Customer service is a booming sector. With the rise in the complexity of goods and services delivered to the average consumer, they are in dire need to connect with a professional with adequate knowledge of the said items.
A customer service supervisor is a middle management job in a wide range of sectors, from consumer electronics products to automobiles and beyond. Professionals with the necessary education and skills can make a great career out of this if they play their cards right.
Composing a great resume is a start in the right direction. It requires both art and science to devise a winning structure for a resume and stick to it.
In this article, we will go through the required skills and expected responsibilities of the role along with the best practices for resume preparation. Then, we will top this off with an example resume.
Core & Soft Skills In Customer Service Supervisor Role
No matter customer service supervisors have worked in a technology-intensive environment or not, they need to have certain skills and capabilities to handle the workflow.
In terms of core skills; supervisors should have;
- Computer and IT literacy since most of the processes and operations in organizations are automated
- Either a conventional degree in the relevant field or at least 5 years of experience in a competitive environment
- Software handling experience for scheduling and streamlining operations, such as MS Excel, employee timetable tools, etc.
- Time management and punctuality to sort out issues in a commensurate fashion
- People skills to create an inclusive and friendly environment for workers
- Target management and achievement mindset to grow with the company
- The brain and the brawn to manage multiple projects at the same time
Keep in mind that these are conventional concepts of skills. Many organizations use specialized terms and nomenclature to denote similar skills.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Knowing the tasks is one thing, but supervising the whole train of operations and processes with multiple workers is another thing. Customer service supervisors often have to face extreme pressures in terms of customer complaints and managing issues within limited resources. For a better picture, you can think of the Amazon Customer Support office during the Amazon Prime Sales.
The point is that individuals must have duality in their game plan. They must plan for the torrent of issues beforehand and even then, they must have the flexibility to accommodate any uncounted complaints and queries.
This requires professionals to have a cool and calm demeanor with a responsible and friendly attitude.
These days, companies are more concerned about how a professional goes about his supervisory responsibilities and handles pressure. They also keep tabs on team relations and prefer those who can lead from the front but keep the rest of the team with them.
Detailing Computer & IT Skills On A Resume
As mentioned in the earlier sections, employers look for supervisors who already know specialized and general software. For instance, in a hotel industry company, a customer service supervisor must have at least hands-on experience with providing a holistic experience to a guest, from booking a room to other on and off-site amenities. The same is true for other industries and lines of work as well.
Those professionals who have extensive experience in the industry should detail their computer and IT skills in their resumes. It is best to mention the proprietary platforms by name and purpose in their relevant experience sections. This will help recruiters to better understand the level of your candidacy for the job.
Highlighting Soft Skills On Customer Service Supervisor CV
Soft skills are the intangible qualities and capabilities of a person that are not easily quantifiable. Still, they are observed and seen by putting those individuals in certain conditions.
It would not be an overstatement to say that customer service supervisors can use more of their soft skills than core skills in their day-to-day obligations. Since they have to deal with multiple coworkers and clients at the same time, they are more required to have a cool and calm personality than having the advanced knowledge of a software but quick temper.
Soft skills are countless, to say the least. They are spanning over multiple areas and domains, from problem-solving and team player to being ethical and trusted to complete a job within a stipulated time and budget.
Employers are always on the lookout for individuals who can add value through their expertise and personality. So, adding and even showcasing your soft skills in your resume is the right thing to do.
Making The Most Of Each Previous Job
Merely describing the experience on a resume can meet the bare minimum but it is not optimized. Professionals should come up with catchy yet accurate phrases and terms to highlight how they have earned the experience at the previous job and how they can add value to the current one.
For that, instead of writing paragraphs and hard-to-follow lines, it is best to stick with the bullets. Apart from a forceful message, they offer a visually attractive element to the resume.
As a rule of thumb, aspirants should add four to five bullets with each experience, highlighting;
- What they did
- When they did
- How they did
- What they learned
In the previous experience. This will not only make the section scannable but also convey all the necessary information without clogging the flow.
Getting Schools & Academic Qualifications In A Resume
This is rather straightforward since it becomes a distant past, especially after five to seven years of experience. Still, it is a part of the customer service supervisor’s resume and we will go through the nuances and show you the best way to do it.
According to experts, the best way to do it is to keep it simple with a repeatable pattern. Start with school name and location, and then the degree earned and its timeline in years. For aspirants who have more than one degree, it is best to mention only the most recent one or the one that is most relevant to the role.
