What are the duties of a customer service agent?

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A customer Service Agent is an important part of the business and plays an efficient role in the overall handling of customers.  Data base activity maintenance and helping in any area that needs a boost up.

 A customer service representative interacts with a company's customers to provide them with information to address inquiries regarding products and services. In addition, they deal with and help resolve any customer complaints. ... Usually, customer service representatives gather their information via a telephone call.

Handling Problems

Customer inquiries often involve some form of complaint that the customer service representative must handle in accordance with the company’s guidelines and policies. Sometimes, the representatives may attempt to solve the problems or at least propose some solutions. Some representatives may also be authorized to send customers their replacement products or reverse erroneous fees. Others may function like gatekeepers, getting information on the problem and passing it along to someone else to solve. Customer service representatives must make sure first that the complaints made are valid and must do whatever they can--within the bounds of their authority--to make sure the customer is satisfied when he hangs up the phone.

Assisting in Sales

Selling the company’s products and services may be part of a customer service representatives job, even though he may not be part of the sales division. Some representatives may provide product or service information to assist customers in making a decision about a product to buy. Customer service representatives may also help generate sales leads. For instance, after addressing a customer’s inquiry, the representative may attempt to sell them some new products upgrades. For instance, he may suggest upgrading your cable service.

Clerical Tasks

The job of a customer service representative may also involve clerical responsibilities. Such duties may involve answering telephone calls and making the appropriate transfers. For example, when a customer makes an inquiry about Internet broadband, the representative can transfer the call to a technical service representative. Other duties include processing new client accounts, maintaining customer accounts, implementing changes to existing accounts, and filing documents and other paperwork.

Job Specific Responsibilities

Almost all types of organizations employ customer service representatives and often their duties and responsibilities vary depending on the type of the organization and industry. For example, customer service representatives who work in banks may have similar duties to bank tellers, counting money, cashing checks and servicing accounts. Those working in insurance companies may be required to handle paperwork dealing with policy renewals. Customer service representatives who work for communication and utility companies may assist customers who have outage or other service problems.

Serves customers by providing product and service information; resolving product and service problems.

• Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions; suggesting information about other products and services.
• Opens customer accounts by recording account information.
• Maintains customer records by updating account information.
• Resolves product or service problems by clarifying the customer's complaint; determining the cause of the problem; selecting and explaining the best solution to solve the problem; expediting correction or adjustment; following up to ensure resolution.
• Maintains financial accounts by processing customer adjustments.Recommends potential products or services to management by collecting customer information and analyzing customer needs.Prepares product or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information.Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

Customer Service, Product Knowledge, Quality Focus, Problem Solving, Market Knowledge, Documentation Skills, Listening, Phone Skills, Resolving Conflict, Analyzing Information , Multi-tasking.

• Manage large amounts of incoming calls
• Generate sales leads
• Identify and assess customers’ needs to achieve satisfaction
• Build sustainable relationships and trust with customer accounts through open and interactive communication
• Provide accurate, valid and complete information by using the right methods/tools
• Meet personal/customer service team sales targets and call handling quotas
• Handle customer complaints, provide appropriate solutions and alternatives within the time limits; follow up to ensure resolutionKeep records of customer interactions, process customer accounts and file documents
• Follow communication procedures, guidelines and policies
• Take the extra mile to engage customers