Find a detailed writing guide that will help you showcase your customer service skills and experience in a hirable manner. You’ll also find access to an online Resume Builder, free downloadable templates, resume examples, and section-by-section advice so that you don't have to worry about resume layouts or formatting.
When it comes to customer service, you want your skills and former experience to take center stage. Your ideal resume format is the combination resume: This format places equal importance on your skills and experience and is perfectly suited for you if you have over three years, but less than 10 years, of full-time experience.
However, you can opt for one of these alternate formats if you fall under special employment categories:
Functional resume: This skills-based resume dedicates multiple sections to your soft, hard, and technical skills while stripping down your work experience to focus on your past job titles, former employer, and unspecific lengths of employment. You should only use this resume if you’re a short-term seasonal employee, frequent job-hopper, recently switching into customer service, or are looking for a part-time job in addition to your full-time role.
Chronological resume: This experience-based resume prioritizes your past employment and is perfect for anyone with over 10 years of customer service experience. You should use this format if you have traceable promotions and increased responsibilities over the years and are looking for a managerial, regional, or supervisory position.
Identify your customer service skills
You may have noticed that all our resume templates feature dedicated skills sections where you can build the foundation of your customer service resume. However, you can organically add additional skills throughout your resume, especially in your summary statement and experience sections, to create a strong resume.
When you’re reading job postings and job descriptions looking for keywords, think about ways you’ve applied the important skills listed. Choose four to six main keywords to include in your skills section. Then, tie each skill to a related action that you’ve performed in previous jobs.
Job postings on company websites and job descriptions from sites like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are useful places to look for information about what skills you need to include in your resume. Job boards that are focused on retail positions are also helpful for finding customer service-related keywords.
Look for repeated roles or responsibilities in the job posting — these frequent words are keywords and indicate crucial customer service skills that the employer is specifically looking for. Be sure to include those keywords in your resume if you have the necessary skills and requirements. Prioritize those keywords in your summary statement and scatter them throughout your work history and previous training sections.
If you meet more than six of the keywords you identified, fold the remaining skills into your summary statement and work history sections. Naturally, adding keywords increases the chance of an applicant tracking system (ATS) pulling your resume for further review. However, adding keywords where they don’t make sense, or including them in nonsensical sentences might cause your resume to get flagged as spam by an ATS.
While customer service jobs may vary widely regarding the skills and training required for a particular position, there are some qualifications that are universal in customer service. These include friendly service, prompt attention to client needs, and accurately recording orders. Look to the required keywords and prepare every resume to match the ad you’re answering.
Some customer service keywords and phrases that are commonly requested by hiring managers include:
Soft skills are personal skills that help you interact with your customers. You can find additional examples of soft skills under our resume skills article, but we curated a targeted list of customer service skills below.
Listening: Customers want to speak with someone who can not only solve their problems and questions but also cares. This skill will lead to higher customer satisfaction, fewer mistakes and improved brand reputation.
Communication: The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills in a customer service arsenal. Miscommunication can result in poor customer satisfaction or conflict.
Calmness: A great customer service representative needs to stay calm, even when a situation with the customer gets heated. To be the best candidate, you need to be patient and let customers know you’re working hard to solve the problem.
Reliability: When you make a promise to a customer, you have to follow through. Don’t make assumptions and never over-promise. This customer service skill shows customers and employers they can rely on you.
Ability to read customers’ body language: A good customer service representative should be able to read the customer’s current emotional state. This is important in order to avoid misunderstanding and conflict.
Willingness to learn: You should aim to be an expert at what you do. This will increase your confidence when working with customers and make you more credible. Always work on developing your customer service skills.
Great time-management: While you should spend time establishing a rapport with customers, you should also work to get them what they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Goal-oriented: Your goals could be “reply to every customer within an hour” or “improve customer service satisfaction ratings by 15% by the end of the year.” Setting realistic goals and achieving them is a good way to grow your customer service skills.
Goes above and beyond: Try to consistently deliver beyond your customer’s expectations.
