A customer service representative talk to customers on behalf of companies and businesses. They answer customer queries, resolve customer complaints, and address emergency issues. If a customer needs help placing an order or needs to change their order, the customer service representative walks them through the correct steps. Customer service representatives will also provide additional sales or products, or sell products or services directly.

What Customer Service Representatives do?

Customer service representatives typically do the following:

• Listen to customer’s questions and concerns, and provide answers or responses
• Provide information about products and services
• Take orders, calculate charges, and process billing or payments
• Review or make changes to customer accounts
• Handle returns or complaints
• Record details of customer contacts and actions taken
• Refer customers to supervisors or more experienced employees

The specific duties of customer service representatives vary by industry. For example, representatives who work in banks may answer customer’s questions about their accounts. Representatives who work for utility and telecommunication companies may help customers with service problems, such as outages. Those who work in retail stores often handle returns, process refunds, and help customers locate items. Some representatives make changes to customers' accounts, such as updating addresses or canceling orders. Although selling is not their main job, some representatives may help generate sales while providing information about a product or service.

How to define your Customer service project?

Your job description is the 1st touch point between your company and your new hire. With millions of people looking for jobs on so every month, an excellent description will assist you attract the most qualified candidates to your open position. To urge you started, here are some tips for making an efficient description.

A great job description starts with a compelling summary of the position and its role within your company. Your summary should provide an overview of your company and expectations for the position. Outline the types of activities and responsibilities required for the job so job seekers can determine if they are qualified, or if the job is a good fit.

Basic of customer service project description are as follow:

1. State a brief one to two sentence overview of the project objectives.
2. State this in one sentence so the professional understands how the work fits into the bigger picture.
3. Be specific with requirements, such as specific software knowledge, typing speed, and language fluency.
4. Enter a start and end date. Most independent contractor projects are project based and/or short-term. If you’re unsure of the end date, or if the work may be ongoing, you may need to consult your HR partner or other advisor to verify the worker’s classification.
5. Independent contractor work is often paid at a fixed price. When paying hourly, you may want to specify the maximum number of hours for the project if any.

Sample:

We need an experience agent for a ten month project, expected to require 25 hours/week of services, from [start date] to [end date]. We’re launching a multimedia campaign that’s expected to dramatically spike call volume. You’ll work from your own location to handle product calls, take orders, and process payments.

Skill Requirements:

• Knowledge of Zendesk and Salesforce software
• Expertise in providing customer service via phone and live chat
• Fluent in English and Spanish
• Handle 10-15 calls per hour
• Ability to upsell and cross-sell products on the phone
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel

In every era, marketing has evolved based on what the customer is using. If you go back in history, you can see that at times when customers used Radio, it gave birth to radio advertising and marketing. Next, we got the boom of televisions, it is one of the widely used device globally, which allowed the companies to reach a mass audience with TV ads. Even today TV advertising is one of the most used advertising strategies for companies. Since the boom of the Internet, more customers started using the Internet, which gave birth to a new era of marketing originally called Internet marketing, which is now called Digital Marketing.

Now a days, we frequently hear the term Digital marketing we all think that we reasonably understand what actually it is. This thinking sometimes limits the scope and opportunity that the complete Digital marketing landscape will actually offer, which is why, when it involves nailing it down, we either turn dumbfounded or get stuck. To come out of such scenarios, it is important to know different types of Digital marketing opportunities that are available to your business. According to Salesforce, 75th of Total marketing Budget will head to Digital marketing.

Digital marketing depends upon the kinds of audience interactions. It revolves around managing and harnessing of various types of Digital marketing Channels and many varieties of Digital marketing services.

Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet. Businesses leverage digital channels like search engines, social media, email, and their websites to connect with current and prospective customers.

Why companies use digital marketing?

1. Internet Users: As per the internet usage stats, 40% of the world population is using the internet.
2. Mobile Phones: Most of the users globally today use mobile phones for communication. As per a report 4.77 billion mobiles phone users globally, which will increase to 5.07 billion by 2019.
3. Targeting the Audience: In traditional marketing strategies, it is very difficult to advertise to the target audience with specific demographics & details. Today with digital marketing we have so many customised & personalised methods to target the audience exclusively.
4. Low Cost and High ROI: Most of the small and medium scale companies rely mostly on digital marketing strategies due to its low cost and high return on investment.

Digital Marketing Types

1. Search Engine Optimisation: SEO is the process of optimising your website to "rank" higher in search engine results pages, thereby increasing the amount of organic (or free) traffic your website receives. The channels that benefit from SEO include Website, Blogs or Info-graphics.
2. Content Marketing: CM denotes the creation and promotion of content assets for the purpose of generating brand awareness, traffic growth, lead generation, and customers. The channels that can play a part in your content marketing strategy include Blogs posts, Ebooks and whitepaper, info-graphics, online brochures and look-books.
3. Social Media Marketing: SMM promotes your brand and your content on social media channels to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate leads for your business. The channels you can use in social media marketing include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, linked In, Snap-chat, or google+.
4. Pay-Per-Click: PPC is a method of driving traffic to your website by paying a publisher every time your ad is clicked. One of the most common types of PPC is Google AdWords, which allows you to pay for top slots on Google's search engine results pages at a price "per click" of the links you place. Other channels where you can use PPC include Paid ads on Facebook, Promoted Tweets on Twitter.
5. Email Marketing: Companies use email marketing as a way of communicating with their audiences. Email is often used to promote content, discounts and events, as well as to direct people toward the business's website.

