Customer Service Representatives
Also called: Account Representative, Customer Service Representative (CSR), Customer Service Specialist, Member Services Representative (Member Services Rep)Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 5.3% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 26% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,400 | $34,370 to $46,500 | 33,290 |
| Alaska | $45,150 | $38,560 to $52,730 | 2,410 |
| Arizona | $45,690 | $37,880 to $51,610 | 87,020 |
| Arkansas | $37,840 | $33,830 to $46,630 | 20,680 |
| California | $49,560 | $44,200 to $61,510 | 176,850 |
| Colorado | $47,540 | $40,380 to $57,420 | 38,770 |
| Connecticut | $48,090 | $40,460 to $60,010 | 24,490 |
| Delaware | $48,190 | $39,310 to $59,910 | 7,470 |
| District of Columbia | $48,250 | $40,400 to $62,560 | 7,550 |
| Florida | $40,440 | $36,400 to $47,860 | 228,000 |
| Georgia | $39,630 | $34,460 to $48,120 | 97,850 |
| Guam | $30,350 | $25,030 to $37,060 | 720 |
| Hawaii | $45,650 | $38,120 to $51,620 | 8,010 |
| Idaho | $43,200 | $36,110 to $49,340 | 18,770 |
| Illinois | $46,130 | $37,680 to $58,050 | 100,970 |
| Indiana | $43,140 | $36,090 to $50,320 | 44,630 |
| Iowa | $46,090 | $37,880 to $54,880 | 30,100 |
| Kansas | $40,320 | $34,860 to $48,410 | 29,200 |
| Kentucky | $38,700 | $35,290 to $47,800 | 38,630 |
| Louisiana | $37,330 | $31,960 to $44,770 | 25,780 |
| Maine | $47,160 | $38,340 to $51,420 | 7,560 |
| Maryland | $42,830 | $36,430 to $50,490 | 37,740 |
| Massachusetts | $49,120 | $41,500 to $61,090 | 49,990 |
| Michigan | $43,950 | $36,150 to $50,060 | 71,310 |
| Minnesota | $48,800 | $41,330 to $59,810 | 53,340 |
| Mississippi | $36,380 | $31,520 to $44,510 | 20,860 |
| Missouri | $44,190 | $36,480 to $51,040 | 50,530 |
| Montana | $45,290 | $39,500 to $50,120 | 4,910 |
| Nebraska | $43,940 | $37,250 to $49,810 | 15,340 |
| Nevada | $40,560 | $35,740 to $47,390 | 32,110 |
| New Hampshire | $47,300 | $38,040 to $58,310 | 12,750 |
| New Jersey | $47,740 | $39,410 to $59,070 | 59,690 |
| New Mexico | $39,030 | $35,890 to $47,070 | 16,950 |
| New York | $48,000 | $40,360 to $60,280 | 141,090 |
| North Carolina | $40,240 | $34,960 to $48,590 | 89,510 |
| North Dakota | $44,670 | $38,580 to $54,060 | 5,750 |
| Ohio | $45,610 | $37,440 to $52,510 | 85,930 |
| Oklahoma | $38,650 | $34,400 to $46,920 | 34,460 |
| Oregon | $47,450 | $41,360 to $55,660 | 19,440 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,630 | $36,760 to $51,750 | 94,340 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,700 | $22,760 to $31,200 | 20,330 |
| Rhode Island | $47,550 | $41,600 to $57,530 | 7,890 |
| South Carolina | $38,860 | $34,940 to $47,090 | 51,000 |
| South Dakota | $40,650 | $36,470 to $48,290 | 6,120 |
| Tennessee | $42,830 | $36,130 to $48,670 | 59,730 |
| Texas | $40,420 | $35,420 to $48,300 | 337,170 |
| Utah | $43,140 | $37,120 to $49,370 | 44,490 |
| Vermont | $47,500 | $40,630 to $58,340 | 2,870 |
| Virgin Islands | $37,140 | $34,680 to $40,320 | 320 |
| Virginia | $42,730 | $35,940 to $49,940 | 59,850 |
| Washington | $50,330 | $44,780 to $61,330 | 39,760 |
| West Virginia | $38,430 | $34,440 to $48,500 | 9,860 |
| Wisconsin | $46,970 | $38,780 to $56,600 | 50,840 |
| Wyoming | $42,340 | $36,610 to $49,130 | 2,110 |
Nationally: $44,770. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints. | 0.06% |
| AI + software | Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken. | Not published |
| AI alone | Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments. | 0.01% |
| AI alone | Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation. | Not published |
| AI alone | Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| AI + software | Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing. | Not published |
| AI alone | Resolve customers' service or billing complaints by performing activities such as exchanging merchandise, refunding money, or adjusting bills. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills. | Not published |
| AI alone | Recommend improvements in products, packaging, shipping, service, or billing methods and procedures to prevent future problems. | Not published |
| AI alone | Solicit sales of new or additional services or products. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Review insurance policy terms to determine whether a particular loss is covered by insurance. | Not published |
| Not much | Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices and prepare invoices for returned goods. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs |
Show all 13 activities
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Examine financial activities, operations, or systems | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Collect fares or payments |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer70%
- An analysis or summary9%
- An email or message8%
- Advice or a recommendation3%
- A document or report1%
How they worked with Claude
11% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for customer service representatives specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,624,733 moves out
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,249,235 moves in
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 55% high school
- 17% some college
- 14% associate's
- 14% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 7% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 28% some college
- 10% associate's
- 21% bachelor's
- 4% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 28,152 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Receptionist and Customer Service Support/Call Center/Teleservice Operation.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
4.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 1.2% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Customer Service Representative). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Customer Service Representatives” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/43-4051.00