Customer service is one facet of the economy that is growing steadily, and job prospects are very good. Customer-service jobs are plentiful in the private sector, but the government has lots of opportunities as well. Many of these jobs are at the state and local level. You might, for example, find yourself fielding complaints about tickets in a traffic-control office. Or you might be a person's first point of contact at one of the agencies in a state's department of human services.

You may be involved in fielding routine requests and general problems and complaints, or you may specialize in solving specific issues. You will have a headset and be sitting in front of a computer screen, and most questions and issues can be resolved by looking up the customer's information in the database. In other instances, further research and a return call may be necessary. If you cannot resolve the issue, or if the customer is unreasonable, you may have to bump the issue to a supervisor, who can deal with the issue and is authorized to make changes or issue refunds or do any number of things an entry-level customer-service person cannot.

Working in Call Centers

Most customer-service representatives work in what are called customer contact centers or call centers. Their environment is a cubicle, and the tools of their trade are a telephone, headset, and a computer. Some call centers are open around the clock, seven days a week, or at least beyond regular business hours. That means there are many shifts available, including weekends. About 20 percent of customer-service representatives work part-time, and many work from home, the calls being forwarded to their home telephone numbers.

Call centers are a hectic environment. They are often crowded and noisy. Combine this with the monotony and repetition of the work, and the occasional disagreeable customer, and you can see that customer-service representatives are in a stressful environment. If that's not enough to heighten your heart rate, keep in mind that most of your calls will be recorded. Many a customer service representative has found himself or herself called into the supervisor's office after a call to review his or her performance.

There are also quotas that are supposed to be achieved during the course of a business day. Representatives are coached on how to get the caller off the line as quickly as possible while still ensuring customer satisfaction. It is a delicate balancing act that does not always work.

When you are confronted with an irate caller, you will be taught to keep your cool at all costs. Do your best to accommodate his needs. If all else fails, call your supervisor to deal with the person.

Qualifications and Advancement

Most customer-service jobs require at least a high school diploma, though more and more are requiring an associate or a bachelor's degree. A working knowledge of computers and software systems is required. Training is usually provided for the company's particular system. The ability to speak English well is important, and if you are bilingual, your chances of getting a good job definitely increase.

Job Outlook

Customer service is one industry with more jobs than job seekers. It is one of the easier jobs to get, if you are willing to comply with and endure the above description of what it takes. Employment in this job will increase steadily over the next decade. There is a downside to this — a controversial and unpopular trend known as “outsourcing” or “off-shoring.” Many American companies are shutting down their call centers in the United States and opening them overseas, primarily in India.

With current technology, an American business can have people halfway around the world fielding its calls, and pay them pennies on the dollar of what American workers earn. From a corporation's perspective, this is good business sense. For the American job seeker, it is an unfortunate practice. So far, however, the government has chosen not to outsource its customer-service jobs.