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5 CV examples · UK · Updated October 2026

Customer Service CV Examples and Templates (UK)

A strong customer service CV proves you resolve problems first time, stay calm with unhappy customers and hit service targets such as quality scores and first contact resolution. Open with a short personal profile, then back every claim with a number.

Customer Service CV at a glance

Best format
Reverse-chronological, single column, personal profile first
Length
1 page for advisers; 2 pages for specialists and leaders
Top skills
Complaint handling and de-escalation, First contact resolution, Accurate CRM record keeping, Clear phone and written communication
Key qualifications
GCSE English and Maths (or National 5s), Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 (England), Modern Apprenticeship in Customer Service (Scotland)
Average salary
£20,000 to £30,000 a yearstarter to experienced, National Careers Service
Typical hours
37 to 40 a weekevenings, weekends, bank holidays on shifts

5 customer service CV examples for 2026

Below are 5 UK customer service CV examples, from a college leaver with no experience to a contact centre team leader, plus copy-ready personal profiles, skills, bullet points, ATS keywords and a free customer service CV template in Word for each one. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word template. Open any example to read it in full.

Swipe to see all 5 examples →

Chloe Adebayo

Customer Service Adviser

Sunderland · chloe.adebayo@email.com · 07700 900472

Personal Profile

Friendly, organised college leaver with a year of part-time front of house work at a busy cinema, serving customers at the box office, kiosk and screen doors. Completed a BTEC in Business and a work placement in a housing association’s contact centre. Seeking a first full-time customer service adviser role, with full availability for evening and weekend shifts.

Core Competencies

Customer service · Phone manner and active listening · Complaint handling · Cash and card payments · Online booking systems · Typing (45 words a minute) · Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook · Data protection awareness · Yoruba (conversational)

Employment History

Front of House Team Member, Wearglen Cinema, Sunderland Sep 2025 – Present

  • Serve up to 200 customers a shift on the box office and kiosk tills, keeping Saturday queues under ten minutes.
  • Answer questions about bookings, refunds and accessible screenings in person and by phone, checking details on the booking system.
  • Calmly handle complaints about sold-out shows and booking errors by offering other screenings, passing only out-of-policy refunds to managers.

Work Experience, Customer Contact Team, Copperbeck Housing Association, Sunderland Feb 2025

  • Shadowed contact centre advisers for a week, listening in on repairs, rent and neighbour complaint calls through a second headset.
  • Helped an adviser log repair requests on the housing management system, checking tenant details and urgency before the adviser submitted each one.
  • Learned how advisers complete data protection security checks and flag tenants who may need extra support.

Volunteer, Welcome Desk, Barnesmoor Community Food Bank, Sunderland Sep 2024 – Aug 2025

  • Welcomed up to 40 visitors each Saturday, checking referral vouchers and explaining how the food bank works with discretion.
  • Signposted visitors to local advice services for energy bills and debt, using the food bank’s printed directory.

Education & Qualifications

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business (DDM), 2026
8 GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language (6) and Maths (5), 2024

Achievements

  • Course representative for BTEC Business (2025 – 2026), presenting classmates’ feedback at termly course meetings
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No experience

Customer Service CV with No Experience (College Leaver) CV example

College and sixth form leavers applying for a first customer service or contact centre job, with part-time work, a placement and volunteering but no paid office experience.

Template: Classic · 1 page

Why this example works

  • Turns a cinema job into customer service evidence: volumes, phone queries and complaints, the core of any contact centre advert.
  • A one-week placement adds the right keywords, such as housing management system and data protection checks, before her first office job.
  • States evening and weekend availability up front, answering the shift question every contact centre recruiter asks first.

Ross McAllister

Customer Service Adviser

Glasgow · ross.mcallister@email.com · 07700 900815 · linkedin.com/in/rossmcallister

Profile

Customer service adviser with seven years in customer-facing roles, the last three and a half on an inbound broadband helpline handling billing, faults and cancellations. Consistently above target for first contact resolution and quality, confident with security checks and secure card payments, and trusted to buddy new starters. Seeking a senior adviser role in Glasgow.