Digital Marketing Strategies

Here is a list of five simple digital marketing strategies that any business owner can implement to help their business grow:

1. Setting a goal: Digital marketing is a great way for small businesses to prosper, but going into the method blindly can leave you with a jumbled mess. A lot of strategy and precision goes into digital marketing and having a goal helps you recognise what to focus on.
2. Creating a Marketing Funnel: The most successful businesses have a good marketing funnel in place. A marketing funnel is when you map out a customer’s journey from when a customer is a complete stranger to once they become a lead, then put certain methods in place that may encourage them to move through this funnel. Things like lead magnets, calls to action, opt-ins and offers are all effective pieces of a funnel. You’ll consider a marketing funnel in four parts: Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action.
3. Developing a call-to-action: A call-to-action (CTA) is a picture or text that prompts visitors to take action, like subscribe to a newsletter, read a webinar or request a product demo. CTAs should direct people to landing pages, wherever you'll collect visitors’ contact info in exchange for a valuable marketing offer. In that sense, an effective CTA results in more leads and conversions for your web site. This path, from a click on a CTA to a landing page, illustrates a lot of desired process of lead generation.
4. Creating an Effective Lead magnet: The idea behind a lead magnet is to trade information. You supply something like a free download of a white paper, but in order to complete the download the individual has to fill out a form that will provide you with more information about them. You’ll use the information you gather to interact with them more as they progress through your funnel.
5. Driving Traffic: There a variety of ways you can drive traffic to your website.

• Quality Content: Use content like blog posts, press releases and articles on authority websites. Insert links to various places on your web site inside this content to create your brand name through exposure and drive traffic to your website.
• Keyword Strategy: Inserting related keywords into content will help your content and website show up in more search results, this leads to higher volumes of web traffic.
• Website Optimisation: Ensuring that your website is optimised and functioning at its best is essential. People don’t want to visit a website that doesn’t work properly.
• Social Media: Use engaging social media posts to attract more traffic to your site. Using pictures, video, and other relevant media will help your posts get more engagement.

We have many different specialisations so you will have different options to start your career.

1. Digital marketing strategist
2. Digital marketing executive
3. SEO analyst
4. Social media specialist
5. Google AdWords specialist
6. Email marketing specialist
7. Web Analyst
8. Online reputation manager

New companies and the entrepreneurial impulse are key elements of the U.S. economy, and perhaps part of the nation’s mythology in the American dream. The U.S. federal agency in 2002 counted around twenty three million companies and nearly twenty four million business “establishments” that generated, in total, nearly $23 billion in sales. That’s if they make it. In a 2006 article entitled, “The Seven Pitfalls of Business Failure,” economic expert Brian Head of the small Business Administration noted that 30% new businesses fail inside the first five years of operation. However with careful coming up with, establishing a new company is a successful and profitable undertaking.

Steps for registering a new company

Choose your Company Location

Your company location determines the taxes, zoning laws, and regulations your company will be subject to. You will need to form a strategic decision regarding which state, city, and neighborhood you select to begin your company in. Where you locate your company depends in part on the location of your target market, business partners, and your personal preferences. In addition, you should consider the costs, benefits, and restrictions of different government agencies.

Choose right Company/Business type

The decision to choosing the right business structure is very important because the type of business you decide on influences everything from daily operations, to taxes, to how much of your personal assets are at risk.

• Sole proprietorship: A sole proprietorship is easy to form and gives you complete control of your business. You're automatically considered to be a sole proprietorship if you do business activities but don't register as any other kind of business. Sole proprietorship do not produce a separate business entity. This means your business assets and liabilities are not separate from your personal assets and liabilities. You can be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business. Sole proprietors can also be hard to raise money because you can't sell stock, and banks are hesitant to lend to sole proprietorship.
• Partnership: Partnerships are the best structure for two or more people to possess a business together. There are two common forms of partnerships: limited partnerships (LP) and limited liability partnerships (LLP).
  • Limited partnerships have only one general partner with unlimited liability, and all other partners have limited liability. The partners with limited liability also tend to have limited control over the company, which is documented in a partnership agreement.
  • Limited liability partnerships are similar to limited partnerships, but give limited liability to every owner. An LLP protects every partner from debts against the partnership, they won't be responsible for the actions of other partners.
• Limited liability Company (LLC): LLCs protect you from personal liability in most instances, your personal assets like your vehicle, house, and savings accounts won't be at risk in case your LLC faces bankruptcy or lawsuits. Profits and losses can get passed through to your personal income without facing corporate taxes. LLCs can be a good choice for medium- or higher-risk businesses, owners with significant personal assets they want to be protected, and owners who want to pay a lower tax rate than they would with a corporation.
• Corporation: The incorporation process is more complicated than the other two options but will have many potential benefits for your on-line business. One of the most notable differences regarding this structure is that the corporation becomes a separate entity from you as the owner. This means you’re not in person financially liable for what happens to the corporation, and your personal assets are protected from the liabilities created by your shop. When your store grows and the liabilities you’re exposed to grow with it this is a huge benefit.

