People expect a lot from customer service representatives.
In a recent analysis of the customer service industry, 88% of customers said that a company’s customer service was as important as the product or services it provides.
In the face of rising service expectations, customer service employers are under increasing pressure to find employees who can balance speed and service quality.
So if you’re applying for a UK customer service job in 2023, you need to know how to write a perfect CV in a way that best emphasises your strengths.
Thankfully, if you follow these six tips, you’ll be ready to hit Submit on your application in no time:
1. Use proper CV formatting
The easiest way to properly lay out your CV is to put your information into a CV template. A professional CV template (or your made-from-scratch document) should have:
- 1.27–2.5 cm margins to fill the page with information
- a recommended CV font set to between 10 and 12 points for headers and body text
- 1–1.5 spacing between lines
- a header with your name in bolded, extra-large text, and your contact information
- a personal statement (2–3 sentences or bullet points) that summarises your most marketable skills
- an education section that includes your most recent degree title and relevant A-level and/or GCSE results
- a work experience section with your top skills and achievements outlined in bullet points
- a bulleted hobbies and interests section
2. Make your achievements shine with data
Other applicants to your target position will fill their CVs with their customer service accomplishments. Make your achievements stand out by describing them with data and examples.
Here’s some data and examples to put on your customer service CV:
- Customer satisfaction rates
- Number of calls, chats, emails, and in-person customers dealt with daily
- Number of people managed or trained
- Amount of money handled daily
- Examples of times you resolved customer issues
- Examples of times you calmed angry customers
Place your relevant data and examples in your CV’s personal statement and work experience section.
Here’s a good customer service CV sample that includes key data:
NEXT, Leeds
Customer Service Manager, Jan 2020–Present
- Direct a cross-functional team of 15+ customer service associates and representatives while setting personal and team sales goals
- Ensure positive shopping experience for all clients, increasing customer satisfaction rate by 35%
- Collaborate with the supervisor to train associates on how to handle escalated problems, reducing customer escalation rate by 15%
- Introduced incentive programs and effective customer service strategies, decreasing employee turnover by 7%
3. Identify the right industry skills
Customer service jobs require both hard skills (showing what you’ve learned from practical job experience and training) as well as soft skills (describing how you interact with others in a workplace setting). Here are some of the top skills for your CV:
- Communication skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Foreign language skills
- Empathy
- Problem solving skills
- Typing skills (WPM, accuracy)
- Computer skills
- Cloud computing (Google Drive)
- Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
- Memorising skills
- Customer service software (Salesforce and Zendesk)
- Chat software (LiveChat and Freshdesk)
- Management skills
- Delegation
- Collaboration
Before you add skills willy-nilly to your CV, read the job advert again to see which hard or soft skills the employer values most. If you have those skills, include them throughout your CV.
4. Emphasise your customer service skills on your CV
Knowing which skills to put on your CV is critical to making your customer service CV effective — but only if you know how to promote your skills to employers.
Employers want to see more than just “customer service” listed on your key skills section. They want to know which customer service skills you offer and how these skills will benefit their team if they hire you.
Here are three ways you can convince employers that you provide great customer support:
1. Give specific examples: Point out what your customer service skills have achieved in the past by giving examples in your personal statement and work experience sections. For example, “Maintained customer satisfaction rating of over 95% by providing friendly, personable service.”
2. Use customer service action verbs: Words like “guided,” “solved,” and “assisted” help communicate your ability to put customers at ease and address their problems, and can make your work experience bullet points more impactful.
3. Emphasise your language skills: If you speak a second (or third) language that is essential to the position, emphasise it on your CV. Even if the job only uses English, language skills can still be an attractive quality on a customer service CV because they indicate strong communication skills and cultural sensitivity — both of which are vital to successful customer service.
5. Write your personal statement last
Your personal statement (also known as a CV ‘About Me’ or CV personal profile) goes at the top of your CV under the header. However, you should write it last. Here’s why:
The first part of your CV the employer reads is your personal statement. Therefore, your summary should only include your most relevant skills and achievements as a short introduction.
If you write your education, work experience, and additional sections first, you can easily pick out the best information to put in your personal statement.
Tailor your personal statement to the specific role by cherry picking parts of your work experience that emphasise your customer service expertise.
For example, this personal statement is a perfect match for a customer service role:
Highly motivated customer service supervisor with 5+ years of experience in the retail industry. Proven record of coaching and mentoring frontline employees, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction. Skilled in conflict resolution and managing high-pressure situations. Seeking a management position at a retailer that shares my drive to provide personable, attentive service.
6. Proofread for grammar mistakes and typos
A single grammar error or misused homonym could spell the end of your candidacy. Ensure your spelling and grammar is watertight by following these steps:
- Proofread your CV, carefully reading every word and evaluating every punctuation mark
- Ask a friend to proofread your CV with their unbiased eyes
- Proofread again to ensure any changes your friend made are error-free
7. Connect your experience to the job with an accompanying cover letter
Customer service roles employ a number of soft skills that can be hard to demonstrate fully in a CV.
Writing a customer service cover letter can help you give context to your soft skills and specify how your experience will be helpful to the employer. Additionally, cover letters allow you to showcase your personality, which helps the employer determine whether you’ll be a good culture fit for their team.
