Customer Service Representatives

Customer service has been a part of business for many years; however, the formal title of customer service representative is relatively new. In 1984, the International Customer Service Association established Customer Service Week to recognize and promote customer service.

As the world moves toward a more global and competitive economic market, customer service, along with quality control, has taken a front seat in the business world. Serving customers and serving them well is more important now than ever before.

Customer service is about communication, so the progress in customer service can be tied closely to the progress in the communication industry. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, he probably did not envision the customer service lines, automated response messages, and toll-free phone numbers that now help customer service representatives do their jobs.

The Internet has also helped companies serve and communicate with their customers in another way. From the simple e-mail complaint form to online help files, companies are using the Internet to provide better customer service. Many companies also have online chat capabilities and use social media to communicate with customers.

An increasing number of basic customer service interactions are being automated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and other technologies. This has reduced demand for lower-level customer service representatives.