Employment History

Customer Service Adviser, Fibrelune Broadband, Glasgow Apr 2023 – Present

  • Answer 35 to 50 inbound calls a day on bills, faults and home moves, resolving 78% first time against a 70% target.
  • Run remote line tests and router resets with customers on the call, booking engineer visits only when remote fixes fail.
  • Kept 34% of customers who called to cancel in 2025 by reviewing their usage and offering a package that fitted better.

Sales and Service Adviser, Braidcraig Mobile, Glasgow Jun 2021 – Mar 2023

  • Set up pay monthly contracts and upgrades in store, completing credit checks and explaining contract length and monthly costs clearly.
  • Transferred contacts and photos to new handsets and set up apps before customers left, cutting return visits for the same problem.
  • Beat monthly upgrade and accessory targets in 17 of 21 months and earned the store’s top service score in summer 2022.

Customer Assistant, Rowanbeck Foodstores, Glasgow Aug 2019 – May 2021

  • Worked tills and the customer service desk, processing refunds and exchanges within store policy throughout the pandemic.
  • Took over the store’s phone line during lockdown, logging collection orders for older and shielding customers.

Education & Qualifications

Highers: English (B), Business Management (B), Modern Studies (C), 2019
National 5s: six subjects including English and Maths, 2018

Key Skills

Inbound call handling · Billing and payment queries · Broadband fault diagnosis · Retention and cancellations · First contact resolution · Complaint handling · Data protection security checks · PCI DSS card payments · Salesforce Service Cloud · Buddying new starters

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Call centre

Contact Centre Customer Service Adviser CV example

A call centre CV for advisers with two to five years on an inbound phone helpline who need to show call volumes, quality scores and first contact resolution.

Template: Timeline · 1 page

Why this example works

  • Leads with contact centre KPIs (first contact resolution, quality, retention) set against targets, the numbers a call centre recruiter scans for.
  • Names technical tasks such as line tests and router resets, showing he fixes problems on the call rather than just logging them.
  • Shows a clear route from shop floor to phone-based service, with security checks and card payments that transfer to any contact centre.

Amira Haddad

Customer Support Adviser (Remote)

Manchester · amira.haddad@email.com · 07700 900936 · linkedin.com/in/amirahaddad

Personal Profile

Remote customer support adviser with five years helping online shoppers and parcel customers by live chat, email and social media. Known for a warm, on-brand written tone, fast and fair returns decisions in line with consumer law, and help centre content that stops repeat contacts. Seeking a remote or hybrid senior support role.

Key Skills

Live chat (three concurrent chats)Email and ticket managementZendesk and FreshdeskSocial media customer careReturns, refunds and claimsConsumer Rights Act 2015Help centre writingEscalation handlingArabic and English (fluent)

Employment History

Customer Support Adviser (Remote), Hollin & Wren Home, Manchester (remote) Feb 2024 – Present

  • Resolve up to 90 live chats and emails a day in Zendesk, running three chats at once with a 92% satisfaction score.
  • Process returns, refunds and damage claims under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the 14-day online cancellation right.
  • Wrote 18 help centre articles on delivery, returns and product care, cutting ‘where is my order?’ contacts by 15% in six months.

Customer Service Adviser, Irkdale Parcels, Manchester Aug 2021 – Jan 2024

  • Tracked lost and delayed parcels through depot scans and arranged redeliveries for senders and recipients by phone, email and webchat.
  • Assessed compensation claims for lost and damaged parcels, checking proof of value and photos before approving payouts within my limit.
  • Helped launch evening webchat, training five colleagues on chat etiquette and saved replies; chat soon handled a third of contacts.

Student Ambassador, University of Salford, Salford Oct 2018 – Jun 2021

  • Answered applicants’ questions on the Clearing phone lines and live chat, passing qualifying applicants to admissions tutors.
  • Led campus tours for groups of up to 20 on open days, answering questions on courses, accommodation and student finance.

Education & Qualifications

BA (Hons) English Language, University of Salford, 2:1, 2021
A-levels: English Language (A), Sociology (B), French (C), 2018

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Remote / live chat

Remote Live Chat and Email Customer Service Adviser CV example

A remote customer service CV for advisers working in, or moving into, home-based support by live chat, email and social media for online brands.

