Customer Service Salary Guide
Customer service is critical to the success of a company. As front-line staff, customer service representatives (CSRs) are responsible for everyday customer interactions. Customer service jobs provide a stable salary and the opportunity to move up the ladder and increase your wages with each promotion. Customer service workers’ salary depends on job role, industry, experience and management levels.
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Industry and Geography
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most CSRs work in the business support industry with insurance carriers as the second-biggest employer. Generally, according to the BLS, the highest-paying customer service jobs with the highest level of employment are in the insurance industry. While the highest concentration of customer service jobs is in Arizona, Georgia and Utah, the highest-paying states are Connecticut, California and Delaware, per the BLS. Only Delaware ranks in the top five of both, at third for the number of jobs and fifth for the highest-paying jobs.
Job Details
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Most customer service professionals work in call centers, assisting callers with inquiries. Generally, the more experienced the CSR and the more knowledge he is of the industry, products and services he is supporting, the higher the pay rate. Salary increases are often performance based, measured by customer satisfaction results, call monitoring by supervisors and telephone statistics such as average speed of answer and percentage of abandoned calls.
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Average Salary
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In November 2010, according to PayScale, the average hourly salary of a customer service representative was $12.86. The low end of the range is about $9.70 and the high end is $17.11. The average annual salary for a customer service supervisor is $48,000 and a call center manager’s average annual salary is $61,000. Experience, industry, geography and the number of staff managed are factors that affect salary.
Additional Pay
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According to the BLS, CSRs may earn increased wages by working outside of normal business hours. CSRs who work evenings, overnight, weekends and holidays may receive a higher hourly rate or shift differential pay. Customer service professionals also might receive bonuses based on company performance or achievement of team performance measures. In addition, benefits such as life and health insurance, tuition reimbursement, paid training and product discounts are available for many full-time customer service workers.
Career Path
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Companies may foster a career path from entry-level CSR jobs to management roles, with salary increases at each level of the position. The range between entry-level CSR and CSR II may be several dollars per hour or $3,000 annually. Most CSR positions are paid hourly, however, supervisor and management positions are salaried and involve managing lower level staff. Ultimately, the career path can lead to other management roles through director and vice president of customer service. According to Indeed, the average vice president of customer service’s salary is $140,000.
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References
- U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics: Customer Service Representatives
- U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics: Customer Service Representatives
- Indeed: Call Center Manager, Customer Service Supervisor, Customer Service Representative Salary
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
