![\"\u2192](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/da45f5ed-4b18-4c1f-8c7a-913efa968426.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTable of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Customer service is a fantastic job, though people often misunderstand it as a \u201cbackup career.\u201d I had similar reservations when I first started. However, the truth is that customer support is at the core of a company’s success. For example, 94% of customers<\/a> say that a positive customer service experience encourages them to make a repeat purchase. That level of impact on a company’s bottom line is super gratifying to be responsible for.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve also been on the other end of the phone, and I\u2019m sure you can relate. One poor customer service experience is enough to make me consider the competition, and 73% of consumers<\/a> agree with me.<\/p>\n Regardless of your preconceived notions of customer service, I\u2019m here to show you that a job in customer service will help you develop crucial skills and open the door to a successful career<\/a> at a company you care about.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Working with customers all day will develop your emotional intelligence and communication skills. I’m not exactly a natural in terms of social skills, but working in customer support helped me strengthen those muscles.<\/p>\n Here are some ways working in customer support will help you develop emotional intelligence<\/a>:<\/p>\n Expertise in your company\u2019s offerings is non-negotiable for success in customer support. As a support rep, you\u2019ll have more hands-on experience with your company\u2019s offerings than almost anyone else in your organization. Not only is this helpful for solving customer inquiries quickly, but it\u2019s an excellent foundation for career growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many of my colleagues on HubSpot\u2019s Support Team have parlayed their skills<\/a> and product knowledge to transition to roles in Engineering, Product Management, Sales, and Design. I chose a different path, leaving my job to follow my dream of being a professional bassist in a touring band \u2014 but that\u2019s a story for another time.<\/p>\n Building your expertise in customer support will equip you with versatile skills that you can apply to other types of roles. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n One of my favorite aspects of working at HubSpot Support was educating and empowering customers. Solving their problems and teaching them new ways to use our product to meet their business needs was so gratifying.<\/p>\n Whether explaining a new feature or devising a workaround on the fly, nothing beats knowing you made a positive difference in the customer\u2019s day-to-day operations and their long-term relationship with your business.<\/p>\n At HubSpot, we ensure reps have adequate time away from the phones for a couple of reasons:<\/p>\n For example, when I worked at HubSpot, one of my colleagues took it upon themselves to create and manage a dedicated social support channel on X<\/a> (it was called Twitter back then). Now, social media is a major channel that customers look to for rapid support and status updates.<\/p>\n At its core, customer support is about problem-solving. Every challenge you face will require a blend of creative thinking, expertise, and people skills. Working in customer support will hone your problem-solving skills, which will significantly benefit you in any future role.<\/p>\n Problem-solving skills<\/a> are essential for leaders in any industry, and customer support will teach you to employ empathy, use critical thinking, and effectively frame problems to align organizational and customer priorities.<\/p>\n Of customers, 76% expect consistent interactions<\/a> across all departments and communication mediums. As a result, customer service teams require reps to work on multiple support channels. When I worked at HubSpot, I started on the phones but eventually ended up on the email support team.<\/p>\n Here are some support channels you’ll be exposed to:<\/p>\n Different support channels require different skills and standards. Mastering communication across multiple mediums will make you well-rounded and able to handle various roles in the future.<\/p>\n Customer support teams aren’t just your stereotypical tech-oriented group. They are made up of unique individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.<\/p>\n My favorite part of working in HubSpot Support was collaborating with my team. I made great friends during my time there, and they all taught me something different when we worked on cases together.<\/p>\n Being part of a diverse team exposes you to different perspectives on problem-solving and working with customers. This will benefit you in the long run as you can relate to a wide variety of people, from introverted techy engineers to gregarious salespeople.<\/p>\n Moreover, companies prioritizing diversity are more than 2x as likely to be considered innovators in their fields and experience 6% more revenue<\/a> than their competition.<\/p>\n Of U.S. companies, 40% offered more remote work opportunities<\/a> this year than five years ago. As customer service technology continues to enable reps to work from home, more customer service teams are taking advantage of this opportunity.<\/p>\n Remote work isn’t just a nice perk, though.<\/p>\n Being an accountable and productive team member from home is a skill that will benefit you in any career path. As the cost of office space<\/a> rises, you might find yourself going remote.<\/p>\n Exposure to remote work in a customer service role is an excellent experience for any career. It challenges you to master your daily workflow without the immediate assistance of your surrounding colleagues. You\u2019ll learn how to be an independent and disciplined problem solver that people can rely on.<\/p>\n In customer support, you won\u2019t always have the answers. By the nature of the job, you\u2019ll sometimes have to reach out to teammates or people in different departments for assistance on cases. For example, I would often have to touch base with engineers on the product team for help on technical cases or to report bugs in the software.<\/p>\n Being in support puts you in contact with other departments and stakeholders, which results in relationship-building and internal networking<\/a> opportunities. If you want to grow at a company that inspires you, working in support may be the perfect way to get your foot in the door and establish a career.<\/p>\n I joined HubSpot Support<\/a> right out of college with a Psychology degree and no experience in customer service. Some of my other colleagues had degrees in English or Writing, and others made lateral career moves from Real Estate and Retail.<\/p>\n My point is that you can join a customer support team like HubSpot\u2019s<\/a> with any level of experience as long as you are willing and able to learn.<\/p>\n Businesses that offer excellent customer service boast 4% to 8% more revenue<\/a> than their competition.<\/p>\n Working in customer support means you are directly responsible for driving customer loyalty and retention<\/a> that sustains business growth, and I think that\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n In my opinion, Sales and Marketing get too much credit when it comes to business profitability. Of course, you need them to generate new customers, but customer retention<\/a> is where it’s at.