Template: Bold header · 1 page

Why this example works

  • Proves written-channel skill with concurrent chats, a satisfaction score and help centre content, the evidence remote support managers look for.
  • Names UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the 14-day cancellation right) that online retailers need advisers to apply correctly.
  • A short home working section answers the practical question every remote employer asks: can this person work well unsupervised?

Bethan Rees

Senior Complaints Handler

Swansea · bethan.rees@email.com · 07700 900259 · linkedin.com/in/bethanrees

Personal Profile

Senior complaints handler with ten years in customer service, the last five investigating mortgage, savings and service complaints for a regulated building society. Writes clear, fair final response letters, spots vulnerable customers early and builds the Consumer Duty into every outcome. Bilingual in Welsh and English, holds the CII Certificate in Insurance and is ready for a complaints team leader or quality role.

Employment History

Senior Complaints Handler, Tawemouth Building Society, Swansea Jan 2024 – Present

  • Investigate complex mortgage and savings complaints, including arrears and rate-switch disputes, issuing 99% of final responses within eight weeks.
  • Prepare case files for the Financial Ombudsman Service; the ombudsman agreed with our outcome in 41 of the 48 cases referred in 2025.
  • Quality-check eight colleagues’ cases a month for fair outcomes and plain-English letters, feeding recurring themes into team coaching.
  • Traced a spike in complaints to unclear fixed-rate maturity letters and helped rewrite them, cutting related complaints by a third.

Complaints Handler, Tawemouth Building Society, Swansea Aug 2021 – Dec 2023

  • Managed a caseload of 25 to 30 open complaints about savings, mortgages and service, from acknowledgement to final response.
  • Resolved two in five new complaints within three business days by phoning customers early, closing them with a summary resolution communication.
  • Calculated redress for financial loss, distress and inconvenience using the society’s redress guide, with a second check before every payment.
  • Handled Welsh-language complaints end to end, writing final responses in Welsh for customers who asked to be served in Welsh.

Customer Service Adviser, Morfacover Insurance, Swansea Jun 2018 – Jul 2021

  • Answered 40 to 50 inbound calls a day on home and motor policies, making mid-term changes and explaining cover and excesses.
  • Logged every expression of dissatisfaction as a complaint and resolved many on the call, which led to my move into complaints.
  • Took first notification of loss calls after storms and burst pipes, arranging emergency repairers and setting clear next steps.
  • Took card payments through a secure payment system that keeps card details out of call recordings, in line with PCI DSS.

Customer Assistant, Pennagate Home Stores, Swansea Sep 2016 – May 2018

  • Served customers at the tills and service desk, handling refunds and exchanges within store policy and the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
  • Handled delivery and assembly complaints by phone, rebooking slots and keeping clear notes so colleagues could pick up each case.
  • Named the store’s monthly service star twice for calmly resolving difficult returns at the busy Saturday desk.

Saturday Counter Assistant, Glanferry Bakery, Swansea Sep 2014 – Aug 2016

  • Served a queue-heavy Saturday counter while studying for A-levels, taking cash and card payments and boxing celebration cakes to order.
  • Took phone orders for birthday and wedding cakes, confirming allergens, dates and deposits in the order book.

Education & Qualifications

A-levels: Welsh (A), Business Studies (B), History (C), 2016
10 GCSEs grades A*-C including English, Welsh and Maths, 2014

Training & Certificates

CII Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII), 2020 · Individual member, Institute of Customer Service (since 2023)

Professional development

  • In-house training on vulnerable customers, Consumer Duty outcomes and Financial Ombudsman Service case preparation (2022 – 2025)

Volunteering

  • Volunteer at a local Citizens Advice office (2019 – 2021): helped clients complete budget sheets and gather bills before their debt advice appointments
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Complaints

Complaints Handler (Financial Services) CV example

A complaints handler CV for experienced advisers in banks, building societies and insurers who investigate complaints under FCA rules and Financial Ombudsman Service standards.

