1. Customer Service CV: Examples + How to Write

Customer Service CV: Examples + How to Write

LiveCareer UK Editorial Team
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There’s no denying that the number of customer service jobs on offer has plummeted this year. Things are starting to pick up but there’s still fierce competition for each CS position out there.

You’ll need to stand out with a good customer service CV to land that interview and get the job.

Recruiters can spend fewer than 10 seconds skimming through each CV, so make your CV clear and to the point. Have a look at the customer service CV example below. Then read on to learn how to write the best possible CV for customer service.

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Customer service assistant CV example 

Jacob Swell

T: 0333 444 3344

E: jacobswell@jwna.co.uk

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacobswell

Personal statement

KPI-driven customer service advisor with a proven track record and wide-ranging experience. Flexible in using different CRM solutions and able to independently monitor relevant KPIs in the pursuit of constant improvement. Seeking challenges in Complex Query Resolution, dealing with vulnerable customers, and more complex internal cooperation with other business functions.

Work experience

Customer Service Representative

G&N Fashion, Aberdeen

October 2018 – present

  • Reduced personal monthly refund rate by 15-23% by successfully offering alternative options to customers.
  • Received a greater proportion of CQR requests than most colleagues due to consistently high resolution rates (>85%).
  • Placed in top five in internal CSR ranking every month since February 2019, and top three for four of those months.

Inbound Customer Service Advisor

Milton Road IT Solutions, Edinburgh

June 2017 – September 2018

  • Maintained an overall first-contact resolution rate of 93%.
  • Consistently exceeded minimum caller satisfaction rate with monthly averages of 4.7-4.9 (out of 5).
  • Liaised with IT personnel to modify call platform settings resulting in >3% improvement in capacity at no extra cost to the company.

Education

NVQ Customer Services, Level 2

Bielki Patterson College, Newcastle upon Tyne

2015–2017

A-levels: Business Studies, Economics, English

Leith School, Edinburgh, September 2012–June 2014

8 GSCEs (including Mathematics and English)

Leith School, Edinburgh, September 2010–June 2012

Skills

  • Advanced general computer literacy: adept at working in a variety of software environments with a solid working knowledge of spreadsheets
  • Problem solving: over a year’s experience in specialising in CQR workflow
  • Conflict management and de-escalation: many years’ experience in fielding inbound complaints and de-escalating disputes
  • Communication: 3 years of experience in both working in a multicultural workplace and with a wide variety of multicultural British and foreign customers, experienced in dealing with vulnerable customers
  • Sales tactics: consistently down-sold compensation measures when fielding customer complaints
  • CRM systems and practices: used HubSpot and Pipedrive packages daily, quick to pick up subtleties of in-house CRM solutions 

Awards

  • Highest rated CSA (according to customer feedback) March and August 2018

Hobbies

  • Active member of Toastmasters
  • Aquaculture

Now you know how to write a CV. Here’s a step-by-step formula to make a front desk agent CV as good as the one above: 

1. Write a personal statement for your customer service CV

The first thing in your customer service assistant CV after your contact details should be your personal statement (also known as a customer service CV profile). A personal statement is a short paragraph that introduces you to the recruiter and starts making a case for why you’re the right person for the job.

You might see a good personal statement and think “I can’t write something like that”, especially if you're making your first CV, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. Wrapping your head around the CRM software the call centre uses probably seemed a little doubtful at first, too.

All you need to do is answer the following three questions:

  1. Who are you on the job market?
  2. What skills and experience will you bring with you?
  3. What are you looking for?

Answer each question in one sentence (or keep it at no more than four-five overall) and aim to write 50-100 words in total. That’s it. Take a look at the sample personal statement again (below). See? It’s just three sentences, one for each question above. Easy.

Start thinking about your personal statement now, but hold off on writing it until the end. It’ll be much easier once you have your work experience and education sections in front of you (that's why it's also called a CV summary).

One last thing: be sure to include keywords from the job advert in your personal statement. This will help you get past an ATS (Applicant Tracking System). It will also make it clear to the recruiter that you’re not just spamming companies with a generic CV.

Customer service assistant CV personal statement

KPI-driven customer service advisor with a proven track record and wide-ranging experience. Flexible in using different CRM solutions and able to independently monitor relevant KPIs in the pursuit of constant improvement. Seeking challenges in Complex Query Resolution, dealing with vulnerable customers, and more complex internal cooperation with other business functions.

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Outline your customer service work experience

For this section of your customer service CV and the education section below, start from your most recent examples and work back towards the oldest ones. This is called a reverse-chronological CV format and it’s by far the most common CV layout

A lot of writing a good customer service assistant CV is about standing out from the crowd. How you order your CV work experience and education sections is not a great way to stand out, though. Why?

Recruiters are pressed for time when looking over your CV. They need to be able to find what they’re looking for in a hurry. Reverse-chronological format allows them to do that. ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) are also set up to respond best to this format.

Follow the template below and be sure to quantify as much of your experience as possible. Be specific, give examples, and quote statistics wherever you can.

If you have little to no work experience, here's how to best prepare your CV.

