How to hire a Customer Service Desk

How to hire a customer service desk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step customer service desk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a customer service desk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new customer service desk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Customer Service Desk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the customer service desk you need to hire. Certain customer service desk roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A customer service desk's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, customer service desks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents customer service desk salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Customer Service Desk	Description	Hourly Rate
   Customer Service Desk	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-22
   Service Agent	A service agent is a professional whose primary function is to provide a friendly service to internal and external customers about the organization's products and services. An agent should be people-oriented, highly motivated with a positive and friendly attitude... Show More	$10-18
   Customer Agent	A customer agent provides friendly service to external and internal customers. Customer agents talk to customers on behalf of businesses and companies... Show More	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Service Desk
   • Customer Service
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Front Desk
   • Windows
   • Sales Floor
   • Telephone Calls
   • Front End
   • Credit Card Payments
   • Troubleshoot
   • Customer Complaints
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Customer Issues
   • POS

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
   • Operate a POS system to itemize and complete customer front-end register transactions.
   • Ask to follow closing procedures of facility and close out POS system.
   • Organize activities such as science and math club, sports, art, and cooking.
   • Create a RMA for faulty parts and dispatch technician to the site to replace the part or troubleshoot the issue.
   • Process customer transactions and troubleshoot register issues.

   More Customer Service Desk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your customer service desk job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A customer service desk salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a customer service desk in Florida may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level customer service desk usually earns less than a senior-level customer service desk. Additionally, a customer service desk with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average customer service desk salary

   $16.63hourly

   $34,599 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level customer service desk salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated June 11, 2025

   Average customer service desk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$49,730	$24
   2	Maryland	$43,070	$21
   3	New York	$42,038	$20
   4	Minnesota	$37,806	$18
   5	Wisconsin	$35,440	$17
   6	Illinois	$35,204	$17
   7	Ohio	$32,909	$16
   8	Indiana	$32,225	$15
   9	Utah	$32,153	$15
   10	Colorado	$31,925	$15
   11	Michigan	$30,886	$15
   12	Georgia	$30,728	$15
   13	Iowa	$29,903	$14
   14	Alabama	$29,902	$14
   15	Texas	$28,835	$14
   16	Florida	$28,294	$14
   17	North Carolina	$27,908	$13
   18	Nebraska	$27,487	$13
   19	South Carolina	$25,444	$12

   Average customer service desk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	SAIC	$44,166	$21.23	2
   2	ManTech	$41,919	$20.15	7
   3	Rush Street	$39,882	$19.17	3
   4	NCI	$37,933	$18.24	2
   5	Cemtek Systems Inc.	$37,616	$18.08
   6	Expeditors	$37,540	$18.05	54
   7	Greenstar Co-Op Market	$37,357	$17.96	1
   8	Science	$37,357	$17.96
   9	Blood Heroes	$37,269	$17.92	1
   10	Goldfish Swim School	$37,163	$17.87	63
   11	Russell Investments	$36,909	$17.74
   12	Xponential Fitness	$36,882	$17.73	15
   13	The Consortium	$36,761	$17.67
   14	Veeva Systems	$36,487	$17.54	8
   15	Leidos	$36,429	$17.51	51
   16	Kforce	$36,336	$17.47	3
   17	VCA Animal Hospitals	$36,336	$17.47	347
   18	Office Depot	$36,331	$17.47	11
   19	Army and Air Force Exchange Service	$36,298	$17.45
   20	ICONMA	$36,228	$17.42

4. Writing a Customer Service Desk Job Description

   A customer service desk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a customer service desk job description:

   Customer Service Desk job description example

   Job DescriptionDo you love helping and providing quality customer service? This could be the perfect fit for you!
   Virtual Call Center Representative needed for a temp to hire opportunity!!
   
   MUST HAVE 6 MONTHS CALL CENTER EXPERIENCE
   
   We provide the equipment needed for the position, all you need to provide is internet and a great work ethic!
   
   Position consists of inbound calls for a series of brands, i.e., collection coins, cosmetics, shoes, dentist products, etc. Depending on which campaign is open will depend on which type of product you will cover. Must be in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex for this position.
   
   Pay Range: $11.50-$14.00 (base pay within that range with opportunity to earn up to $1.50/hr more based on attendance and performance).
   
   -Take inbound calls for order placement
   - Up sell and cross sell additional items
   - Answer inquiries while maintaining and updating the customer database
   - Position is remote with equipment pickup in Irving area
   
   Minimum Qualifications Required:
   - 6 months Customer Service experience - call center
   - Pleasant and professional telephone etiquette
   - Ability to adapt to the fast-paced internet environment
   - PC literate and basic typing skills
   - Regular and punctual attendance is a must
   - High School Diploma or equivalent
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   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right customer service desk for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with customer service desks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit customer service desks who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your customer service desk job on Zippia to find and recruit customer service desk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit customer service desks, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new customer service desk

   Once you've found the customer service desk candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new customer service desk. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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