Template: Side panel · 2 pages

Why this example works

  • Shows command of UK complaint rules (eight-week final responses, summary resolution communications, ombudsman referrals) that financial services recruiters test at interview.
  • Measures quality, not just speed: ombudsman agreement rate, a root-cause fix and peer checking signal readiness for a team leader or quality role.
  • Uses Welsh-language service as a concrete strength, valuable to any employer serving customers across Wales.

Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same CV in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.

Tariq Mahmood

Customer Service Team Leader

Leeds · tariq.mahmood@email.com · 07700 900693 · linkedin.com/in/tariqmahmood

Profile

Customer service team leader with thirteen years in contact centres, currently leading 14 advisers across phone, webchat and email for a UK energy supplier. Improves results through daily coaching, call calibration and fair, well-planned rotas, and makes sure customers in vulnerable circumstances get the right support. Completed a Level 3 Team Leader or Supervisor apprenticeship with Distinction and is ready for an operations manager role.

Employment History

Customer Service Team Leader, Aireglen Energy, Leeds Mar 2022 – Present

  • Run daily huddles, monthly one-to-ones and real-time queue management with the planning team across phone, webchat and email.
  • Raised first contact resolution from 68% to 79% in 18 months with a knowledge base covering the ten commonest billing queries.
  • Coach advisers weekly using call recordings and the quality scorecard, lifting the team’s average quality score from 84% to 92%.
  • Cut 12-month adviser turnover from 41% to 22% through a buddy scheme, fairer rotas and monthly recognition at team meetings.
  • Trained the team to offer the Priority Services Register on every relevant call, doubling registrations from our calls in 2025.

Senior Customer Service Adviser, Aireglen Energy, Leeds Jun 2019 – Feb 2022

  • Acted as first escalation point for 20 advisers, approving goodwill payments and account adjustments within my authority limit.
  • Resolved escalated billing complaints and issued final responses explaining Energy Ombudsman rights where we could not agree an outcome.
  • Helped onboard customers transferred from a failed supplier under Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort process in late 2021.
  • Delivered four-week induction academies on billing, smart meter queries and security checks, then coached new starters on live calls.
  • Ran weekly calibration sessions with the quality team so every assessor scored the same call in the same way.

Customer Service Adviser, Aireglen Energy, Leeds Sep 2017 – May 2019

  • Answered 45 to 55 inbound calls a day on bills, meter readings, payment plans and home moves.
  • Set up affordable repayment plans for customers in arrears after checking income and outgoings, and signposted free debt advice.
  • Booked smart meter installation appointments, explaining what happens on the day and what customers needed to prepare.
  • Achieved the highest customer satisfaction score on my team in three quarters of 2018.

Customer Service Adviser, Holmewick Holidays, Leeds Sep 2013 – Aug 2017

  • Managed bookings, amendments and cancellations by phone and email, explaining booking conditions and ATOL protection in plain terms.
  • Rebooked stranded customers during flight disruption, arranging hotels and transfers with suppliers on out-of-hours shifts.
  • Ranked in the top three of 25 advisers for travel insurance and upgrade sales on booking calls for two years running.

Saturday Sales Assistant, Chapelwick Sports, Leeds Sep 2011 – Aug 2013

  • Served customers on a busy Saturday shop floor and tills while studying for A-levels, fitting football boots and running shoes.
  • Answered phone queries about stock and customer orders, the part of the job that first drew me towards customer service.

Education & Qualifications

A-levels: Business Studies (B), Psychology (C), Information and Communication Technology (C), 2013
10 GCSEs grades A*-C including English and Maths, 2011

Training & Certificates

Team Leader or Supervisor Level 3 apprenticeship (Distinction), 2023 · Mental Health First Aider (MHFA England), 2024

Key Skills

Team leadership and coaching · Call calibration and quality scoring · Real-time queue management · Rota planning and absence management · KPI reporting (FCR, CSAT, AHT) · Complaint escalation · Billing and metering queries · Priority Services Register · Debt and payment plans · Recruitment and onboarding · Salesforce Service Cloud · Power BI dashboards

Technical

Salesforce Service Cloud, Genesys Cloud CX, Calabrio workforce management, Power BI, Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP)

