Customer Support

What it officially is

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, US Department of Labor · classified as “Customer Service Representatives”

What the work involves

  • 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. 73% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken. 73% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems. 73% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments. 73% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Solicit sales of new or additional services or products. 73% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Recommend improvements in products, packaging, shipping, service, or billing methods and procedures to prevent future problems. 72% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills. 71% of people in this occupation report doing this
  • Review insurance policy terms to determine whether a particular loss is covered by insurance. 71% of people in this occupation report doing this

What employers actually ask for

Counted from listings on this board. Each line shows how many of that tier's listings for this role carried it — the denominator is the point.

Large employers

  • understanding ubuntu development process to be able to set customer expectations correctly on timeline for a fix 3 of 12

Startups

  • strong analytical and problem-solving skills 1 of 4
  • team management and coaching mindset 1 of 4
  • process-oriented with strong documentation skills 1 of 4
  • 2+ years in a client facing or customer support role 1 of 4
  • strong customer service operations leadership experience 1 of 4
  • graduate in any discipline (mba preferred but not mandatory) 1 of 4
  • experience with ticketing systems (salesforce, zendesk, intercom), preferred 1 of 4
  • expertise in sla management, workforce planning, rca, and process optimization 1 of 4

What they call it

Large employers

  • Analista de Customer Service, Delivery Station Customer Support Amazon.com
  • Bilingual Technical Customer Support, Ring, Ring Amazon.com
  • Happiness Engineer – Customer Support & Success Automattic
  • Support Engineer, WordPress VIP Automattic
  • Cloud Support Engineer Canonical
  • Dedicated Linux Desktop & Devices Support Engineer, Singapore Canonical

Startups

  • Customer Success Associate Aqua
  • Customer Service Manager Cityfurnish
  • Client Support Specialist (Healthcare Facilities - B2B) Clipboard
  • Customer Support Engineer (Product / Technical Support) Cogram

Tools the occupation uses

Access software Citrix cloud computing software
Cloud-based data access and sharing software Dropbox
Customer relationship management CRM software Austin Logistics Valeo, Customer complaint ticketing management software, Customer account management software, Customer service and support software, Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge, Applied Systems Vision
Data base user interface and query software Data entry software, Airtable, AS/400 Database, Customer service knowledge generation software, Database software
Document management software Adobe Acrobat
Electronic mail software Astute Solutions PowerCenter

How well this role is advertised

397listings reviewed
60/100median HR-standards score
79/100median title accuracy

Open now

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Official definitions and responsibilities come from public occupational records — O*NET (US Department of Labor) and ESCO (European Commission). The employer half is counted from listings on this board and shown with its denominator. Nothing on this page is written by a language model: the measured half is arithmetic over real postings, and the official half is quoted.