Occupations · Office and Administrative Support
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-4051.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 62% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $48,890 | 132,090 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $42,300 | 99,290 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $45,820 | 81,630 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $44,400 | 69,410 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $42,320 | 69,310 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $47,370 | 66,800 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $38,810 | 65,550 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $39,310 | 64,180 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $45,280 | 47,010 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $48,030 | 42,840 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $49,060 | 41,150 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $44,800 | 37,150 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills.
- 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.
- Review insurance policy terms to determine whether a particular loss is covered by insurance.
- Solicit sales of new or additional services or products.
- Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods.
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 4 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 54
No longer listed 25
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| customer service representative | 4225.1 | exact |
| live chat operator | 4222.1.1 | close |
| customer contact centre information clerk | 4222.1 | close |
| railway passenger service agent | 5112.2 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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