Projects

  • Led the team’s switch to a new Salesforce case layout in 2024, writing quick-reference guides now used by 55 advisers across three teams

Languages

  • English (native), Urdu and Punjabi (fluent): take escalated calls from customers who prefer to speak Urdu or Punjabi

Volunteering

  • Mentor with a Leeds youth employment charity since 2023, running mock interviews and CV clinics for 16 to 24-year-olds
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Team leader

Customer Service Team Leader CV example

A customer service team leader CV for senior advisers and supervisors in contact centres who coach a team, own KPIs and want a leadership or operations role.

Template: Minimal · 2 pages

Why this example works

  • Every leadership claim carries a before-and-after number (first contact resolution, quality, turnover), proving he improves a team, not just supervises it.
  • Shows energy-sector knowledge recruiters screen for: the Priority Services Register, Energy Ombudsman rights and the Supplier of Last Resort process.
  • Lists the Level 3 Team Leader or Supervisor apprenticeship and Mental Health First Aid, credentials that support a move into operations management.

Customer Service personal profile examples

Copy the personal profile that matches your level, then swap in your own experience, settings and results.

No experience (school or college leaver)
Friendly, reliable school leaver with GCSEs in English and maths, a year of Saturday work in a busy café and volunteering at a community fun run. Confident on the phone, quick to learn new systems and patient with people who are upset. Looking for a first customer service assistant role with full-time availability, including evenings and weekends.
Contact centre adviser
Contact centre adviser with three years on inbound calls for a water company and a car insurer, handling billing queries, payments and complaints. Averages 96% on quality checks and resolves most calls without a transfer. Comfortable with data protection security checks and taking card payments securely. Seeking a customer service adviser role with scope to train new starters.
Career changer from hospitality
Former restaurant supervisor with six years running busy hospitality floors, now moving into contact centre customer service. Used to handling complaints face to face, managing bookings on reservation software and keeping guests happy when things go wrong. Types 50 words a minute and completed a customer service course in 2026. Seeking an inbound customer service adviser role.
Social media customer care (remote)
Social media customer care adviser with three years handling direct messages, comments and reviews for a train operator and an online fashion brand. Answers within published response times, keeps public replies calm and brief, and settles refund requests within UK consumer law. Confident on Sprout Social and Zendesk, and seeking a home-based social media or live chat role.
Team leader (stepping up from senior adviser)
Senior customer service adviser with six years at a mortgage lender, the last two covering the team leader’s role during holidays and absence. Runs morning huddles, takes escalated complaints and has coached four new starters through probation. Holds a Level 3 customer service apprenticeship and is seeking a first permanent team leader post.

Best skills for a customer service CV

List the skills the job advert and person specification name, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your employment history.

Hard skills

  • Inbound and outbound call handling
  • Complaint handling and de-escalation
  • Live chat and email support
  • CRM and case management
  • Data protection (UK GDPR) security checks
  • Secure card payments (PCI DSS)
  • Order tracking, returns and refunds
  • Billing and account queries
  • Retention and cancellation calls
  • Appointment booking and scheduling
  • Consumer Rights Act 2015 knowledge
  • Supporting vulnerable customers
  • Fast, accurate typing and note taking

Soft skills

  • Active listening
  • Empathy and patience
  • Clear, jargon-free explanations
  • Staying calm under pressure
  • Taking ownership of problems
  • Teamwork across shifts
  • Accepting feedback from quality checks
  • Attention to detail

Systems and equipment

  • Salesforce Service Cloud
  • Zendesk
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • Freshdesk
  • Genesys Cloud telephony
  • Microsoft Teams, Outlook and Excel
  • Headsets and softphones
  • Relay UK text relay calls

Qualifications and training

  • Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 apprenticeship (England)
  • Customer Service Specialist Level 3 apprenticeship (England)
  • Team Leader or Supervisor Level 3 apprenticeship (England)
  • Modern Apprenticeship in Customer Service (Scotland)
  • GCSE English and Maths at 9-4, or Functional Skills Level 2 (England)
  • National 5 English and Maths (Scotland)
  • Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Customer Service
  • CII Certificate in Insurance (for insurance contact centres)

Customer Service CV bullet point examples

Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.

