WHAT DOES A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE DO?
Updated: Jun 26, 2025 - The Customer Service Representative provides exceptional support to both internal and external customers by managing inquiries, processing orders, and ensuring timely communication of product availability, pricing, and delivery schedules. This position coordinates cross-departmentally to handle returns, issue credits, resolve shipment or invoicing problems, and escalate quality concerns for swift resolution. This role adheres to company policies and procedures to maintain service standards and support overall business objectives in revenue and profitability.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Customer Service Representative
1. Customer Service Representative Duties
- Order Processing: Process customer orders/changes/returns according to established department policies and procedures
- Inventory Checking: Check and confirm stock levels, ship dates, catalog pricing, deviated pricing, vendor availability, etc.
- Material Knowledge: Working knowledge of materials and applications
- Return Resolution: Work closely with management to resolve returns and credit items
- Quote Follow-up: Follow up on quotes and samples
- Customer Solutions: Offer customers alternative solutions for products
- Timely Execution: Perform all functions in a timely and professional manner
- Customer Service: Handle customer orders, quotes, and inquiries on the phone and at the order desk
2. Customer Service Representative Details
- Customer Support: Answer all customer service inquiries received via email & phone daily
- Order Entry: Input wholesale orders into the accounting system & send wholesale orders to the warehouse daily
- Online Orders: Receive & process Amazon Vendor Central, Wayfair, & other online retailer orders weekly/biweekly as they come in
- Order Sending: Send daily website orders to the warehouse via email
- Payment Processing: Receive & deposit payments
- Invoicing Customers: Invoice all wholesale customers via the accounting system
- Customer Growth: Maintain and grow the current customer base
- Relationship Building: Develop strong customer & vendor relationships
- Service Excellence: Strive for the highest level of customer service
- Policy Compliance: Uphold company initiatives & policies internally
- Team Support: Support all branch personnel
3. Customer Service Representative Responsibilities
- Order Processing: Update existing orders and process incoming orders via phone, fax, and email
- Return Facilitation: Work with customers to facilitate product returns
- Customer Education: Educate customers on the product and the process
- Issue Resolution: Handle, research, and resolve customer questions and/or issues via phone, email, and fax
- Sales Support: Assist Sales Managers and Representatives with orders and customer needs
- Data Assistance: Assist Data Manager with updates and projects
- Finance Support: Work with the Finance Team to provide support
- Team Support: Provide support to the Sales Support associates
- Call Management: Deliver against sales and service goals by managing outgoing and incoming customer calls
- Customer Advice: Provide best-in-class support for customers looking for purchasing advice, product information, price quotes or to place an order
4. Customer Service Representative Responsibilities
- Customer Contact: Point of contact for incoming customer communications, including monitoring customer service emails via SalesForce, phone line and online chat feature
- Question Handling: Answer customer questions, including researching the correct answer
- Interaction Logging: Document customer interactions using CRM solution (Salesforce)
- Problem Resolution: Resolving product or service problems by clarifying the customer's complaint, determining the cause of the problem
- Solution Selection: Selecting and explaining the best solution to solve the problem
- Follow-up Management: Following up to ensure resolution
- Escalation Assessment: Accurately determine the need for escalation for specific customer issues/complaints
- Issue Reporting: Alert management when new issues arise or become more frequent using issue databases
- Team Assistance: Aid other team members on miscellaneous office tasks or projects
- Issue Analysis: Analyze the request and solve the issues
- Invoice Support: Answer questions on invoices
5. Customer Service Representative Functions
- Chat Handling: Handle high volume online chats with customers regarding a variety of inquiries, including order status, product questions, school/store questions, and requests for refunds
- User Interaction: Manage direct user interaction with Prep Sportswear with a positive and professional brand experience for the customer
- Experience Design: Create a clear, consistent, and compelling experience across all customer touchpoints, from helping a customer navigate the website to answering order status questions
- Team Collaboration: Participate in team conversations to improve the customer experience and willingness to take on special projects
- Relationship Management: Relationship building and follow-up from the initial call through delivery and including resolving issues that may arise after order delivery or within the vendor’s warranty period
- Product Promotion: Introduction and promotion of all new products and services
- Database Management: Very diverse customer base, customer database management, and maintenance, updates on product pricing and descriptions for the eCommerce website
- Customer Courtesy: Respond appropriately with courtesy and patience to customers with varying personalities and levels of comprehension
- Issue Resolution: Answer questions or follow up with a phone call or email to ensure a resolution to all customer questions
- Professional Conduct: Act in a professional and courteous manner in all client interactions
6. Customer Service Representative Job Description
- Customer Support: Provide world-class customer support to both internal and external customers while maintaining complete awareness of all matters affecting a defined region of customers
