Customer Service Representative resume keywords and skills

Customer service representative postings name the channels you will cover, the software you will work in and the numbers you will be measured on. Expect phone, email and chat, a CRM or ticketing system such as Salesforce or Zendesk, and metrics like CSAT and first contact resolution. Use the posting's wording for what you have handled, and add figures you can stand behind. Leave out systems you have only seen in a demo.

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Inbound calls
Email and chat support
Order processing
Billing and payments
Returns and refunds
CRM software (Salesforce)
Ticketing systems (Zendesk)
Knowledge base
Data entry
Typing speed (WPM)
Escalation handling
De-escalation
Complaint resolution
Active listening
Customer retention
Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
First contact resolution (FCR)
Service level agreement (SLA)

Customer Service Representative resume keywords

The bullets are writing models, not anyone's real results. Use a keyword only when you can back it with your own work.

Channels and requests

Inbound calls: The core of most postings. Give daily volume and the kind of questions, since billing calls and tech calls are different jobs.; Answered 50 to 60 inbound calls a day about orders, billing and account changes.
Email and chat support: Written channels take a different skill than phones. Say how many chats you ran at once or how fast you answered email.; Provided email and chat support for an online store, handling up to 3 chats at once during peak hours.
Order processing: Common in distribution, manufacturing and e-commerce postings. Mention order entry, changes and tracking, and the system you keyed them into.; Processed orders, address changes and cancellations for about 40 wholesale accounts.
Billing and payments: Utilities, insurers and telecom companies ask for it. It signals you can explain a charge and take a payment without errors.; Resolved billing and payment questions, including late fees, refunds and payment plans within approval limits.
Returns and refunds: Shows you can apply a policy and still keep the customer. Mention your approval limit if you had one.; Issued returns and refunds under company policy, sending prepaid labels and tracking each case until the credit posted.

Systems

CRM software (Salesforce): Postings ask for CRM experience and often name Salesforce or HubSpot. Write the product you used and what you logged in it.; Logged every contact in Salesforce with the issue, the fix and any follow-up date.
Ticketing systems (Zendesk): Support teams run on tickets. Name the tool, such as Zendesk or Freshdesk, and your daily ticket count.; Closed about 45 Zendesk tickets a day across email and chat.
Knowledge base: Employers want reps who look up the answer instead of guessing. Writing or updating articles is worth a line of its own.; Wrote 12 knowledge base articles on common shipping and warranty questions for new hires.
Data entry: Listed on most postings because every contact ends in a record. Accuracy matters more than speed, so mention how your work was checked.; Completed data entry for new accounts and address updates, checking each record against the order form.
Typing speed (WPM): Chat and data entry postings often set a minimum, usually 40 to 50 words per minute. List yours only if you have tested it.; Type 55 WPM and take notes during calls without placing customers on hold.

Problem solving

Escalation handling: The reader wants to know you can tell what to solve and what to pass on. Say who you escalated to and what you kept.; Handled escalations from frontline reps, resolving most on the same call and routing the rest to the correct department.
De-escalation: Named in postings for billing, collections and complaint lines. Describe what you say or do, since the word alone proves little.; Used de-escalation steps with upset callers, restating the problem and offering two clear options.
Complaint resolution: Give the type of complaint and the remedy you could offer. That tells the reader how much authority you had.; Took complaint resolution cases for late deliveries, reshipping or crediting orders the same day.
Active listening: A soft skill postings do name. Tie it to a habit, like confirming the request before acting on it.; Practiced active listening by repeating each request back to the customer before making account changes.
Customer retention: Subscription, telecom and insurance postings ask for it. If you saved cancellations, give the share or the count, and keep it honest.; Supported customer retention by offering plan changes to callers asking to cancel, keeping about one in four.

Service metrics

Customer satisfaction (CSAT): The score most teams report. Give yours with the time period, and skip it if you never saw your own number.; Held a CSAT score of 92 percent or higher over 12 months of post-contact surveys.
First contact resolution (FCR): Shows you solve the problem instead of passing it along. Postings write first contact or first call resolution, so copy theirs.; Reached 80 percent first contact resolution by checking order history before answering.
Service level agreement (SLA): Business-to-business and tech support postings use it. It means response and resolution deadlines, so say which ones you worked to.; Replied to email tickets within the 24-hour SLA and flagged any at risk to the team lead.

Customer Service Representative job description for a resume

Common duties written as resume bullets. Keep the ones you did and add your own numbers.

Answer customer questions by phone, email and chat about orders, billing and accounts.
Look up accounts and order history in the CRM and record each contact.
Process orders, returns, refunds and account changes within company policy.
Explain charges, take payments and set up payment arrangements.
Research and resolve complaints, and escalate cases that need a supervisor or another department.
Follow up with customers until open tickets are closed.
Use the knowledge base and product guides to give accurate answers.
Meet team targets for response time, customer satisfaction and quality reviews.
Report recurring problems and customer feedback to the team lead.

Customer Service Representative resume summary examples

Entry level

Former retail cashier moving into customer service after two years of handling returns, complaints and about 200 transactions a shift. Types 50 WPM, picks up new software quickly and is comfortable on the phone and in chat. Looking for a full-time customer service representative role with weekday or weekend hours.

Experienced

Customer service representative with 5 years supporting an e-commerce retailer by phone, email and chat. Closes about 45 Zendesk tickets a day with a 93 percent CSAT score. Handles escalations, refunds and carrier claims, wrote 12 knowledge base articles and has trained 6 new hires on order and returns workflows.

Phrases to replace on a customer service representative resume

Answered phones and helped customers
Give channel, volume and topic. Answered 50 to 60 inbound calls a day about orders, billing and account changes.
Excellent communication skills
Show a result customers rated. Held a 92 percent CSAT score across phone and chat for 12 months.
Handled difficult customers
Describe the fix. Resolved late-delivery complaints by reshipping or crediting the order on the first call.

Customer Service Representative resume examples

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Customer Service Representative resume keywords FAQ

What keywords belong on a customer service representative resume?

Most postings name the channels, such as inbound calls, email and chat, a CRM or ticketing system like Salesforce or Zendesk, and metrics such as CSAT and first contact resolution. Add order processing, billing or returns if the job handles them. Copy the posting's wording for the ones you have done and leave the others off.

How do I list CRM software on my resume?

Name the product and what you did in it. 'Logged every contact in Salesforce and updated order status' says more than 'CRM experience'. Put the product names in your skills section too, so a recruiter searching for Zendesk or HubSpot finds them. If you used an in-house system, call it a CRM and describe the tasks.

Can I use retail or restaurant experience for a customer service job?

Yes. Returns, complaints, phone orders and register work are the same skills under different names. Rewrite those bullets with the posting's terms, such as complaint resolution, order processing and data entry. Add your volume, like customers served per shift, and any typing speed you have tested. Do not claim CRM or ticketing experience you do not have.

Should I put my CSAT score on my resume?

If you know it, yes, with the time period and the channel. A score with no context is hard to judge, so add volume next to it, such as tickets a day. If your team never shared individual scores, use what you can verify instead, like quality review results or the number of contacts you handled.

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