Table 1Transition record

sales processortocustomer service representative

A sales processor already meets 40% of what the customer service representative role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

From sales processor

40%

Overlap1

To customer service representative

15 Skills carried over

14 Required, not held

63.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 63.5

This move: 63.5 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the customer service representative role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the sales processor profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A customer service representative role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a sales processor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held process order forms with customer's information information skills
already held provide information assisting and caring
already held use e-services working with computers
already held show diplomacy communication, collaboration and creativity
already held process data information skills
already held sales activities business, administration and law

All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the customer service representative role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held implement customer follow-up required
required, not held apply conflict management required
required, not held apply knowledge of human behaviour required
required, not held communicate with customers required
required, not held listen actively required
required, not held perform escalation procedure required

optional, not held carry out active selling optional
optional, not held contact customers optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held upsell products optional

02 information skills 3 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held determine charges for customer services required
required, not held control of expenses required
required, not held keep records of customer interaction required

optional, not held measure customer feedback optional

03 management skills 3 required

required, not held process refunds required
required, not held manage schedule of tasks required
required, not held process customer orders required

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held knowledge base required

optional, not held data mining methods optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held guarantee customer satisfaction required

06 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held perform data analysis optional
optional, not held use customer relationship management software optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a customer service representative role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held create solutions to problems skill
already held customer service knowledge
already held ensure client orientation skill
already held have computer literacy skill
already held identify customer's needs skill
already held perform multiple tasks at the same time skill
already held process data skill
already held process order forms with customer's information skill
already held provide customer follow-up services skill
already held provide information skill
already held e-commerce systems knowledge
already held sales activities knowledge
already held show diplomacy skill
already held speak different languages skill
already held use e-services skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held relationship marketing optional

08 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held consumer protection optional

10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held carry out active selling optional
optional, not held contact customers optional
optional, not held consumer protection optional
optional, not held data mining methods optional
optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
optional, not held measure customer feedback optional
optional, not held perform data analysis optional
optional, not held relationship marketing optional
optional, not held upsell products optional
optional, not held use customer relationship management software optional

19 held skills the customer service representative role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role channel marketing knowledge
not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
not needed by the target role characteristics of services knowledge
not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
not needed by the target role international business knowledge
not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role multimodal transport logistics knowledge
not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
not needed by the target role present reports skill
not needed by the target role process payments skill
not needed by the target role provide customers with order information skill
not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
not needed by the target role use databases skill
not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role work independently in sales skill

4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held knowledge base required
optional, not held consumer protection optional
optional, not held data mining methods optional
optional, not held relationship marketing optional

Index

Other moves recorded from sales processor

Full index of moves from sales processor

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.