If you are looking for a job in consumer services, check out ZipRecruiter. It’s free and you can apply to several jobs at once with one click.
Consumer services is a multi hundred billion dollar industry. It makes up over 450,000 single-location and multi-location establishments and employs 2.9 million workers, according to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics.
Jobs in consumer services are customer-facing roles. To work in this industry, you should have strong customer service skills, be an excellent communicator, good at multitasking and be able to work well both independently and within team settings.
Consumer services careers can cover a wide range of industries from travel and lodging, food and dining, retail, and more. If you have the skills to work in consumer services, you’ll be able to transition well from one industry to another.
Getting a high paying job in consumer services is competitive. Think about it like this: you’re selling the company on a major investment in you, so you need to do everything you can to get an edge. We review the best resume writing services, which can help you get a leg up on the competition as you look for your next consumer services job. The market is going to be very competitive in 2023 so a small investment can make a big difference.
What Is The Consumer Services Industry?
Consumer services careers are jobs that work one-on-one with customers. This could be a customer service representative position at a telecommunications company, a retail service worker at a fashion retail store, or a front desk clerk at a hotel.
These jobs all have one thing in common: they service consumers.
You’ll provide customer care and assist consumers throughout the purchase process including:
- Answering product questions and inquiry
- Accepting payment for purchase of goods and services
- Organizing events
- Processing transaction returns and exchanges
Is Consumer Services A Good Industry To Work In?
Yes, working in consumer services can be very rewarding. You’ll be the point-of-contact for your company, helping customers with their needs.
This consumer industry is huge and if you enjoy working with customers and helping others in general, there will be many career options you can pick from.
Requirements And Skills To Work In Consumer Services
The requirements and skills to work in consumer services can include:
- High school education (or higher): A minimum of a high school diploma will be needed.
- Strong communication skills: You’ll be working with customers one-on-one so possessing strong communication skills is critical.
- Problem-solving: Being an excellent problem-solver is about identifying problems that exist and being able to use your knowledge and skill set to find a solution. This is one of the top skills to have, working in consumer services.
- Time management and organizational skills: Multitasking will be part of your job so being able to manage your time well and have organizational skills are both important.
10 Of Best Paying Jobs In Consumer Services
1. Flight Attendant
Median National Salary: $61,640/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 102,500 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 30%
Job Duties: Flight attendants provide guest services aboard flights. They answer questions, assist passengers with special needs, provide food and drinks to airline passengers, and other duties.
The job duties of a flight attendant includes providing services to airline passengers like taking drink orders, serving food and drinks, among other duties, conducting before-flight safety check, greeting passengers and check tickets and providing guidance, support, and service to flight passengers.
For more information, check out our guide on how to become a flight attendant.
2. Technical Support Representative
Median National Salary: $57,910/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 844,600 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 9%
Job Duties: A technical support representative is a customer service representative that provides technical help to consumers.
The job duties of a technical support representative include:
- Interviewing customers about their tech support needs
- Providing assistance, guidance, and troubleshooting, as needed
3. Customer Service Representative
Median National Salary: $36,920/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 2,923,400 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: -1%
Job Duties: Customer service representatives provide consumer support services to customers. This role can exist across many industries from hospitality to tech, healthcare, retail, etc. You’ll work one-on-one with customers either in-person or remotely.
The job duties of a customer service representative may include:
- Answering customer questions and inquiries
- Accepting payments for purchasing
- Processing returns/exchanges
- Handling complaints
4. Receptionist
Median National Salary: $29,950/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 1,016,200 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 4%
Job Duties: Receptionists perform clerical and administrative-related tasks for organizations like answering phones and emails, receiving and greeting visitors, providing general information to consumers or the general public.
The job duties of a receptionist include:
- Greeting consumers
- Providing general information and answering questions, as needed
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- Answering phones and emails
- Office-related duties like faxing documents, etc.
5. Front Desk Clerk
Median National Salary: $37,450/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 1,322,900 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 2%
Job Duties: A front desk clerk can work in various industries, but typically in hospitality, in a hotel, resort, or lodge setting. They greet customers, provide check-in and check-out services, answer questions, receive phone calls, manage complaints, and other related duties.
