You may have found yourself wondering, “Is customer service a good career path?” It is important to consider two factors when answering this question. The first is whether or not you would be happy in customer service. If you are a people person, there is a good chance a career in customer service be a good fit.
The second factor is pay. After all, even if you love your job, it is difficult to get ahead when you earn poverty-level wages. The good news is that there are plenty of high-paying jobs in customer service, many of which pay six figures.
8 Best-Paying Jobs in Customer Service
If you are interested in a career in customer service, you will earn the most money possible by choosing one of these career paths listed by ZipRecruiter as the industry’s highest-paying.
- Vice president of customer service
- Customer success director
- Business banking relationship manager
- Call center director
- Dealer relationship manager
- Registered client associate
- Call center manager
- Relationship manager
Keep reading to learn more about the pay and job responsibilities of each.
1. Vice President of Customer Service
What is the highest-paying customer service job? That would be vice president of customer service. On average, a VP of customer service earns $134,928 per year. Those on the low end of the pay scale earn $89,000 per year, while those on the highest end earn as much as $232,000. That salary range is consistent with the $98,980 per year the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics cites as the median for top executives.
If you choose this career, you will be in charge of all plans and policies associated with customer service in the company. In most cases, you will need a college degree and eight or more years of experience in consumer services to qualify for this position.
2. Customer Success Director
The average customer success director in the U.S. earns $132,083, and professionals in this role have the potential to earn as much as $186,083. However, the pay range for customer success directors varies widely. Those on the low end of the pay scale earn about $54,000.
As a customer success director, you will be responsible for refining the customer service experience and the customer journey. You will also take part in ensuring overall customer satisfaction with products and services.
3. Business Banking Relationship Manager
The average business banking relationship manager in the United States earns $111,500 annually, with a top 10% averaging $143,000. The pay scale for this position ranges from $75,500 to $147,000 per year.
As a business banking relationship manager, you will ensure a quality customer experience for your bank’s current business clients. You will also scout other businesses that would be beneficial as banking customers and recruit them for your bank.
4. Call Center Director
The average call center director earns about $97,775 per year. Directors in the 25th percentile still earn a respectable $80,000, on average, and those in the 90th percentile earn an average of $145,500. The highest salary reported is $155,000.
As a call center director, you will have a direct influence on every aspect of the call center. You will help create customer service policies, set performance goals and participate in technology upgrades that lead to a better experience for your customers and employees. In most cases, companies require a bachelor’s degree as a qualification for this position.
5. Dealer Relationship Manager
Dealer relationship managers earn an average $75,750 per year. Although the typical range is $61,000 to $114,000, salaries can climb as high as $130,000.
Dealer relationship managers work for auto wholesalers. It’s their job to maintain good relationships with the dealerships in their territory. The DRM serves as a liaison of sorts between dealers and manufacturers and supports their organization’s sales and finance departments.
6. Registered Client Associate
Registered client associates earn $59,443 per year, on average. While top salaries reach $80,000, 75% of individuals in this role earn $70,000 or less.
As a registered client associate, you support financial advisors in a bank or other financial services organization by helping to manage client accounts and resolving clients’ questions and concerns. Although the position is primarily administrative, it generally requires a Series 7 license or the ability to obtain one quickly.
7. Call Center Manager
Call center managers earn significantly less than directors, but the management role could open the door to the higher-paying job. It pays an average salary of $58,571 per year, and salaries as high as $69,000 are common. The top-earning 10% might see salaries of up to $84,000, and a few fall just short of six figures.
Whereas the director guides policies and procedures, managers train and supervise call center team members.
8. Relationship Manager
About 40% of relationship mangers earn between $48,000 and $68,500, although it’s not unusual for the top earners to make as much as $97,500.
People in this job own their organizations’ relationship with its clients. They’re responsible for providing excellent customer service and enriching the clients’ experience with the company and its products and services.
A Guide to Customer Service Jobs
A career in customer service has the potential to be extremely rewarding, and it’s a relatively easy field to enter.
What Is Customer Service?
Customer service, also called consumer service, involves handling customer complaints, processing orders and answering questions.
What Is the Typical Work Environment for Customer Service Jobs?
Companies in just about every industry have customer service, according to the BLS, so there really is no typical environment. Rather, the environment varies by industry and by the level position you have. A call center representative, for example, will work in a different environment than a call center director.
How To Break Into Customer Service
If you’re an entry-level worker, you can get a job as a customer service representative with a high-school diploma. Although the salaries are on the low side, averaging $36,920 per year, you’ll receive on-the-job training that can set you on a path for the high-level jobs listed above. However, some of those might require a college degree or professional credential.
No matter where you start or how much education you have, you’ll need strong communication skills to excel in customer service. The ability to stay calm under pressure and handle multiple responsibilities at once will also prove invaluable.
FAQ
If you are thinking about a career in customer service, you likely have a few questions. Find the answers to some of the most common questions about the best-paying jobs in customer service below.- What is a career in customer service?
- A career in customer service is any career in which you are required to produce a better experience for the customer. Most jobs in customer service are client-facing, meaning you will need great people skills.
- Customer service workers typically focus on customer success, relationship management and even product testing and improvement to create a better experience for the end user.
- What are the top five highest-paying occupations?
- According to U.S. News, all five of the top-paying occupations in the U.S. are in the medical field:
- – Anesthesiologist
- – Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
- – Obstetrician and gynecologist
- – Surgeon
- – Orthodontist
- Although these may be the highest-paying occupations in the U.S., they are not the best option for everyone. Those in the medical field often work daunting hours, and you will need a doctoral degree to qualify for any of the five career paths above.
- According to U.S. News, all five of the top-paying occupations in the U.S. are in the medical field:
- What's the easiest but highest-paid job?
- The ease of a specific job depends on the skills, experiences and preferences of each individual. What someone considers to be high-paying can also vary from person to person. Consider seeking a meaningful, high-paying career path that you enjoy. If you do, it is possible you will find your job easy.
- What are two of the highest-paying customer service careers?
- Based solely on pay, two of the best consumer services careers are the vice president of customer service and customer success director.
- Is consumer service a good career path?
- Consumer service, or customer service, can certainly be a good career path. If you have strong communication skills and you enjoy spending a lot of time talking to people and solving problems, you can set yourself up to climb to one of the highest-paying customer service jobs and make over $100,000 per year.
Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.
Information is accurate as of March 27, 2023.