Businesses can't exist without customers, and it’s a simple fact that happy customers are far more likely to become repeat customers. Studies show that it is five times cheaper for businesses to retain customers than it is to find new ones, and customer service workers have a vitally important role to play in this by helping to keep customers loyal and satisfied.

This article will explain how anyone who is interested in working in this type of role can craft an effective CV that showcases their talents in a professional and striking way.

Customer service skills to highlight.

• communication
• problem solving
• practical thinking

The key skill for those looking for customer service jobs to highlight is the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with any individual. Whether it’s over the phone, face-to-face or via email,the ability to solve problems and think practically to provide appropriate solutions, is highly cherished by employers. Candidates who have these skills should aim to reference previous positions where they have put them to use in their CV.

What to include in a customer service CV.

A CV should be a simple, professionally laid out document. There are many templates available for free on the internet that can help with this. CVs should be kept to two sides of A4 as a maximum, but preferably one. Be as concise as possible, as a recent survey found that employers view the average CV for just six seconds.

There isn’t long to make an impact, so get straight to the point. The document should begin with personal details such as date of birth and contact information, before leading into a two-sentence introduction that explains who the candidate is, and why they're applying for this type of work. A bullet point list of relevant work experience can then be provided.

Our customer services recruiters highlight their top CV writing tip:

Qualifications and career highlights.

Below that, qualifications and career highlights can also be listed, as can the details of two referees. It’s also well worth including any awards, achievements, hobbies or volunteer/charity work that reflects well on the candidate as a rounded and successful individual.

Don’t be afraid to associate previous experience with the position being applied for. So, for example, if you are applying for a customer service role at a small IT company, but have previously worked as a waiter, don't be afraid to reference this role as relevant experience, as it may demonstrate your ability to successfully interact with, and please customers.

Make it personalised.

Remember that the CV should be tailored to the position, and not simply be a general document for all applications.

Depending on the specific role, it may also be a good idea to highlight other skills, such as sales abilities, or detailed specialist knowledge of a technical subject – useful if applying for a role as an IT customer service advisor, for example. Candidates should also remember to put as much effort into crafting a high quality covering letter as they do into their CV, and to spend some time thinking about what the employer is likely to be looking out for before they actually start writing.