The idea here is to give a glimpse of the academic life to the recruiters without taking much time.
Adding Value To Overall Industry Experience
The job market is not anymore what it used to be and is getting competitive with each passing year. Both recruiters and professionals are scrambling to get a piece of the same pie but only the most prepared and brightest individuals will get a shot.
The best thing to do with a resume, especially after five to seven years of experience, is to show the employers that the aspirant has all that it takes to be the best. Since experience speaks much louder than years spent attending college, candidates can and should work on that section.
Here are some best practices;
- Using rigorous terms and phrases in the relevant places, replacing worked with steered or handled
- Consider each role and position as an accomplishment and use stats to prove why that is so
- Aim for quality over quantity
- Showcase your ability to add value in each role
Since managers have only seconds to skim through the resumes for a particular position, it is best to stay on track with a firm stance to improve the odds of interview calls and invitations for further discussion.
The Ideal Resume?
Candidates can find many sources online that would trumpet the ideal resume. This needs a little myth-busting. First, there is no ideal resume because there are only two kinds. One that can get you interview calls and invitations and then the ones that cannot do so.
It is necessary to keep in mind that the goal of composing and researching a resume is to get the ball rolling – getting callbacks and interview invitations from managers. If a resume cannot achieve that feat, no matter how visually attractive and rich in content that is, it is not a good resume, let alone perfect.
Instead of going for lofty claims or infographics in your resume, it is best to go after a holistic approach. In this way, every element of the resume will support the candidate for the said position.
Practical Tips To Make Your CV Better
Whether you are a seasoned professional with around a decade of industry experience or a young aspiring candidate to earn precious skills and experience in a high-paced environment, a well-researched and superbly composed CV can do the trick for you.
In that spirit, here are some practical tips and hacks for you to add value to your customer service supervisor resume:
- The best length of a resume is a single page. Still, professionals with extensive experience may have to go one more
- In case you don’t have ample experience, it is best to showcase your educational history and academic qualifications
- Both core and soft skills should be highlighted in relevant places
- Resume formatting should be consistent and standard. It should give out the impression that the bearer is a highly organized and efficient person
- A demonstration can take you places. Scene out how you helped former employers with customer service issues and demands
Keep in mind that these are tested tips by experts. If you think you can do something outlandish and secure a job offer, feel free to go ahead.
Resume Template For Customer Service Supervisor Jobs
To illustrate our point of a well-researched and superbly written resume, here is an example of a customer service supervisor’s CV. You can customize it according to your credentials to improve your chances of interview calls and invitations.
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Header
- Name
- Address (if applicable)
- Contact Information (email, phone)
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Professional Summary
Trained and expert customer service supervisor committed to providing timely and excellent services. Extensive experience of working in a call center for a leading automobile company for 15 years. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills on top of multitasking and management chops. Adept in problem-solving and project management with a firm but friendly leadership persona. Inclined to produce superb results without compromising quality and high standards.
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Skills
- Superb communication and negotiation skills
- Mediation and conflict management
- Multitasking with no loss of quality
- Exceptional ability to satisfy customers
- Ability to stay friendly and composed during the crisis
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Work Experience
Customer Service Supervisor (March 2010 – Present)
- Oversee a team of 45 employees for the customer service center
- Review standards and policies to improve service delivery during issues and grievances
- Have over 98% resolution rate through apt management of calls and complaints avoiding backlogs
Customer Service Representative (August 2006 – March 2010)
- Handled calls and assisted customers with technical and vehicle delivery issues
- Listened and prioritized clients’ calls and streamlined processes for quick resolution
- Recruited as customer service supervisor after demonstrating superlative management and leadership capabilities
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Academic History
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (2001 – 2005)
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA 19104)
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Interests & Hobbies
I am interested in hiking and trekking through the ranges in the center and south of the nation. At home, I love to play soccer with my sons and friends and watch movies. I also read fiction and non-fiction concerning contemporary issues and developments around the world.
Concluding Remarks
A customer service supervisor is a lucrative position. In a hyper-growth environment, professionals can learn skills and trades to skip through the professional hurdles. In this article, we have shed ample light on different variables of the resume writing process, from responsibilities to skills and how to put them all in one self-sufficient whole.
Before starting to compose a resume, we urge you to go through this guide, especially the tips and tricks to add value to your resume. If you are not up for the challenge, you can always hire one of the best resume writing companies online.
Remember, the only thing your resume is supposed to do is get you to interview calls and invitations. If it is not doing that, it is time to switch gears.