Ability to close deals: Closing the deal doesn’t only mean making a sale. It also means you should end every conversation with the customer feeling that everything has been taken care of.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are related to any qualifications that require specific training and some experience. We created an in-depth list of popular hard skills, but you can find a list of curated customer service hard skills here.
POS-trained (point-of-sales programs)
Inventory management
End-of-day register balance report
Retail bookkeeping
Established opening and closing procedures
Familiar with scheduling programs
Pepper skills in your summary statement
When you’re trying to get a customer service job, a summary statement is more effective than an objective statement. A summary statement shows a recruiter what you have to offer, whether that’s experience providing effective customer service, or a pleasing approach when assisting clients. An objective statement merely tells a potential recruiter or employer that you’d like a position, not what you can actually offer them.
The combination resume format is ideal for a customer service resume if you have some experience in the field because it provides a way to include the kind of interpersonal skills, or soft skills, that are hard to otherwise quantify. However, be sure to include any quantifiable details that apply, such as serving a large number of customers daily or winning awards for exemplary customer service.
To help you get started, here’s an example of a summary section in a combination resume that includes measurable customer service skills.
“Friendly and energetic customer service representative who provides excellent service when under pressure. Successful at leading 5 to 10 team members and accurately managing closing books totaling $15,000 daily.”
Demonstrate skills in your work history
You may have a lot of work experience that makes you wonder what to include in your customer service resume. If that’s the case, the job posting is a valuable source of information. The recruiter who posted the open job is telling you which skills are valued at the company, so focus your work experience in a way that lets you describe the skills featured in the job posting.
Another way to determine what to include is to browse through our collection of customer service examples above to find one that uses a combination format. When you read the information that other customer service professionals have included in their resumes, it can help you choose which details are important to mention when you add your work history.
An example of a work history section that contains quantifiable achievements is shown below:
Customer Service Specialist: XYZ Company, Nashville, TN June 2019–October 2020
Ensured customer satisfaction by providing quick, efficient order placement
Offered conflict-resolution assistance in difficult situations
Maintained accurate records on approximately 150 call orders per day
Operated a computer with customer relationship marketing software installed to assist with more effective customer service”
Showcase education and training
When you begin to write this last resume section, where you list your education and job training, remember to keep connecting the information and keywords in the job description as much as possible. Most positions in customer service require only a high school diploma, though any advanced education or on-the-job customer service training you’ve taken may be added.
A sample of how to write the education section of a customer service resume is shown below:
Education
High School Diploma, 2015 Parker High School, Nashville, TN
Additional Training
Certified in the operation of Microsoft Office Suite, including spreadsheet and document processing
Experienced at using VoIP to communicate with clients
Write a Supplementary Cover Letter
Many job applications may not request or require a cover letter, making it an optional choice to upload, but we strongly recommend that you add a personalized cover letter to each application. A personalized cover letter can help:
Explain and quantify the itemized accomplishments on your resume.
Lend your personal voice and personality to your application.
Craft a professional relationship between yourself and your potential employer.
Customer Service Representative Cover Letter Sample
Speed Up Your Resume Writing
Now that you have all of the tools and guides to start your resume, you might feel overwhelmed trying to personalize a resume to each job. Try our online Resume Builder –– this premium tool offers section advice, pre-written suggestions based on your current job search and experience, and exclusive templates we designed with hiring appeal.
Refined
This simple layout features a traditional font and the clever use of section borders to help each section of your resume stand out.
Standout
This distinctive two-column resume template identifies your name and professional experience in a bold color and clean presentation.
Original
A clever design that breaks each of your professional accomplishments into distinct sections while following a format that will pass applicant tracking systems.
Acclaimed
The elegant initials, simple header and strategic use of bullet points in this template help keep your professional accomplishments well-organized.
Accentuate
The bold use of a colorblocked heading paired with an elegant resume layout helps your name and contact information stand out.
Insightful
This structured design combines a two-column approach with bullet points to highlight your key accomplishments and professional history.
Whitespace
A traditional template uses a crisp combination of dark text and thin borders to radiate professionalism. Your name sits prominently above your professional history.
Knowledgeable
This template’s design features plenty of whitespace neatly divided by gray bars to make the information on your resume easy to read for employers.
