UK customer service salaries rose 9.3% last year

UK customer service role salaries experienced an uplift of 9.3% across the 12 months of November 2014 to November 2015, according to job data provider, Adzuna.

The increase is the fastest rate of growth across any sector over the last year, and goes across the grain of the overall national trend, which saw a 4.1% decrease in average salaries year-on-year.

However, it is welcome news for those looking for new roles in an industry previously described as the “worst paid in the UK”.

Despite the increase, service salaries still remain far lower than the national average, at £23,629 compared with the £31,625 national average. Only administration jobs remain lower, at £22,049.

“Customer services is an industry which is rapidly growing in both scale and importance,” says Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna.

“It’s an industry which requires an astute attention to detail and a strong customer service team is undeniably a valuable attribute to any company. Companies may have placed extra value on the importance of customer care near Christmas, but it should be a top priority all year round.”

These sentiments are regularly echoed by industry experts, who believe UK businesses need to invest more time and resource into customer service as their chief differentiator.

However, leading consultant, Martin Hill-Wilson believes many organisations still struggle to see the opportunities presented as a result of being seen as a service leader.

“My impression from the sum total on webinars, keynotes, conference chairing and master classes I’m involved in is that significant change is happening,” he recently wrote on MyCustomer.com.

“2015 was the year when the very early signs of a quantum leap in capability could be glimpsed. But behind the scenes, it remains a real struggle. Organisational culture and ways of working are at odds with becoming ace at this next generation of customer service expectations.

“The willingness is there. It’s just damned hard making it happen.”