# Customer Service Representatives

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/customer-service-representatives
- SOC code: 43-4051.00
- Career family: Office and administrative support
- Median annual pay: $44,770 (10th percentile $31,750, 90th percentile $63,590)
- Projected growth: Decline, -5.3%
- Openings a year: 289,500
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CES)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 16 |
| Investigative (I) | 10 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 46 |
| Enterprising (E) | 68 |
| Conventional (C) | 89 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 90/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 89/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 88/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 84/100)
- Processing Information (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 80/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 79/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 76/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 76/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 75/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Time Management, Monitoring, Negotiation, Persuasion

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Sales and Marketing, Mathematics, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Economics and Accounting, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training

## Also called

Account Adjuster, Account Representative, Adjustment Clerk, Automotive Service Advisor, Automotive Service Writer, Bill Adjuster, Call Center Representative, Claims Customer Service Representative (Claims CSR), Clerical Adjudicator, Client Relations Specialist

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Operations Support and Assistant Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5204) (CIP 5204, 758 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Bellevue University-Nebraska](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bellevue-university-nebraska-206) | Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | $67,452 | $83,581 | $19,499 |
| [Valdosta State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/valdosta-state-university-3105) | Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | $42,670 | $60,715 | $25,991 |

## Related careers

- [Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-of-services-except-advertising-insurance-financial-services-and): $69,990 median pay
- [Telemarketers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/telemarketers): $35,450 median pay
- [Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/insurance-claims-and-policy-processing-clerks): $49,230 median pay
- [Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/credit-authorizers-checkers-and-clerks): $50,080 median pay
- [New Accounts Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/new-accounts-clerks): $47,670 median pay
- [Receptionists and Information Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/receptionists-and-information-clerks): $38,010 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.