What is a customer service representative?

A customer service representative, or CSR, is a person who takes orders and listens to customer complaints. The goal of a CSR is to facilitate a satisfying purchase experience for customers and to resolve conflicts in a way that causes the customer to remain loyal to the business.

The CSR role often overlaps with a sales associate role in that CSRs provide product and service information used to make purchase decisions. When handling complaints, the CSR first listens to the details of the product or service problem. In some circumstances, the CSR resolves the issue to the customer's satisfaction. In more extreme cases, the CSR refers the customer to a supervisor.