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Hiring profile for:

Customer Service Representatives

HighMatch’s team of workplace psychologists break down the critical qualities, skills, and knowledge Customer Service Reps need to be successful.

Employment Outlook

-4%+
avg Growth rate

2.8M+
job openings annually

$36K+
median pay

Role Snapshot

Customer service representatives work with customers to resolve complaints, process orders, and provide information about products and services.

The specific duties of customer service representatives vary by industry. Those who work in retail stores often handle returns, process refunds, and help customers locate items. Although selling a product or service is not their main job, representatives may help generate sales while providing information.

common work activities:

Listening and responding to customers’ concerns
Providing information about products and services
Taking orders, calculating charges, and processing payments
Reviewing customer accounts
Handling returns or complaints
Recording details of customer contacts and actions taken

Common Challenges

equality

Women make up 69% of Representatives yet earn only 98% of their male counterparts.

Diversity

The majority of Representatives are middle-aged (avg. age: 40) and White (59%).

retention

Most Customer Service Representatives stay at their job for less than 2 years.

Customer Service Representative Job Profile

HighMatch’s workplace psychologists developed a job profile for Customer Service Representatives that outlines the measures most predictive in determining success.

They have also defined behavioral measures hiring managers should explore further during the interview.

Additional titles for this role include:

Account Representative, Call Center Representative, Client Services Representative, Customer Care Representative (CCR), Customer Service Agent, Customer Service Specialist, Customer Support Representative (Customer Support Rep), Guest Service Agent, Member Services Representative (Member Services Rep)

Personality Measures

There are several personality traits that often align with success in this role, however every role is unique.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment to your role, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each trait to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Integrity: being honest and ethical
Dependability: being reliable, responsible, and dependable
Attention to Detail: being careful and thorough in completing tasks
Self-Control: maintaining composure in very difficult situations
Stress Tolerance: dealing calmly with high-stress situations

They Trust HighMatch:

The HighMatch Customer Service Assessment

HighMatch’s Customer Service Assessment, personalized to your specific role and company culture by our I-O psychologists, is the modern alternative to legacy off-the shelf assessments.

HighMatch’s highly configurable assessment solutions are delivered on our fast, mobile-first platform for the ideal candidate experience.

With HighMatch, you get relevant insights into what matters most in your roles and culture, in your preferred language.

Ready to take our Customer Service Assessment for a spin?

VIDEO TESTIMONIAL

Wayne Homes uses HighMatch to Identify Qualified Applicants

Hear from Michael Luckie-Ewing, former VP of People and Culture at Wayne Homes, a custom home builder serving 5 states for over 40 years.

Michael and his team used HighMatch to better filter applicants for the qualities and skills that contribute to success across every role in their organization.

Cognitive Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Oral Expression: communicating information to others verbally
Speech Clarity: speaking clearly so others can understand
Speech Recognition: understanding the speech of another person.
Problem Sensitivity: telling when something is likely to go wrong
Oral Comprehension: listening to and understanding verbal information

Problem Solving Assessments

Dealing with a flood of customer concerns and complaints requires Customer Service Representatives to rapidly problem solve while keeping a cool head.

A problem solving assessment, which asks candidates to react to real-life scenarios they are likely to encounter, can help hiring managers understand how they are likely to react to similar situations when on the job.

Skill & Knowledge Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Microsoft Excel: a quick, mobile-friendly assessment designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of MS Excel
Computer Literacy: This fast, mobile-friendly test assesses candidate’s understanding of basic computer use
English Fluency: This fluency test assesses a candidate’s understanding of the English language

HighMatch can also quickly create short, personalized skills tests covering topics like Customer Service Skills or Call Center Skills, all powered by our modern, mobile-first assessment engine and tailored to your role and organization.

Gen Z is Changing Talent Acquisition

Generation Z is changing the way we think about recruiting. These youthful employees aren’t as similar to millennials as talent acquisition professionals would anticipate.

To understand how to recruit Gen Z’ers effectively, we surveyed talent acquisition professionals to learn their proven tactics.

Our report reveals what talent acquisition professionals have done to recruit and retain Generation Z employees successfully.

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