Hiring a customer service representative: job description template and interview questions
Everything you need to post a customer service representative job and interview candidates: a template you can copy and edit, interview questions with what a good answer shows, and pay benchmarks from federal data.
Pay data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Job content: O*NET 31.0. Updated 2026-10-26.
Customer Service Representative job description template
Copy this template and replace the parts in [brackets]. Keep only the responsibilities and requirements that are true for your job.
Customer Service Representative
Location: [City, State or remote] · Schedule: [Full-time, part-time, shifts] · Pay: [$X to $Y per hour]
We are looking for a customer service representative to help our customers by phone, chat and email: answering questions, resolving issues and documenting every interaction. Customer-facing experience is preferred; full training is provided.
Responsibilities
- 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.
- Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
- Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.
- Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
- Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.
- Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation.
Requirements
- High School Diploma or the equivalent or equivalent experience
- Active Listening skills
- Speaking skills
- Reading Comprehension skills
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Reliable attendance and availability for the scheduled shifts
What we offer
- [Pay range and how often you pay]
- [Benefits, such as health insurance, paid time off or an employee discount]
- [Training and growth, such as promotion paths]
How much to pay a customer service representative
The U.S. median annual wage for customer service representatives was $44,770 in May 2025 ($21.53 an hour). Pay differs a lot from state to state.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $15.27 | $31,750 |
| 25th | $17.72 | $36,870 |
| Median (50th) | $21.53 | $44,770 |
| 75th | $24.89 | $51,780 |
| 90th | $30.57 | $63,590 |
| Mean | $22.40 | $46,590 |
Customer Service Representative salary in every state
Customer Service Representative interview questions
- Tell me about the hardest customer you have dealt with. How did it end?
What to listen for: Staying calm, listening, finding a solution within the rules. - A customer asks for something our policy does not allow. What do you say?
What to listen for: Saying no kindly and offering what you can do instead. - How do you explain something technical to someone who is frustrated?
What to listen for: Simple language, small steps, checking understanding. - You do not know the answer to a question. What do you do?
What to listen for: Not guessing; finding the answer or escalating, and telling the customer when to expect it. - How do you stay focused through a long day of calls or chats?
What to listen for: Realistic habits and resilience. - Write a short reply to a customer whose order arrived late.
What to listen for: Apology, clear next step, no blame, correct grammar. - Have you used a ticketing or customer relationship system?
What to listen for: Comfort with software and accurate notes. - What does great customer service mean to you?
What to listen for: Solving the problem, not just being polite.
Skills to look for
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Social Perceptiveness
Source: O*NET importance ratings for this occupation.
Hiring customer service representatives?
Post the job on Jobder, add an optional video of up to 45 seconds, and review applications one at a time with a yes or a pass. Free signup is open for job seekers and employers.
Hiring kits for related roles
- Receptionist hiring kit
- Sales Representative hiring kit
- Retail Sales Associate hiring kit
- Cashier hiring kit
- Retail Store Supervisor hiring kit
- Stocker and Order Filler hiring kit
Customer Service Representative career guide · Customer Service Representative salary by state
Sources and methodology
Wage and employment estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry estimates for all ownerships. Figures are as published; BLS does not publish some estimates for some states. As defined by BLS, wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and other premium pay. BLS OEWS
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jobder has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET Database
Written and maintained by the Jobder team. Last updated 2026-10-26. Questions or corrections: support@jobder.pro.
Frequently asked questions
What should a customer service representative job description include?
A short summary of the role, the main responsibilities, the qualifications you actually require, the schedule, the location and the pay range. Listing pay helps candidates decide quickly, and some states and cities require pay ranges in job postings.
How much should I pay a customer service representative?
The U.S. median annual wage for customer service representatives was $44,770 in May 2025 ($21.53 an hour), and the middle half of workers earned between $36,870 and $51,780. Pay varies a lot by state, so check the state table before you set a range.
What are good interview questions for a customer service representative?
Ask about real situations the person will face on the job, and listen for how they think, not only for the right answer. The questions on this page each come with what a strong answer shows.