Remarkable
This two-column resume conveys a very clear breakdown of its sections that allows a hiring manager to quickly scan your resume.
Bold
The subtle color accents in this template add visual pizzazz in a classy way, a great option for most traditional industries.
Emphasized
This resume’s modern design and bold use of color make it pop. Its uniqueness is well-suited to those seeking jobs in creative industries.
Centered
Everything about this template is assertive from the boxy layout to its all-caps heading text that gives the impression that you’re all about business.
Pacific
The understated contact information at the top puts attention front and center on your professional summary, skills, work experience and education sections.
Artistic
The subtle use of red alongside black gives this template a bold feel while still featuring plenty of white space to make it easy to read.
This simple layout features a traditional font and the clever use of section borders to help each section of your resume stand out.
Standout
This distinctive two-column resume template identifies your name and professional experience in a bold color and clean presentation.
Original
A clever design that breaks each of your professional accomplishments into distinct sections while following a format that will pass applicant tracking systems.
Acclaimed
The elegant initials, simple header and strategic use of bullet points in this template help keep your professional accomplishments well-organized.
Accentuate
The bold use of a colorblocked heading paired with an elegant resume layout helps your name and contact information stand out.
Insightful
This structured design combines a two-column approach with bullet points to highlight your key accomplishments and professional history.
Whitespace
A traditional template uses a crisp combination of dark text and thin borders to radiate professionalism. Your name sits prominently above your professional history.
Knowledgeable
This template’s design features plenty of whitespace neatly divided by gray bars to make the information on your resume easy to read for employers.
Remarkable
This two-column resume conveys a very clear breakdown of its sections that allows a hiring manager to quickly scan your resume.
Bold
The subtle color accents in this template add visual pizzazz in a classy way, a great option for most traditional industries.
Emphasized
This resume’s modern design and bold use of color make it pop. Its uniqueness is well-suited to those seeking jobs in creative industries.
Centered
Everything about this template is assertive from the boxy layout to its all-caps heading text that gives the impression that you’re all about business.
Pacific
The understated contact information at the top puts attention front and center on your professional summary, skills, work experience and education sections.
Artistic
The subtle use of red alongside black gives this template a bold feel while still featuring plenty of white space to make it easy to read.
What are three important qualities of customer service?
The most important qualities of customer service can vary from workplace and industry, but the following three skills are valuable regardless of your experience level and place of employment.
Communications skills: Not only are your communications skills important to successfully interact with customers, but they’re necessary to collaborate with your fellow employees. If you’re unable to effectively communicate customer needs to your fellow staff and align your staff strategy, it can severely disrupt everyone behind the scenes and negatively impact your customers by delaying service.
Attention to detail: The ability to quickly note and remember a myriad of information related to customer requests and current location, availability of service or products, and the location of your fellow coworkers all combine to create a streamlined workplace that benefits both the customer and your teammates.
Improvisation: Even the strongest and well-oiled team faces hiccups. This could be a last minute call-out, a delayed delivery, an unexpected rush of customers, or a power outage. Your ability to quickly react to a situation and service customers could be one of your strongest qualities.
How do I make customer service sound good on a resume?
Customer service revolves around strong social skills, including communication, listening, time-management, and body-language awareness. These skills are valuable within customer-oriented jobs as well as with any people-facing careers, so your resume will sound good if you include these customer service skills throughout your skills, experience, and summary sections.
How can I improve my customer service skills?
In order to improve the impact of your customer service skills, you’ll need to feature skills in various sections of your resume. If you’re using a combination resume, you’ll feature about six-eight skills on the dedicated skills section, but you can organically include additional skills under each of your former employment roles and one-two skills under your summary statement.
How much does a customer service representative get paid?
Customer service salary varies depending on your region and level of experience. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did pull together the national average salaries for the following jobs:
Retail salesperson: $23,210
Cashier: $21,030
Food preparation and service workers: $20,180
General office clerks: $31,500
Customer service representatives: $32,890
Waiters and waitresses: $20,820
Stock clerks and order fillers: $24,470
Sales representatives: $56,970
Maintenance and repair workers: $37,670
Receptionists and information clerks: $28,390
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