Choose your Company Name

You can find the right business name with creativity and market research. Once you’ve picked your name, you should protect it by registering it with the right agencies.

You’ll want to decide on a business name that reflects your brand identity and doesn’t clash with the types of goods and services you provide. Once you take decision on a name you prefer, you would like to protect it. There are four different ways to register your company name. Every way of registering your name serves a special purpose, and some may be legally required depending on your business structure and location.

• Entity name protects you at state level
• Trademark protects you at a federal level
• Doing Business as (DBA) doesn’t give legal protection, but might be legally required
• Domain name protects your business web site address

Each of those name registrations are legally independent. Most small businesses try to use an equivalent name for each kind of registration, but you’re not commonly required to.

Register your Company

Register your business to make it a distinct legal entity. How and where you need to register depends on your business structure and business location.

Your location and business structure determine how you’ll need to register your business. Verify those factors first, and registration becomes terribly easy. In some cases, you don’t need to register at all. If you conduct business as yourself using your legal name, you won’t need to register anywhere. But keep in mind, if you don’t register your business, you'll miss out on personal liability protection, legal benefits, and tax benefits.

Most businesses don't need to register with the federal government to become a legal entity, other than simply filing to get a federal tax ID. Small businesses sometimes register with the federal government for trademark protection or tax exempt status. If you would like to trademark your business, brand or product name, file with the United States Patent and Trademark office once you’ve formed your business. If you would like tax-exempt status for a noncommercial corporation, register your business as a tax-exempt entity with the IRS.

Get Employee Identity Number or State Tax ID

Getting an EIN number can help you identify your business entity. Most companies need this federal employee identification number to conduct business. An EIN is a nine-digit number that refers to only your business or non-profit entity. It is your business’s social security number. This number allows the IRS to identify your business and attach it to the correct business name for tax purposes. Just a unique business name is not enough.

Your employer identification number (EIN) is your federal tax ID. You need it to pay federal taxes, hire employees, open a bank account, and apply for business licenses and permits. You should do it right once you register your business. Your business desires a federal tax ID number if it does any of the following:

• Pays employees
• Operates as an organization of partnership
• Files tax returns for employment, excise, or alcohol, tobacco, and firearms
• Withholds taxes on income, other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien
• Works with certain types of organizations

The need for a state tax ID number ties directly to whether your business must pay state taxes. Sometimes, you can use state tax ID numbers for other functions, like protection against identity theft for sole proprietors. Tax obligations differ at the state and local levels, so you'll need to check with your state's websites. To know whether you need a state tax ID, research and understand your state's laws regarding income taxes and employment taxes, the two most common forms of state taxes for small businesses.

Apply for Licenses

Most small businesses need a combination of licenses and permits from both federal and state agencies. The requirements and charges vary based on your business activities, location, and government rules.

The licenses and permits you need from the state, county, or city will depend on your business activities and business location. Your business license fees will vary. States tend to regulate a broader range of activities than the centralized. As an example, business activities that are commonly regulated domestically include auctions, construction, and dry cleaning, farming, plumbing, restaurants, retail, and vending machines.

Some licenses and permits expire after a set period of time. Keep close track of when you need to renew them it's usually easier to renew than it has to apply for a new one. You'll have to analysis your own state, county, and city regulations. Industry requirements usually vary by state.

Special Bank Account for your Company

Open a business account once you are ready to start accepting or spending money as your business. A business bank account helps you keep legally compliant and protected. It also provides benefits to your customers and employees. Most business bank accounts provide perks that don't come with a standard personal bank account.

• Protection: Business banking offers limited personal liability protection by keeping your business funds separate from your personal funds. Merchant services also offer purchase protection for your customers and ensures that their personal information is secure.
• Professionalism: Customers will be able to pay you with credit cards and make checks out to your business instead of directly to you.
• Preparedness: Business banking usually comes with the option for a line of credit for the company. This can be used in the event of an emergency, or if your business needs new equipment.
• Purchasing power: Credit card accounts can help your business make large startup purchases and help establish a credit history for your business.

Get Business Insurance

Business insurance coverage protects businesses from losses due to events that may occur during the normal course of business. There are many types of insurance for businesses including coverage for property damage, legal liability and employee-related risks. Companies evaluate their insurance needs based on potential risks, which can vary depending on the type of environment in which the company operates.

Business insurance protects you from the unexpected costs of running a business. Accidents, natural disasters, and lawsuits could run you out of business if you’re not protected with the right insurance.

Speak to insurance agents to find out what kinds of coverage makes sense for your business, and compare terms and prices to find the best deal for you. Here are six common kinds of business insurance types are:

• General liability insurance
• Product liability insurance
• Professional liability insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Home-based business insurance
• Business owner’s policy