- Policy Compliance: Follows all internal policies and procedures to help meet company goals for revenue growth and profitability
- Customer Communication: Communicates directly with customers and outside sales representatives via phone and email to represent the company and obtain orders
- Pricing Authority: Advises customers of availability, price, and terms in line with standard parameters; exercises limited authority in pricing to meet competitive pressures
- Coordination Skills: Coordinates with other departments to quote lead times and delivery dates for products that are not in stock
- Order Processing: Accurately processes all customer requests including orders received via phone, fax, or electronically from reps, distributors, OEMs & internal sales personnel
- Returns Management: Returns material authorizations and credit requests in the appropriate database
- Follow-up Actions: Follows up with other departments to ensure delivery dates are met, and proactively communicates delayed shipments to customers
- Problem Resolution: Resolves problems with shipments or invoicing; issues return authorizations and enters replacement orders
- Quality Escalation: Issues quality notifications and escalates to appropriate team members for analysis and correction
- Credit Coordination: Coordinates with production, engineering, and accounting departments for the processing of credits
- Issue Escalation: Ensures issues are escalated to managers for prompt investigation and action
7. Customer Service Representative Overview
- Customer Assistance: Assisting customers by answering inquiries about the company's offered services, providing submission processing information
- Cross-Department: Works closely with other departments to ensure overall customer satisfaction by providing a superior customer experience
- Call Handling: Answers incoming phone calls via the multiline telephone system
- Correspondence Preparation: Prepares and provides internal and external written correspondence via email
- Account Support: Assist customers, dealers and submission centers with accounts and submissions
- Product Inquiry: Answers customer inquiries about products and services offered
- Product Recommendation: Makes recommendations to customers to provide optimal product satisfaction
- Account Maintenance: Assists with the maintenance of customer accounts by recording product and submission records
- Feedback Analysis: Collects customer feedback and makes recommendations of potential products and/or services to management by analyzing customer needs
- Report Preparation: Prepares product and/or service reports by collecting and analyzing customer information
- Document Management: Sending of relevant documents and financial details, input and follow-up
- System Creation: Creation of Customer in Cards Management System (SAP)
8. Customer Service Representative Tasks
- Customer Communication: Communicate over the phone and email with retail customers, vendors and other personnel for website orders
- Order Resolution: Responsible for resolving customer's orders via email, phone calls and other streams of business
- Inquiry Research: Research the best method to resolve each customer inquiry
- Question Response: Respond to inbound customer questions regarding products and services
- Policy Review: Review company records, policies and procedures to provide answers to customer questions
- Data Tracking: Use the company's internal system to track requested data
- Information Retrieval: Use calculators and the internet to retrieve answers to certain customer questions
- Product Updates: Inform customers of new product offerings if relevant to their questions
- Product Advising: Advises customers on the use and application of products
- Product Comparison: Cross-references B-Line products with competitor’s products
- Upselling Suggestion: Suggests add-on products to the customer’s order
9. Customer Service Representative Roles
- Problem Resolution: Resolve product or service problems by clarifying customer's complaint, determining the root cause, explaining the best solution, expediting necessary corrective action and following up to ensure resolution
- Call Handling: Answer all incoming phone calls and tend to customer inquiries with warmth, humor and accurate information
- Issue Identification: Identify wrinkles and help smooth them out
- Customer Attraction: Attracts potential customers by answering product and service questions and making recommendations
- Order Assistance: Assist customers with placing online orders, problem-solving and account issues
- Complaint Tracking: Keep track of all product, delivery and general customer complaints
- Feedback Reporting: Recommends product improvements and passes on customer feedback to management
- Package Tracking: Track all packages and ensure they arrive at the final destination
- Customer Courtesy: Treat each customer in a courteous, personable and professional manner
- Greeting Customers: Greet and answer every question
- Service Excellence: Ensure that all customers receive a world-class customer service experience
- Administrative Support: Perform miscellaneous administrative, data entry and other activities
10. Customer Service Representative Additional Details
- Order Entry: Enters orders into the ERP system and reschedules deliveries
- Price Processing: Processes price inquiries, determines the correct price, delivery date, and notifies scheduling of orders
- Sales Support: Services the Sales Staff by relaying messages to and from Customers and notifying salesmen of any orders, complaints, or changes concerning accounts and customers
- Complaint Handling: Receives and enters Customer complaints into the system
- Customer Assurance: Assures Customer of quick response
- Account Coordination: Coordinates appropriate credits, price changes, and adjustments to Customer accounts
- Return Coordination: Coordinates the return of rejected material to the proper plant
- Documentation Maintenance: Maintains Customer purchase orders and order change documentation
- Backup Support: Back up for Distribution Coordinator and Customer Service Supervisor