In today’s ever-changing job market, it’s more important than ever to be equipped with a set of professional skills that are both sought after and transferable. Many employers are now looking beyond the traditional qualifications listed in resumes and are giving more attention to the specific skills and experiences an employee brings to the table. One such skill that is highly sought after today is customer service. In this blog post, we will explore some of the reasons why customer service skills are invaluable to have, and how they can be transferred to other career paths.
Having excellent customer service skills can provide a competitive edge and make an employee stand out in a crowded job market. From hospitality and retail to corporate and engineering roles, customer service is a vital skill to have. Not only do employers appreciate the technical aspects of customer service, but they also value the interpersonal and communication skills that come with the job. In addition to those skills, customer service also teaches employees to think on their
How to highlight customer service skills on your resume
Include them in various sections of your resume—this is one of the best ways to highlight the transferable skills you’ve acquired through customer service. For instance, you might highlight your abilities in a separate “skills” section at the top of your resume and incorporate them into the summaries of your professional experience.
To emphasize both hard and soft skills, format your skills section as follows: *Customer service skills: Adaptability | Efficient problem solving | Patience | Consistency* *Technical skills: JIRA | HTML | Salesforce*
Here is an illustration of a resume from a customer service agent applying for a position as a marketing assistant:
Cody Fredrickson
Austin, TX • (123) 456-7891
[email protected]
SUMMARYMarketing and customer service professional seeking Marketing Coordinator opportunities. 3 years of experience increasing customer engagement and fostering brand loyalty in a metrics-driven environment Passionate about building strong user relationships through innovative digital strategies.
SKILLS
EXPERIENCE
Tradelot, Customer Service Representative
January 2017 – Present
Cloud Clearwater, Customer Service Representative
June 2014 – December 2016
EDUCATION
Coral Springs University, May 2014
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
What is customer service?
Customer service abilities can be identified as particular qualities or requirements businesses may look for in a job applicant. Employers frequently value the following seven significant transferable skills that can be acquired through customer service experience:
1. Emotional intelligence
An individual’s capacity to effectively recognize and control their own emotions as well as the emotions of others is known as emotional intelligence (EI). When interacting with customers while working in a customer service position, it’s likely that you used emotional intelligence (EI). EI can be used, for instance, to maintain composure in the face of an irate customer, comprehend their viewpoint, and defuse the situation. This ability translates to situations where teamwork is required.
Companies are often made up of diverse populations and personalities. Emotional intelligence can assist you in resolving conflict, managing team interactions in high-stress situations, and making others feel heard and respected. In the workplace, having the capacity to recognize others’ emotions and express yourself clearly can lead to the development of relationships that are healthy, effective, and productive.
2. Technical skills
You may have the opportunity to learn industry-specific, or “technical,” skills in some customer service positions that are connected to the physical, technical, or digital tools you use. You might gain expertise with a range of systems, programs, and communication tools depending on the type of customer service role you pursue. Technical expertise can demonstrate to employers that you have the aptitude to learn new, possibly related technologies.
Some examples of industry-specific tools include:
Slack, Jira, Intercom, Zendesk, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Zoom are examples of common communication tools.
3. Subject matter expertise
You might develop specialized knowledge in your customer service career as you advance, making you uniquely qualified to offer direction and strategy to internal employers or other companies in your industry.
Being a subject matter expert (SME) is frequently the result of years of experience thoroughly educating customers about your business’s goods or services. On your resume, you can draw attention to this experience by outlining your years of experience in the “professional summary,” “skills,” or “experience” sections.
If you are an SME in the healthcare industry, for instance, you might describe your comprehension of HIPAA rules, guidance, and compliance as well as typical pharmaceutical terminology. Or, if you are a SME in the insurance industry, you could emphasize your familiarity with premiums, policies, and brokers.
4. Problem-solving
The capacity to resolve issues is one of the most generally applicable skills that can be acquired from working in customer service. Employers at all levels of the organization value problem-solving abilities because they demonstrate your capacity for managing challenging, unexpected, or complex situations.
5. Effective communication
Strong communication skills are essential whether you work from home or in an office to reduce errors and inefficiencies at work and foster productive working relationships with coworkers.
By responding to client requests and inquiries via email, phone, live chat, or in-person, you may have improved your communication abilities while working in customer service roles. When working in client-facing positions, effective communication can help customers form a favorable impression of the company and help solve issues quickly.
6. Collaboration
Collaboration in the workplace happens when two or more people work together to accomplish a shared objective that is advantageous to the team or business. For instance, you could demonstrate the teamwork abilities you’ve developed in a customer service role by mentioning how frequently you collaborate with other departments to fully address customer inquiries. When working with sales, design, or engineering teams to enhance customer experiences, this could be another instance of successful collaboration.
7. Sales
Include specific examples of the contributions you made at your previous jobs by quantifying your success whenever you can. For instance, how much money did you make or save the company, did you manage a team of a certain size, and did you implement any time-saving procedures that helped the business save money?
Career paths from customer service
Here are some job openings with experience in customer service that you might be qualified for if you’re looking to change careers:
1. Marketing assistant
2. Office manager/employee experience
3. Insurance agent
4. Recruiter
5. Sales representative
6. Project manager
Transferable skills to land you a Customer Success job
FAQ
What are transferable skills in customer service?
The capacity to resolve issues is one of the most generally applicable skills that can be acquired from working in customer service. Employers at all levels of the organization value problem-solving abilities because they demonstrate your capacity for managing challenging, unexpected, or complex situations.
What are the 7 transferable skills?
- Technical.
- Communication.
- Critical Thinking.
- Multitasking.
- Teamwork.
- Creativity.
- Leadership.
What are transferable skills 5 examples?
- Dependability.
- Leadership and team management.
- Problem-solving.
- Data analysis.
- Communication.
- Time management.
- Empathy.
- Adaptability.
How do you answer what are your transferable skills?
Consider the abilities you already possess. A transferable skill is any ability you possess that is not specific to a single job; examples include business acumen or teamwork. If you’re having trouble identifying your skills, consider a regular task you completed and generalize it.