The job duties of a front desk clerk include:
- Greeting customer
- Performing clerical duties like answering phones, making/receiving faxes, etc.
- Collecting information
- Performing check-in and check-out duties
- Managing complaints, answering questions and inquiries
6. Bank Teller
Median National Salary: $36,310/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 432,500 in 2020
**Job Growth 2020 – 2030: -**17%
Job Duties: Bank tellers work with banking customers one-on-one to provide routine financial services like:
- Check cashing
- Depositing and withdrawing money from bank accounts
- Funds transfers, wire transfers and issuing bank checks
Bank tellers perform routine banking services like answering customer questions/inquiries, transferring funds, depositing and withdrawing money, and issuing cashier’s checks and money orders, among other duties.
7. Retail Customer Support
Median National Salary: $29,180/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 4,092,900 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: -1%
Job Duties: A retail worker can work in many retail industries like apparel, housewares, pharmaceuticals, groceries and food, etc.
In this role, you’ll work with customers to provide service and support, helping answer questions, accept payment for purchases, process returns/exchanges, and other related work duties.
The job duties of a retail customer support worker include:
- Answering customer questions and inquiries
- Performing routine retail work duties like answering phones, processing payments, returns and exchanges
- Merchandising
- Handling complaints
8. Online Chat Support
Median National Salary: $36,920/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 2,923,400 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: -1%
Job Duties: An online chat representative is a customer service representative that provides customer service via online chat.
The job duties of an online chat support agent will mirror that of a customer service representative and may include:
- Answering customer questions and inquiries via chat
- Accepting payments for purchasing
- Processing returns/exchanges
- Handling complaints
9. Event Planner
Median National Salary: $49,470/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 125,900 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 18%
Job Duties: Event planners work with clients to plan special events like weddings, conferences, meetings, conventions, etc. In this role, your job will be to bring your client’s dream event to fruition. You’ll need to consider their ideas, budget, and timeline to produce a successful event that they’re happy with.
The job duties of an event planner include:
- Meeting with clients
- Coordinating the activities around planning and organizing an event
10. Retail Store Manager
Median National Salary: $46,890/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 397,900 in 2020
Job Growth 2020 – 2030: 7%
Job Duties: Retail store managers work in a retail setting, managing a team of employees. You may work for a fashion retailer, home goods, gifts and specialty products, toys, books, etc.
This is a good job for people with leadership abilities. If you enjoy working with others and helping customers, this career may be the perfect fit for you.
The job duties of a retail store manager include:
- Managing store employees
- Providing customer service
- Leading store operations
Related: The Best Retail Jobs
How Do You Get A Good Paying Job In Consumer Services?
Consumer services is a broad field. It’s perfect for workers that enjoy working with customers and providing excellent service. To land a good paying job in consumer services, having the right mix of skills and experience can help.
Most of the jobs on the list require a minimum of a high school diploma. Attaining this level of education plus soft skills like strong communication, leadership abilities, problem-solving and critical thinking skills can improve your chances of getting a well-paid job in consumer services.
Where To Find The Best Paying Jobs In Consumer Services
There are many websites you can search to find jobs in consumer services. Before starting your search, make sure you arm yourself with a winning resume. Check out our roundup of the best resume writing services to get you started.
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is a career search engine, home to millions of jobs hiring near you. Search consumer services jobs, read employee reviews and research salaries all on ZipRecruiter. It’s a one stop shop for career search.
For more information, check out our ZipRecruiter review.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is one of the best job search websites, helping you search careers, view salaries, and employee reviews. You can perform a thorough job search and read anonymous reviews from current and former workers, along with employer reviews and rankings.
For more information, check out our Glassdoor review.
Indeed
Indeed is a job search website that makes career search easy. They offer a streamlined, easy-to-use job search site to help you perform your consumer services career search. Take advantage of their features like job alerts and resume upload option, so you can get the most use out of Indeed.
For more information, check out our Indeed review.
The Bottom Line
Working in consumer services can be a rewarding, well-paying career to pursue. You’ll be helping customers, providing excellent service and working in an important role within the organization.
Consumer services jobs are abundant and they’re within reach for many workers. If you’re stuck on which role to pursue, we hope this roundup provided some clarity to help you make your decision.
To start your career search online, head to ZipRecruiter.