Calls and first contact resolution

  • Resolved 82% of inbound queries on the first call by checking the full account history before offering a fix.
  • Kept average handling time within target while scoring 95% on quality checks, proving speed did not cost accuracy.
  • Took overflow calls from the sales queue during peak weeks, switching between billing and sales processes without errors.

Complaints and difficult conversations

  • Calmed angry callers by acknowledging the problem, agreeing clear next steps and calling back exactly when promised.
  • Logged every complaint on the CRM on the day it arrived, so the team met its response deadlines with no breaches.
  • Kept around 30 unhappy customers a month by offering fair goodwill gestures within my authority limit.

Live chat, email and social media

  • Handled up to four live chats at once, adapting saved replies so every answer still sounded personal and on brand.
  • Rewrote 25 email templates in plain English, cutting customer replies asking what a letter meant by a fifth.
  • Monitored social media mentions and moved complaints to private messages within an hour, protecting the brand’s public reputation.

Data protection, payments and vulnerable customers

  • Completed data protection security checks on every call before discussing an account, with no data breaches in two years.
  • Recorded customers’ support needs, such as large print bills or a nominated contact, so colleagues could help them first time.
  • Stopped customers typing card numbers into webchat, sent a secure payment link instead and masked any details already shared.

Action verbs for a customer service CV

Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.

  • Resolved
  • Answered
  • Handled
  • Advised
  • Explained
  • Investigated
  • Escalated
  • Calmed
  • Retained
  • Processed
  • Logged
  • Tracked
  • Arranged
  • Booked
  • Recorded
  • Signposted
  • Coached
  • Mentored
  • Trained
  • Analysed
  • Prioritised
  • Organised
  • Simplified
  • Standardised
  • Reduced
  • Improved
  • Exceeded
  • Supported
  • Calibrated
  • Rewrote

Find more by category with the free action verb finder.

Best CV format for a customer service

Use a reverse-chronological customer service CV in a single column: personal profile, key skills, employment history, then education and training. Most advisers fit on one side of A4; complaints specialists and team leaders can use two. Leave off a photo, date of birth and full address.

Your situationFormatLengthLead with
No experience or school leaverSkills-led: profile, skills, part-time work, volunteering1 pageAvailability, GCSEs or National 5s, customer-facing work
Contact centre adviserReverse-chronological1 pageCall volumes, quality scores, first contact resolution
Live chat or remote adviserReverse-chronological1 pageChannels, concurrent chats, CSAT and home working set-up
Career changer from retail or hospitalityHybrid: profile and transferable skills first1 pageComplaint handling, systems and typing speed
Complaints handlerReverse-chronological1-2 pagesCaseload, deadlines met, regulation and ombudsman outcomes
Team leader or supervisorReverse-chronological2 pagesTeam size, KPIs improved, coaching and rotas

Every example above follows these rules, on A4 and without a photo, date of birth or full address.

How to write a customer service CV that gets interviews

A customer service CV gets interviews when it proves you solve problems, keep customers calm and hit service targets. Recruiters skim, so put your channels, your setting and your best result in the personal profile and in the first bullet of each role.

Then add numbers: calls or chats a day, quality scores, first contact resolution, customer satisfaction (CSAT) and complaints resolved. ‘Held quality scores at 93% against an 85% target’ beats ‘responsible for answering calls’, and shows you understand how service is measured.

Job titles vary. Customer service assistant, adviser (or advisor), contact centre agent and call centre worker describe the same core job, so this advice works for a customer service advisor CV and a call centre CV too. Use the exact title from the advert under your name.

Customer service CV with no experience

You can write a customer service CV with no experience by treating part-time work, volunteering and school or college roles as evidence. Any time you served the public, took payments, answered questions or calmed someone down counts, from a café counter to a cinema box office.

In England, the National Careers Service lists college courses, apprenticeships and applying directly as routes in. The Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 apprenticeship lets you earn while you train, and direct-entry employers usually ask for GCSE English and Maths (or Functional Skills Level 2).

