Customer service skills apply in healthcare, retail, hospitality, trades and offices, and they are often what gets someone hired for a first job.
How to start building it
- Practice active listening and repeating back what someone needs
- Learn to calm upset customers and set clear expectations
- Know the products or services in your field well enough to answer questions
Careers that rely on customer service
Customer Service Representative
Help customers solve problems by phone, chat and email, and keep them coming back.
- Typical training: 2–6 weeks (paid training)
Receptionist
Greet visitors, answer phones and keep the front desk running smoothly.
- Typical training: 1–2 weeks on the job
Hotel Front Desk Agent
Welcome hotel guests, check them in and solve problems during their stay.
- Typical training: 1–2 weeks
Medical Administrative Assistant
Run the front office of a clinic or hospital unit: scheduling, check-in, insurance and records.
- Typical training: 3–12 months
Retail Sales Associate
Help shoppers find what they need and keep stores running smoothly.
- Typical training: 1–2 weeks
Bank Teller
Help bank customers with deposits, withdrawals and everyday banking.
- Typical training: A few weeks on the job
Barista
Make coffee drinks and serve customers at cafes and coffee shops.
- Typical training: 1–2 weeks
Home Health Aide
Help older adults and people with disabilities live safely and comfortably at home.
- Typical training: 2–6 weeks
Majors that build customer service skills
- Medical Assisting
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Finance
- Real Estate
- Insurance and Risk Management
- Sales and Merchandising
Training that builds customer service
A self-paced online course on what retail sales associates do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: product knowledge, POS operation, and merchandising
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
A self-paced online course on what customer service representatives do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: CRM and ticketing systems, product and policy knowledge, and typing and multitasking
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
A self-paced online course on what receptionists do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: multi-line phone systems, scheduling software, and data entry
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
A self-paced online course on what medical administrative assistants do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: patient scheduling, insurance eligibility verification, and electronic health records (EHR)
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
A self-paced online course on what hotel front desk agents do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: property management systems, reservations, and payment processing
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
A self-paced online course on what bank tellers do: duties, 15+ key terms, step-by-step tasks, tools, safety and how to launch the career.
Skills you build: cash handling, transaction processing, and fraud detection
Why it fits: Customer service is central to this job.
Customer service skills: frequently asked questions
Why are customer service skills important?
Customer service skills apply in healthcare, retail, hospitality, trades and offices, and they are often what gets someone hired for a first job.
How can I improve my customer service skills?
Practice active listening and repeating back what someone needs. Learn to calm upset customers and set clear expectations. Know the products or services in your field well enough to answer questions.
Is customer service a hard skill or a soft skill?
Customer service is usually considered a soft skill: it shapes how you work with people and apply your knowledge, and it transfers to almost every job.
Which careers need customer service skills?
Careers that rely on them include customer service representative, receptionist, hotel front desk agent, medical administrative assistant, retail sales associate, bank teller, barista, and home health aide.
Which college majors build customer service skills?
Majors that list them among their core skills include Medical Assisting, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Finance, Real Estate, Insurance and Risk Management, and Sales and Merchandising.
How do I show customer service skills on a resume?
Give specific examples: a situation, what you did, the tools or methods you used and the result. Add related training, certificates or projects.
How long does it take to build customer service skills?
You can learn the basics in weeks with focused study and practice. Strong skills come from using them regularly over months and years, on the job, in classes or in projects.
Can I learn customer service skills online?
Yes, you can start online. Career Education Institute trainings that build them include Retail Sales Associate Training, Customer Service Representative Training, and Receptionist Training. Practice with real tasks makes them stick.