Work experience section for a customer service CV

Customer Service Representative

G&N Fashion, Aberdeen

October 2018 – present

  • Reduced personal monthly refund rate by 15-23% by successfully offering alternative options to customers
  • Received a greater proportion of CQR requests than most colleagues due to consistently high resolution rates (>85%) 
  • Placed in top five in internal CSR ranking every month since February 2019, and top three for four of those months

Inbound Customer Service Advisor

Milton Road IT Solutions, Edinburgh

June 2017 – September 2018

  • Maintained an overall first-contact resolution rate of 93%
  • Consistently exceeded minimum caller satisfaction rate with monthly averages of 4.7-4.9 (out of 5)
  • Liaised with IT personnel to modify call platform settings resulting in >3% improvement in capacity at no extra cost to the company

3. Include an education section in your customer service CV

Stick with reverse-chronological order and work your way back to secondary school. It’s OK to list A levels / Advanced Highers but don’t list individual GCSEs / Highers. Grades are also optional.

The exception here is Mathematics and English at GCSE level. Specify these (but again, grades are optional) if the job advert mentions them or if your education stops short of university level.

Don’t include either subjects or grades for post-secondary qualifications. If you’re writing a student CV, then include your anticipated graduation date.

Follow the template below and keep this section brief.

Education section for a customer service CV

NVQ Customer Services, Level 2

Bielki Patterson College, Newcastle upon Tyne

2015–2017

A-levels: Business Studies, Economics, English

Leith School, Edinburgh, September 2012–June 2014

8 GSCEs (including Mathematics and English)

Leith School, Edinburgh, September 2010–June 2012

4. Showcase your customer service skill-set

Customer service requires many different skills, some easier to quantify than others. To be good at customer service, you have to have a range of hard, technical skills and soft skills.

So first, make a list of your customer service skills. Go back and read through your work experience section for ideas. Unless you're writing a speculative CV, check the job advert. Find 5-10 skills that overlap between your list and theirs. Save the rest for other job applications.

Don’t just list your CV skills—anyone can do that and recruiters know it. Describe times when you demonstrated each skill. Be specific, quantify where you can. This will have a much bigger impact and help you stand out.

If you don’t have much work experience or if you’re changing industries, then look for transferable skills. Finally, try to include a mix or soft, hard, and IT skills in your list.

Customer service CV skills sections

  • Advanced general computer literacy: adept at working in a variety of software environments with a solid working knowledge of spreadsheets
  • Problem solving: over a year’s experience in specialising in CQR workflow
  • Conflict management and de-escalation: many years’ experience in fielding inbound complaints and de-escalating disputes
  • Communication: 3 years of experience in both working in a multicultural workplace and with a wide variety of multicultural British and foreign customers, experienced in dealing with vulnerable customers
  • Sales tactics: consistently down-sold compensation measures when fielding customer complaints
  • CRM systems and practices: used HubSpot and Pipedrive packages daily, quick to pick up subtleties of in-house CRM solutions

5. Add extra sections to your customer service CV

Add at least one extra section to your customer service assistant CV. Showcasing your experience, skills, and education is important but it won’t give a complete picture of you as an employee.

Stand out from the crowd of equally well-qualified CSRs by adding information about the languages you speak, awards you’ve won, and the achievements of which you’re most proud. Hobbies are also a great option, and one that’s generally underused. Just keep your extra sections relevant to the job (avoid adding references on your CV, it's old fashioned).

Customer service is largely about being good with people, all kinds of people. Use additional CV sections to give a better view of yourself as a well-rounded person—the kind of person who’s able to connect at least on some level with a wide range of customers.

CV template for customer service—additional sections

Awards

  • Highest-rated CSA (according to customer feedback) March and August 2018

Hobbies

  • Active member of Toastmasters
  • Aquaculture

6. Include a customer service cover letter

You’ve put all this time and effort into your CV, don’t spoil it by not including a cover letter. About half of employers expect a cover letter, whether the job advert mentions it or not. What is a cover letter? A cover letter is where you introduce yourself as a candidate and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job.

Learn how to write a customer service cover letter and be sure to include it with your CV. Tailor your cover letter to each job. Demonstrate your knowledge of the company and the position for which you’re applying.

Even if your cover letter takes the form of an email, include it as an attachment in a file as well. Name the file to include the words ‘cover letter’ and your name. This will make life easier for the recruiter and that can only be a good thing.

Structure your cover letter like a standard business letter. This is one important way in which you can demonstrate your professionalism. Besides, it’s generally expected. Use a simple template that matches your CV.

7. The finishing touches and following up

You have your customer service assistant CV and cover letter, what else do you need to do before clicking send?

Pay close attention to the formatting and general structure of your CV. For the best CV template, use a standard, professional-looking CV font such as Noto or Calibri. Also, research a library of free CV templates

When using a blank CV template, remember not to clutter it. Use white space (including through the use of margins and line spacing) to make your CV design look clean and elegant.

Avoid visual CV templates or modern CV templates if you're applying to a conservative company. It's better to opt for a more standardized Word CV template in this case.

Scour your documents for spelling and grammar mistakes. Use spellcheck (set it to British English) and get someone to read over your work.

Send both your CV and cover letter in PDF format, unless the advert specifically requires a different format. If the company requires a less stable format like .docx, then try to include PDF versions as well.

If you haven’t heard back after a week, follow up by phone or email. Checking on the status of your application is a quick and simple gesture that could make a real difference.

Congratulations, that’s it! Now, you know what a CV should look like and how to write a perfect CV document. Good luck!

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Being in customer service, you know how important feedback is, so was this article helpful to you? Do you now know how to write a customer service advisor or representative CV? Do you have any questions or anything you’d like to add or share? Please let me know below if you do.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

About the author

LiveCareer UK Editorial Team
LiveCareer UK Editorial Team

Since 2013, the LiveCareer UK team has shared the best advice to help you advance your career. Experts from our UK editorial team have written more than one hundred guides on how to write the perfect CV or cover letter.

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