Customer Service CV Examples & UK Templates

For anyone in the business of selling products or services, customer satisfaction may be the number one success factor. Your understanding of that, as conveyed in a compelling customer service CV, could outweigh all other hiring considerations when prospective employers are reviewing job applications. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to make it.

CV guide for a customer service CV

Boost your chances of success with Resume.io. We have a selection of guides and CV examples that cover over 150 professions. You can also use our CV builder to effortlessly create a stellar application for your next customer service job. 

This CV guide and customer service CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a customer service CV
• Choosing the right CV format for customer service
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your customer service experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design/layout
• What the customer service job market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a customer service CV

To write a good customer service CV, you need to understand which sections to include. Make sure your CV contains the following elements:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

Always tailor your CV to the job you are applying for. For instance, if you are fairly open to the industry and are applying for both retail customer service jobs and call centre roles, you should customise each version of your CV to suit the specific position and employer.

Make sure you find out all you can about the role and the company, as the expectations will vary. For instance, if you are applying to work in the Disney store as a customer service professional, you would be expected to show that you have a fun, engaging, confident demeanour and that you love kids — and Disney movies! 

However, if you are applying for a job as a customer service professional in a bank, the hiring manager will expect you to come across in a more serious, "corporate" manner. Do you understand why you must tailor your CV for every job? We hope so!

The purpose of your customer service CV is to get you to the next hiring stage — an interview. Regardless of the role, we suggest sticking to the same formula, including:

• Consider the employer and write your CV with that in mind. You may need to adapt the style depending on the company you are applying to.
• Keep it short — no more than one page.
• Focus on your accomplishments rather than merely your duties.
• Refer to relevant keywords throughout your CV to optimise it for an applicant tracking system (ATS). Your aim is to impress both recruiters and the CV scanning software.

Choosing the right CV format for customer services 

Next up, let’s talk about the CV format. It is almost always advisable to use the reverse chronological order, with your employment history taking precedence. 

The only exception is if you have very little relevant customer service experience, in which case, you may want to begin with your education. This is really a judgement call with this, which should be based on your expertise and what the employer is looking for. 

Understanding the reverse chronological order can be easy. Each section should start with your most recent education/experience and work your way back. Around 10 years is sufficient.

Take a look at our many CV templates in our CV builder and select one that suits you. We also have plenty of CV examples for different roles using each format as well. 

Don’t do anything crazy with the design. You want to opt for a simple layout that is appealing to the hiring manager. Make their job easy and you’re onto a real winner. 

Include your contact information

If you write a compelling customer service CV, the hiring manager will want to get in touch. That’s where a well-written CV header comes into play. 

Much like a business card, this section outlines your basic details and contact information. Here’s what you need to include: 

• Full name & title. Start with your first and last name, and then add the title of the role.
• Professional email address. Next, include a clean suitable for work address like [email protected].
• Phone number. Add a phone number where you can be reached. Check that the answer phone message is suitable for hiring managers to hear.
• Location. You don’t need to put your whole address. Simply add your city and country.
• LinkedIn. If you happen to have a LinkedIn profile, you should include a link to it.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Including your DOB can lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: You don’t need to include your marital status or NI number here.

Make use of a summary

The CV summary, situated at the top of your customer service CV,  is sometimes referred to as the profile or personal statement. This brief self-introduction should be enough to give the hiring manager an appetite to learn more about you. In the case of customer service, it should portray your attitude and ability to deliver excellent customer service.

Include action verbs where possible to give your summary more texture. Strong words like ‘delivered,’ ‘excelled,’ ‘transformed,’ ‘exceeded,’ etc.

Avoid using the pronoun ‘I’ in your CV summary, but do use descriptive language that includes action verbs. You should also quantify your statements, whenever you can. For example, instead of saying, ‘I have strong customer skills,' say ‘demonstrated strong customer service skills by increasing retention levels by 20%.’ 

You can find adaptable customer service example summaries below:

Outline your customer service work experience

Every journey has to start somewhere, and with your employment history, you want to encapsulate where you came from and what brought you to the place where you are applying for the role. You should use the reverse chronological approach here again.

The employment history is usually the main CV section, except for graduate roles or if you have little or no work experience. Customer service is part of every job, so even if you have not worked directly as a customer service professional, you will be able to pull out some relevant customer service experience from any job.