The routes are similar elsewhere in the UK. In Scotland, look for National 5 English and Maths and a Modern Apprenticeship in Customer Service; in Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs at A*-C plus Essential Skills, and a customer service apprenticeship.

Lead with a personal profile that names the job and your availability for evening, weekend and bank holiday shifts. Then list skills such as phone manner, typing speed and Microsoft Office, and give each role one concrete result.

Keywords to include in a customer service CV

Many large UK employers, contact centres and recruitment agencies screen applications with applicant tracking systems before a person reads them. Mirror the exact words in the advert, such as ‘inbound calls’, ‘first contact resolution’ or ‘CRM’, and use them naturally in your skills and bullets.

  • Customer service, customer experience, customer satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS)
  • Inbound and outbound calls, live chat, email, social media, face to face
  • First contact resolution, average handling time, quality score
  • Complaint handling, escalation, de-escalation, final response
  • CRM, case management, ticketing (Salesforce, Zendesk, Dynamics 365)
  • Data protection, UK GDPR, security checks, PCI DSS
  • Vulnerable customers, Priority Services Register, Consumer Duty

How to show complaint handling and regulation on your CV

In regulated sectors, complaint handling is a compliance skill, so show you know the rules. The Financial Ombudsman Service says firms have up to 8 weeks to consider most complaints, and in Great Britain the Energy Ombudsman expects customers to give their supplier 8 weeks first.

Financial services employers look for the FCA’s Consumer Duty, in force for open products since 31 July 2023, and its guidance on vulnerable customers. Energy employers in Great Britain value the Priority Services Register, which suppliers and network operators keep for customers who need extra help.

Retail and online roles test returns knowledge. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, customers have 30 days to reject faulty goods for a full refund; under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, online shoppers can usually cancel within 14 days of receiving their order. Show it in a bullet.

Customer service CV for career changers

Retail, hospitality and care workers already deliver customer service every shift, so moving into a contact centre is a short step. Use a hybrid CV: a personal profile and transferable skills first, then employment history rewritten in customer service language.

Translate your experience. ‘Handled table complaints on a 120-cover restaurant floor’ becomes complaint handling, and ‘took bookings on reservation software’ becomes systems experience. Add your typing speed and any IT course, because most advisers spend the whole shift on a CRM.

What to include and leave off a UK customer service CV

✓ Include✗ Avoid
A 3-5 line personal profile naming your channels, setting and the job you wantA photo, date of birth, age, marital status or nationality
The channels you have worked: phone, live chat, email, social media or face to faceYour full home address or National Insurance number
Service metrics: quality scores, first contact resolution, CSAT and complaints resolvedDuty lists copied from the advert, such as ‘answering calls’, with no results
Systems by name, such as Salesforce, Zendesk or Dynamics 365, plus your typing speedAn ‘objective’ in place of a personal profile
Complaint handling and regulated-sector knowledge, such as the Consumer DutyReferees’ names and phone numbers
Your availability for evening, weekend and bank holiday shiftsClichés such as ‘excellent communication skills’ with no example
GCSEs or National 5s in one line, plus apprenticeships and coursesTables, text boxes and graphics that applicant tracking systems misread
Languages you speak, including Welsh or British Sign LanguageCustomer names, account details or anything confidential from past employers

How to write a customer service CV

  1. Read the job advert closely. Note the channels (phone, chat, email), the sector, the shift pattern and the skills the advert repeats. Those words become your CV keywords, and the shift pattern tells you what availability to state in your personal profile.
  2. Write a personal profile. In three to five lines, say who you are, the channels and setting you know, one measurable result and the role you want. School and college leavers can lead with availability, GCSEs and transferable skills from part-time work.
  3. List 8 to 12 key skills. Mix hard skills such as complaint handling, CRM systems and data protection checks with soft skills such as active listening and patience. Match the advert’s wording so an applicant tracking system recognises them.
  4. Prove results in your employment history. List roles newest first with job title, employer, town and dates. Give each role three to five bullets that start with an action verb and include a number, such as calls a day, quality score or complaints resolved.
  5. Add education, training and systems. Summarise GCSEs or National 5s in one line, then list apprenticeships, A-levels, BTECs and short courses. Name the CRM, ticketing and telephony systems you have used, and add your typing speed if the advert mentions keyboard skills.
  6. Check length, layout and spelling. Keep to one side of A4 unless you are a complaints specialist, senior adviser or team leader with several relevant roles. Use a single column, UK spelling and a clear font, then save as Word or PDF, whichever the application asks for.