<\/p>\n It costs a lot more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one \u2014 like 5 to 7 times more<\/a>. In addition, a 5% boost in customer retention can increase profit by 25% to 95%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Needless to say, it\u2019s gratifying to be a part of a team with such a significant impact on your company\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n Customer support roles often entail receiving and integrating lots of feedback<\/a>. As a new rep, you\u2019ll have supervisors and more experienced reps shadow your calls and provide feedback on improving your communication. You\u2019ll also have ongoing performance meetings with your manager, and some customers won\u2019t hesitate to give you feedback as well, trust me.<\/p>\n Receiving feedback, especially constructive criticism, can be tough at first. However, frequent exposure to feedback in a customer support role will help you get comfortable analyzing and improving your performance.<\/p>\n Cultivating self-awareness and a teachable mindset is crucial for success in any career, and working in customer service will make you a superstar at integrating feedback if you are open to it.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t lie to you; customer support can sometimes be tough. There are days when the team is completely slammed with an onslaught of tickets, and you\u2019re glued to the phone for hours.<\/p>\n Some of my most challenging days in support were when there was a product outage, and I had to explain to frustrated customers that there was nothing we could do but wait for the engineers to squash the bug.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m not here to scare you. The truth is that working in customer service will harden your resolve. If you maintain a positive attitude, navigating the challenges of customer support will build resilience that will carry through to any future role and life in general.<\/p>\n As a customer support rep, you\u2019ll likely work in a CRM or other data-driven customer support software tool. Experience in this environment can help you develop valuable data analysis skills like:<\/p>\n Getting comfortable with data and reporting is a valuable skill for career growth.<\/p>\n If you see yourself moving up to management, you\u2019ll need to have a firm grasp of data and analytics related to team performance. In addition, analytical skills are highly transferable and beneficial to many other roles, such as marketing and product management.<\/p>\n Looking for customer service software for your team? Check out HubSpot Service Hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n There are a wide variety of customer service roles<\/a> you can apply for when starting a customer service career. Most entry-level applicants start as representatives or specialists, then move into more managerial and strategic roles.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re afraid of working in a call center<\/a> forever, don\u2019t fret. There\u2019s more to customer service than answering the phone.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that companies will name customer service roles differently. For example, I started at HubSpot as a Support Engineer. However, it was an entry-level technical support role and not an engineering role at all. So, check out the job description when looking for customer service roles to ensure you know what the role entails.<\/p>\n Customer support representatives receive and answer customer questions. Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n Specialists are, well, specialized. Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n Technical support reps are like regular reps, but they support technology products. Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n Unlike support reps who reactively answer customer questions, CSMs proactively work with customers to discuss strategies and enable success. Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n A customer experience analyst interprets customer satisfaction data<\/a> for a business. Responsibilities include:<\/p>\n\n
\n
Is customer service a good job?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
15 Benefits of Working in Customer Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"customer](\"https:\/\/web-stil.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/working-in-customer-service-2-20241112-8199801.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n1. You\u2019ll develop emotional intelligence.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
2. You\u2019ll learn your product or service, inside and out.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. You\u2019ll build transferable skills.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
4. You can educate customers without selling.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. You can develop a side project.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
6. You\u2019ll learn how to solve problems effectively.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. You\u2019ll master different communication mediums.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
8. You\u2019ll collaborate with a diverse team.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
9. You\u2019ll learn to work remotely.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
10. You can build a network within your organization.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
11. You can come from any background and experience level.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
12. You\u2019ll directly impact your company\u2019s bottom line.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
13. You\u2019ll master feedback and self-awareness.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
14. You\u2019ll build motivation and resilience.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
15. You can gain data analysis and reporting skills.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Types of Customer Service Jobs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"types](\"https:\/\/web-stil.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/working-in-customer-service-3-20241112-3341434.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nEntry-Level Positions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customer Support Representative<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Customer Support Specialist<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Technical Support Representative<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Mid-Level Positions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customer Success Manager<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Customer Experience Analyst<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
Knowledge Base Specialist<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/track.hubspot.com\/__ptq.gif?a=53&k=14&r=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hubspot.com%2Fservice%2Fcustomer-support-job&bu=https%253A%252F%252Fblog.hubspot.com%252Fservice&bvt=rss\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"