaged with clients to determine their service needs
- Explained new product features to customers
- Facilitated rollout of new service solutions
- Interacted with customers daily
- Listened to clients’ concerns and recommended solutions
- Promoted appropriate products based on a close review of each client’s needs
- Provided detailed answers to customer inquiries
- Relayed frequent client requests to sales, marketing, and product development teams
- Resolved recurring issues with service delivery
- Responded to client emails and voicemails
- Supported customers with special product requests
- Worked with clients to find win-win service agreements
Ask yourself: What was the result of these activities? How did your client-facing work positively impact your team, company, or customers? Your answers will lead you to more specific, powerful bullet points that help establish customer service as a common thread on your resume.
Always seek to quantify your bullet points in terms of a specific number, percentage, or dollar amount. The only exception is if the quantified figure somehow does not include the customer service role you’re now pursuing.
For instance, say you’ve worked for large corporations and are now applying to a small company or startup. In this case, omitting large revenue sums or other data that may pigeonhole you makes sense. Instead, focus on the transferable customer-facing skills you gained.
You can show service skills even for a role that wasn’t directly client-facing. For example, if you’ve worked in human resources (HR) or information technology (IT), you can emphasize that you supported your colleagues (or “internal customers”) with various employment or technical concerns.
Customer service skills resume example for professional experience section
- Built positive relationships with 25 new clients, growing annual revenue by $400,000
- Facilitated rollout of new service solutions that increased client retention by 22%
- Delivered high-quality services to customers, helping the store rank No. 1 on a quarterly satisfaction survey
- Deepened relationships with key clients, resulting in 12 new long-term service contracts
Resume Examples Featuring Good Customer Service Skills
Example 1: Retail Customer Service Associate
Professional Profile:
Customer-focused retail associate with over three years of experience in fast-paced retail environments. Skilled in active listening, conflict resolution, and customer needs assessment. Known for providing prompt, high-quality service that enhances customer satisfaction and fosters brand loyalty.
Professional Experience
Customer Service Associate
BrightMart Retail, San Diego, CA
August 2020 – Present
- Built strong relationships with over 50 returning customers each month, contributing to a 25% increase in repeat purchases and enhancing store loyalty.
- Actively listened to customer concerns and resolved issues efficiently, achieving a 95% positive feedback score in quarterly surveys.
- Assisted customers in locating desired products and provided personalized recommendations based on individual preferences, boosting upsell conversions by 15%.
- Coordinated with the product team to relay common customer requests and enhance inventory selection, resulting in improved customer satisfaction scores.
Key Skills
- Active listening and empathy
- Conflict and complaint resolution
- Product knowledge and recommendations
- Customer loyalty and retention
Analysis:
This resume highlights core customer service skills like active listening and conflict resolution, essential for a retail environment. Quantifiable achievements, like the 25% increase in repeat purchases, show measurable impact, while the focus on relationships and personalized recommendations makes this candidate stand out as a customer-oriented professional.
Example 2: Call Center Customer Service Representative
Professional Profile:
Solution-oriented call center representative with five years of experience handling high-volume inbound calls. Diligent in understanding client concerns, offering prompt solutions, and enhancing client retention. Recognized for maintaining a calm demeanor under pressure and delivering high-quality support to maximize customer satisfaction.
Professional Experience
Customer Service Representative
AnswerPlus Solutions, Austin, TX
July 2018 – Present
- Managed an average of 120 customer inquiries daily, consistently meeting call resolution targets and reducing repeat calls by 20%.
- Resolved customer issues promptly by analyzing concerns and offering effective solutions, helping the team achieve a 90% first-call resolution rate.
- Led training sessions on active listening and de-escalation techniques for new hires, contributing to improved call center efficiency and a 15% increase in positive feedback scores.
- Implemented a customer feedback loop, working with the quality assurance team to address recurring client complaints and improve service protocols.
Key Skills
- High call volume management
- First-call resolution (FCR)
- Conflict de-escalation
- Quality assurance and feedback analysis
Analysis:
This example showcases a call center representative with strong skills in managing high call volumes, first-call resolution, and conflict de-escalation. The quantifiable results, like reducing repeat calls by 20%, demonstrate the candidate’s impact on efficiency and customer satisfaction, making this resume appealing for a customer service role in a high-demand setting.
Example 3: Hospitality Guest Services Specialist
Professional Profile:
Client-focused hospitality professional with over six years of experience in guest services for luxury hotels. Known for delivering seamless guest experiences, fostering customer loyalty, and handling guest complaints with tact and efficiency. Expertise in consultative guest services, ensuring each visitor feels valued and accommodated.
Professional Experience
Guest Services Specialist
Regal Suites Hotel, New York, NY
March 2017 – Present
- Cultivated positive guest relationships that resulted in a 30% increase in repeat bookings and significantly improved customer retention rates.
- Delivered prompt and courteous service, assisting guests with check-ins, special requests, and booking modifications to maintain a 4.8-star average rating across online platforms.
- Resolved 100+ guest complaints monthly by actively listening to concerns and providing effective solutions, contributing to the hotel’s #1 ranking for customer satisfaction in 2022.
- Coordinated with the housekeeping and maintenance teams to ensure guests’ special requests and high standards for room quality were consistently met, enhancing guest experiences.
Key Skills
- Guest relationship-building
- Client satisfaction and retention
- Problem-solving and complaint resolution
- Cross-department coordination
Analysis:
This example highlights the candidate’s experience in the hospitality industry, with an emphasis on relationship-building and client satisfaction. The resume demonstrates strong customer service skills through quantifiable achievements, such as the 30% increase in repeat bookings, showing how they have made a positive impact on customer loyalty and satisfaction. Cross-departmental coordination further reinforces the candidate’s ability to create seamless guest experiences, a valuable asset in hospitality.
Frequently Asked Questions About Customer Service Resume Skills
How do you create a customer service resume if you don’t have much experience?-
Many customer service representative positions are entry-level, so you don't necessarily need years of experience to qualify or succeed. Consider what skills you've picked up from other areas of your life that could transfer into a customer service role. For example, maybe you're great at de-escalating conflicts or are a fantastic solution-seeker who can think out of the box. These are valuable skills in customer service.
If you lack any professional work experience, consider adding volunteer work or other unpaid roles to your resume to provide more background.
How can you make your resume stand out?+
Hiring managers for customer service positions often get dozens or even hundreds of applications for one role, so it’s important to do everything you can to stand out. Having a professional-looking, error-free resume is a great first step. Proofread every line multiple times, and have someone else look through it for anything you've missed.
Using colors, graphics, or fancy fonts to separate your resume from the rest can be tempting, but this isn’t a good idea. Instead, catch the hiring manager's attention by tailoring your resume to the position and following up when necessary. Adding a cover letter can also provide more context to your resume, and this is something many applicants don't do.
What is the best format for a customer service resume?+
The best format for a customer service resume is generally a traditional, reverse chronological resume. This puts your previous experience in the industry at the forefront and makes it easy for the hiring manager to determine if you have the skills and qualifications to succeed in the role.
Functional resumes, which focus more on your skills and education, are also an option, but they’re generally reserved for those who are light on work experience, such as students applying for a first job.
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