Always start with the most recent employment, and remember to use descriptive action words when creating bullet points highlighting your work experience.

Avoid stating the obvious within these bullet points. Here’s what you should not say as part of your customer service CV: 

• "Served customers.”
• "Worked as a team.”
• "Arrived punctually.”

While you may have done all of the above during your previous work experience, these are baseline requirements. Instead, you should focus on the impact you had, as follows: 

• “Served customers and successfully increased sales by 17%.”
• “Worked as a team to establish a new workflow and increased efficiency by 6%.”
• “Always arrived punctually and was awarded Employee of the Month.”

Many candidates merely outline previous job duties, which can be easily pulled from their job description. However, your customer service CV will stand out more if you can highlight your achievements. For example, did you improve customer retention? Have you made an impact on customer survey results? Quantifiable data is always more impressive than just rhyming off a list of responsibilities. 

Take a look at the customer service employment history CV sample below:

How to write a customer service CV with no experience

If you are new to the world of customer services, don’t panic. You can still write a compelling CV that hits the mark. Use any other experience you have as the backbone of your application. The truth is that there are many transferable skills that you will have learned in previous roles. 

You should also highlight any voluntary experience you happen to have. So, even if you lack direct experience in customer service, you can emphasise the overlapping duties. It’s important to be creative here. Draw on any experiences you do have and use them in your resume. 

Include the relevant key skills that make you a customer service worker

When writing your CV skills section, you should consider it from the perspective of the customer and what they would expect from you. If you walk into a shop, or you call a company, what do you expect them to offer you?

Most people would expect a friendly demeanour and positive interaction as the customer service professional strives to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently. This is what should come across in your CV skills section. Make the hiring manager feel that you are going to be an asset to the company and that you will aim to exceed customers’ expectations. 

You need to include both hard skills, which relate directly to your sector, and soft skills, which allow you to work with others. Hard skills may include product knowledge, technical knowledge, and how to use certain systems. Soft skills could include communication and collaboration. 

Our CV builder provides a myriad of pre-selected skills to choose from, as well as the option to upload your own. 

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our CV template for customer services.

While you should mention your key skills in this section, you can also weave them throughout the rest of the document. Make sure that you include them in various sections. If in doubt, return to the original job advert, where you can find the core competencies listed. 

Detail your education & relevant customer service certifications

Your education section is not usually as important as experience and skills with customer service roles. However, it is important to list your educational qualifications, including degrees and any diplomas or certificates you hold. 

Also make note of internships, on-the-job training and courses or workshops. This information should be listed in reverse chronological order, from highest to lowest level. There's no need to include your high school graduation if you have a bachelor's degree or higher. Here’s what you might choose to include: 

• Degrees. While you don’t have to have a degree to work in customer service, you should list it if you do have it.
• Internships. If you started out in this sector through an internship or apprenticeship, you need to include that information here.
• NVQs. You can also gain special qualifications that directly relate to customer service. For example, you may hold the NVQ Certificate/Diploma in Customer Service.
• Additional training. If you received any on-the-job training, you should list it on your CV.

Pick the right CV layout and design for a customer service CV

The number one priority for your CV is to generate an interview invitation. As such, the layout and design must be clean, well-organised, and easily read on different devices. 

It is better to stick to a simple, straightforward layout, because an overcomplicated page may be off-putting to the reader. You can use one of our CV templates and easy-to-use builder tool for professional, field-tested results. 

Customer services text-only CV example

Customer service job market and outlook

In the wake of the pandemic and Brexit, the UK suffered a worker shortage in customer services. However, now the market has normalised. That is to say that there are plenty of jobs available in this sector. Now is the ideal time to spruce up your CV and start applying. 

What type of salary you can expect in customer services

According to Talent.com, the average salary for a customer service role in the UK is £22,308. However, this amount will differ depending on the industry in which you work. Similarly, many customer service roles are based on commission and bonuses, too. 

Key takeaways for building a customer service CV

Put yourself in the shoes of customers and what they might expect when communicating with you. Use a clean, streamlined design without any gimmicks. Structure your customer service CV to best suit the position and employer, and use relevant keywords. Our adaptable CV example specifically for customer service representatives can give you insight into each section.

If you need some extra help, take a look at our online CV builder. Create a winning application in no time.