HARAR DELALA

Although this area of work is open to all graduates, the following degree or HND subjects may improve your chances:

• business studies
• consumer studies
• management studies
• marketing.

Some employers may prefer students from disciplines that are relevant to their particular sector, such as retail, hospitality or financial services.
Work experience
Competition among graduates is high, so previous experience of working with customers, such as in a shop, call centre, office or bar may give you an advantage when applying for work or training schemes.
Any other relevant experience of working with people, perhaps through membership of student clubs and societies, is also useful.

Responsibilities
Although the work varies, depending on the type and size of the employing organisation, your typical activities are likely to include some or all of the following:

• providing help to customers using your organisation's products or services
• communicating courteously with customers by telephone, email, letter and face-to-face
• investigating and solving customers' problems, which may be complex or long-standing, that have been passed on by customer service assistants
• handling customer complaints or any major incidents, such as a security issue or a customer being taken ill
• issuing refunds or compensation to customers
• keeping accurate records of discussions or correspondence with customers
• analysing statistics or other data to determine the level of customer service your organisation is providing
• producing written information for customers, often involving use of computer packages and software
• writing reports analysing the customer service that your organisation provides
• developing feedback or complaints procedures for customers to use
• improving customer service procedures, policies and standards for your organisation or department