In today’s fast-paced world, people need more help. For example, things keep breaking down all the time. As a result, more people are turning to home appliance and housekeeping repair services. There are also several areas where assistance is needed. These include booking hotels, insurance coverage, filing taxes, booking airline tickets and more.
As a result, the consumer services field continues to grow. If you’re interested in a career change, you might want to jump aboard this ship. In fact, most of the best-paying jobs are in consumer services. But first things first: what is considered consumer services?
What’s Considered a Customer Service Job?
The consumer services sector offers several services to end consumers. It refers to services businesses can sell to individuals. In this industry, these services are intangible valuable goods, which include a process, outcome or experience. Consumer service is often mixed up with consumer-oriented service; the former offers services to end customers while the latter sells products to end customers.
Some of the most common areas that require consumer services are:
- Games
- Media
- Technology
- Arts and entertainment
- Hospitality
- Transport
- Trade
- Real estate
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Leisure
- Finance
What Are the Best Paying Jobs in Consumer Services?
So, what is the highest-paid customer service job? We’ve narrowed down your search by listing the best-paying jobs in consumer services.
Bank Teller
One of the best things about the bank teller position is that it’s an entry-level job that anyone with a high school diploma can apply for. If you’ve always wanted to work in the banking industry or in finance, the bank teller position is a good first step.
Bank tellers are responsible for customer services. They are responsible for the following tasks:
- Assisting with loan applications and opening new accounts
- Completing account transactions for clients
- Selling traveler’s checks, cashier checks and series-e bonds
- Upselling and cross-selling the bank’s services and products
On average, a bank teller can make $59,000 per year. Their base pay stands at $32,617 per year. Wells Fargo is one of the banks that pay the most for their bank tellers ($19/hour).
Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives (CSRs) are the frontliners of any consumer service team. They directly interact with customers, ensuring that the latter’s queries are answered. As a CSR, your job is also to make sure that clients are happy with their products and services.
You must also help them resolve their issues. Customer service representatives answer consumer queries via phone calls, websites, social media and emails. Once you’ve gained enough skills and experience, you can be promoted to account manager roles.
A customer service representative can make $53,219 per year; that’s $15.24 per hour. Some of the most common benefits received by CSRs include a cash bonus ($2,000 per year) and commission ($7,500 per year).
Receptionist
If you’re good at interacting with people, why not apply for a receptionist job? With a median salary of $37,000 per year, receptionists are paid to man the front desk and directly interact with clients. They are in charge of greeting customers, answering questions, documenting complaints and directing customers to the right people.
While many receptionist jobs are in the corporate field, you can still work in the medical field as a medical receptionist. You can earn an average salary of $38,000 per year while working for hospitals, private practices and clinics. Your tasks include sending appointment reminders, scheduling appointments, answering phones, checking patients and other clerical duties.
Service Manager
This position is usually considered a middle management position. As a service manager, your role is to manage service delivery. Service managers are also involved in supporting, coordinating and training the service delivery workers. They also ensure that the end-users of the service enjoy a positive and smooth experience. On top of that, they implement and define the best practices to help the business stay one step ahead of its competitors.
Service managers usually make around $95,000, but the range of their salary falls between $83,000 and $111,000.
Concierge
If you have good communication skills and would like to work in a hotel, consider becoming a concierge. Concierges work for different clients; in some cases, they work with celebrities and other VIPs. Their list of tasks includes helping out with meetings and errands, as well as managing the schedules of their bosses. They are also in charge of welcoming guests, confirming reservations and showing guests around the area.
A concierge can make $42,804 per year and $15.82 per hour. They can receive up to $70 worth of tips per day (or more, depending on the clients they serve). In terms of benefits, they are eligible for 401(k) and insurance.
Market Researcher
Any company needs a deep understanding of its market and consumers. This is where a market researcher becomes extremely valuable. Market researchers are in charge of analyzing their target market’s consumption patterns and market habits. Their analysis influences the design of products and services.
In 2020, market research analysts made a median salary of $65,000. The best-paid researchers were paid $90,000 per year.
Is Consumer Services a Good Career Path?
In general, the consumer service industry is a promising path for job seekers. One of the best parts about starting in the consumer service field is you can start small. With hard work and training, you can flourish in your career and be promoted to higher positions. Before you know it, you could become the director of the user experience or vice president of customer success.
If you need more convincing, here are five reasons to pursue a career in this field.
- It’s a low-entry level. You don’t need a formal education to start in this field. All you need is the right set of soft skills and a desire to interact with people.
- You’re guaranteed career progression. Once you enter this sector, you have many opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Enjoy the transferable professional experience. Understanding customers is a trade of its own. It can also directly impact the success of a company. So, even if you start at an entry-level job, you will still gain valuable experience that you can use for many other jobs.
- You’ll be working in an always relevant industry. As long as there are service providers, you’ll always have a job. Since consumer behaviors change regularly, it’ll be your job to keep up and help your businesses to adjust.
- You’ll have the opportunity to work with big names in the industry. Many companies are in the consumer service industry. You have the chance to work with the following big names:
- McDonald’s
- Starbucks
- Walmart
- Amazon
- Target
- Home Depot
- Costco
- Comcast
- Uber
- FedEx
As long as they are service providers, there will always be a need for consumer services. So, if you want to work in an industry that is always relevant and changing, consider becoming a part of this sector.
