Career profile for Customer Service Supervisor

What does a Customer Service Supervisor do?

Customer Service Supervisors directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers.

In addition, Customer Service Supervisors may perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

What kind of tasks does a Customer Service Supervisor perform regularly?

Customer Service Supervisors are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.
Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.
Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.
Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel.
Hire, train, and evaluate personnel.
Keep records pertaining to purchases, sales, and requisitions.
Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.
Plan and prepare work schedules, and assign employees to specific duties.
Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments.

The above responsibilities are specific to Customer Service Supervisors. More generally, Customer Service Supervisors are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates		Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
Coaching and Developing Others		Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates

Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Coaching and Developing Others

Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

What is a Customer Service Supervisor salary?

The median salary for a Customer Service Supervisor is $78,560, and the average salary is $90,120. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Customer Service Supervisor salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Customer Service Supervisors earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Customer Service Supervisors earn less than $44,860 per year, 25% earn less than $58,850, 75% earn less than $109,050, and 90% earn less than $151,790.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Customer Service Supervisors is expected to change by -5.0%, and there should be roughly 30,600 open positions for Customer Service Supervisors every year.

Median annual salary: $78,560
Typical salary range: $44,860 - $151,790
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): -5.0%

What personality traits are common among Customer Service Supervisors?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Customer Service Supervisor are usually higher in their Enterprising, Conventional, and Social interests.

Customer Service Supervisors typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Customer Service Supervisors typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Lastly, Customer Service Supervisors typically have moderate Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Customer Service Supervisor tend to value Independence, Working Conditions, and Relationships.

Most importantly, Customer Service Supervisors strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Customer Service Supervisors strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Customer Service Supervisors strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Customer Service Supervisors must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, integrity, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Customer Service Supervisors, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Leadership		Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Leadership

Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

What education and training do Customer Service Supervisors need?

Many Customer Service Supervisors will have a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Customer Service Supervisors usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Educational degrees among Customer Service Supervisors

5.1% did not complete high school or secondary school
21.0% completed high school or secondary school
22.5% completed some college coursework
9.1% earned a Associate's degree
31.7% earned a Bachelor's degree
9.2% earned a Master's degree
1.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Customer Service Supervisors

Customer Service Supervisors may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, administration and management, or personnel and human resources knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Customer Service Supervisors might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Personnel and Human Resources		Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Economics and Accounting		Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Sales and Marketing		Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Economics and Accounting

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Important Abilities needed by Customer Service Supervisors

Customer Service Supervisors must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Customer Service Supervisors need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and speech recognition in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Customer Service Supervisors, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Recognition		The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Speech Clarity		The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Speech Recognition

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Critical Skills needed by Customer Service Supervisors

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Customer Service Supervisors frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and monitoring to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Customer Service Supervisors, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Management of Personnel Resources		Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Social Perceptiveness		Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Customer Service Supervisor

Customer Service Supervisor

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