Duties of a Verizon Wireless Customer Service Representative
According to the Central Intelligence Agency, there were more than 250 million cell phone users in the United States in 2007. With a population of just over 300 million, that means that more than 80 percent of Americans have a cell phone. With the recent acquisition of Alltel Wireless, Verizon has become one of the largest telecommunication companies in the world. Each day, a Verizon customer service representative may take dozens of calls, each of which can offer a unique challenge and require the representative to think on his or her feet to solve the problem. Calls can range from billing questions to service trouble, and phone replacement is fast becoming a major issue as cell phones become ever more complex.
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Function
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Verizon Wireless customer service representatives are the customer's first point of contact. Customer service representatives are trained to deal with a wide range of issues including technical support, billing, pricing, setting up new service, canceling existing service and making changes to accounts. Customer service professionals working for the company are trained to handle the basics of most devices and can take care of the most common issues customers experience with their phones.
Time Frame
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Verizon Wireless customer service representatives are trained to handle all customer issues in a timely manner. Being able to quickly diagnose issues and resolve them is a key part of the duties of those who hold the position. The quicker a customer service representative can take care of the customer, the less time others will have to spend on hold waiting for assistance. Customers exposed to a long wait time may be more agitated and often request additional concessions as compensation. Verizon Wireless customer service representatives are graded in part on how quickly they can take care of a customer's needs.
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Types
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Verizon Wireless employs several levels of customer service representatives. Lower tiered representatives deal with the most common issues while those in higher tiers focus on more specialized aspects of devices and service. If the initial customer service representative cannot address the issue fully, the call is escalated to the next level of representative. Second tier representatives include the cancellation department, sales and technical support. Most calls can be handled without the assistance of a manager, though there are many available if the need arises.
Environment
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Verizon Wireless customer service representatives work in a fast-paced environment where background noise is common. Representatives typically work in a large call center surrounded by hundreds of other employees. Distractions are common because of the noise level, and representatives must be able to focus on their customer and not on the issues the representatives around them are dealing with. Customer service representatives work in a professional environment and are required to dress accordingly; many of Verizon's call centers require business casual attire at all times.
Warning
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Working as a customer service representative for Verizon Wireless is not for everyone. Customers are quick to become upset when their phones are functioning incorrectly or if they feel they have been overcharged for use of their device. Much of the work these employees deal with is repetitive and time-consuming. Those interested in becoming a representative for Verizon Wireless should be prepared to spend up to eight hours per day on the phone and in front of a computer dealing with customer issues.
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