Customer Service salary in the UK

National averages for England. Use them to benchmark offers, not as a promise for any single job.

£20,000average starting salary
£30,000average with experience
37 to 40typical hours a week

The National Careers Service puts average pay for a customer service assistant at £20,000 a year for new starters, rising to around £30,000 with experience. Typical hours are 37 to 40 a week, with evenings, weekends, bank holidays on shifts.

Source: National Careers Service, Customer service assistant job profile (Department for Education), contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are averages; pay varies by region, employer and experience.

Covering letter tip for a customer service

Treat your covering letter as a writing test, because customer service employers judge your tone, spelling and clarity. Open with the role and company, tell one short story of turning an unhappy customer around, then close with your availability for shifts. Keep it under 250 words and free of jargon.

Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.

Customer Service CV FAQ

How long should a customer service CV be?
One side of A4 is right for most customer service assistants and advisers, especially school leavers and anyone with a few years’ experience. Complaints specialists, senior advisers and team leaders with several roles, training and measurable results can use two pages. Put your strongest service results on the top half of page one, where recruiters look first.
What should I put in a personal statement for a customer service CV?
Name the role you want, the channels and setting you know, one measurable result and your availability, in three to five lines. On a UK CV this is usually called a personal profile. For example, mention webchat for a holiday company, a 90% customer satisfaction score and that you can work evenings and weekends.
How do I write a customer service CV with no experience?
Use part-time jobs, volunteering, work experience and school or college roles as your evidence. Any time you served the public, took payments, answered questions or calmed someone down counts. Lead with a personal profile and key skills, add your typing speed and IT skills, and keep the whole CV to one page.
What skills should I put on a customer service CV?
Start with the skills the advert names, usually communication, active listening, complaint handling and IT skills. Add role-specific ones such as live chat, CRM systems like Salesforce or Zendesk, data protection checks or retention calls. Then prove the most important skills with a result in your employment history, not just a list.
Do I need qualifications to work in customer service?
Most customer service jobs need no formal qualifications beyond school results in English and maths: GCSEs at 9-4 in England, A*-C in Wales and Northern Ireland, or National 5s in Scotland. Apprenticeships are another route in, such as the Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 in England or a Modern Apprenticeship in Customer Service in Scotland. Regulated employers such as insurers may train you towards sector qualifications once you start.
Is a customer service advisor CV the same as a call centre CV?
Mostly, yes: both show call handling, complaint resolution, systems and service targets. A call centre CV should lead with call volumes, quality scores, first contact resolution and average handling time. A broader customer service advisor CV can also cover face-to-face, live chat, email and social media work.
How do I show KPIs on a customer service CV?
Pick the two or three metrics your employer tracked and show your result against the target. Common contact centre KPIs include first contact resolution, quality score, customer satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score and average handling time. Write ‘Resolved 81% of chats first time against a 75% target’ rather than ‘met all KPIs’.
Should I put references on my customer service CV?
No, you do not need to list referees on a UK CV. Employers usually ask for references after an interview or offer, so leave the section off or write ‘References available on request’. Check that a manager or team leader has agreed to give you one before you start applying.
Do I need a cover letter for a customer service job?
Send a short covering letter whenever the application allows one, because it shows your written communication, a skill every customer service employer tests. Keep it to three paragraphs: why this company, one example of great service and your availability. Online application forms need the same care, especially free-text questions.
Can I get a remote customer service job with no experience?
Yes, some employers hire home-based advisers without experience, but they want proof you can work alone with a suitable set-up. Mention a quiet workspace, reliable broadband and any experience with chat, email or Microsoft Teams. Customer-facing work in a shop, café or contact centre makes a remote application much stronger.