Career Path Guide
Not sure what you want to do for a living? Well, if you know you hate cubicles, and you love the idea of working in one of the most satisfying customer-facing careers, then you may want to consider becoming a field service agent.
This career offers the chance to be mobile during the day, have variety in your working hours, and the chance to meet new people and build relationships. It also has plenty of career advancement options and opportunities.
If this sounds promising, then read on below; we’ll fill you in on what you’d be doing, how much you could make, and what you need to do to get started!
Basic Requirements for Becoming a Field Service Agent
Although this can vary, many employers will need you to meet the following basic requirements in order to even be considered for a job with them as a field service agent:
• High school diploma or GED
• Possession of a valid driver’s license
• Able to pass a criminal record check
• A flexible schedule
Education You May Need
You will typically only need a high school diploma (or equivalent) to get a job as a field service agent.
Employers in specialized fields however, such as insurance, may require that you have post-secondary education or professional training related to the field in which you will work.
This is not always the case however, as many will provide comprehensive on-the-job training, which will teach you the necessary skills to succeed in your role.
Experience You Will Need
Many employers will only consider you if you have work experience in their industry of operation. Related education however, is often considered in place of experience (and vice-versa).
Success Tip: Most often, employers will accept some combination of related experience and/or education. It will be very hard to get a job as a field service agent if you have neither.
Certification Needed
Depending on the industry in which you will work, licensure or certification may be required. Each job, within each industry will have vastly different requirements in this area.
Success Tip: Be sure to thoroughly check each job application you’re applying for to see what (if any) you will need in terms of licensure or certification, and whether or not the employer will allow you to earn it after being hired.
Skills You’ll Need To Work as a Field Service Agent
As a field service agent you’ll need to be able to call on certain skills to do your job properly, including:
• Communication: You will need very good professional communication skills, both in terms of listening to customers, and in terms of effectively passing on information to them.
• Professionalism: One crucial skill you’ll need to build the trust of your clients is the ability to maintain a professional and helpful demeanor when communicating with customers.
• Problem Solving: You’ll have to be able to think clearly, and often on your toes, in order to determine the proper solutions for a customer’s problem.
• Industry Knowledge: You’ll need to have in-depth knowledge of your industry and your company's products and/or services. Otherwise, you won't be much help to a current or potential customer.
• Lead Generation and Closing Ability: You will likely be responsible for bringing in some new business by up-selling current customers, and by generating new leads and closing deals.
• Relationship Building: You’ll constantly be working with your home office (dispatchers, managers, etc.) and new customers at their locations, so having your team in your corner will be of great help when handling customer service mix-ups, and for answering tough questions.
What You’d Be Doing: General Job Description
As a field service agent, you’d be responsible for coordinating the successful delivery of all of your organization’s products and services within your territory, as well as providing consultation or guidance on technical services when in contact with current internal, external or potential customers.
In all likelihood, you would also be responsible for bringing in new business by up-selling current customers, and finding new ones.
General Job Duties
Although the functions you would perform could vary from job to job, tasks you would be responsible for performing might include:
• Providing quality service to internal and external customers
• Upholding company values at all times
• Providing active participation in service workshops and meetings to ensure consistent product and process delivery
• Meeting needs of current customers while also trying to get new customers
• Proactively communicating with your customers to ensure their needs are met
• Maintaining a well-organized database of your customers
• Traveling to multiple customer locations in a workday
• Resolve any issues the customer may have, such as low inventory or defective products
• Attending meetings with customers, managers, and colleagues (such as dispatchers, service department staff, etc.)
Is this Role Right for You?
A career as a field service agent might be very well-suited for you if you have the following traits and characteristics:
• You really enjoy the idea of being mobile during the workday
• You’d very much like to have flexible working hours
• You’re interested in customer-facing work
• You’d like to work independently, knowing you have the support of a team
• You get a great deal of satisfaction from developing social connections
• You want a career with plenty of room for advancement
Who Employs Field Service Agents?
Field service agents can be employed by any size of organization operating in virtually any industry; from insurance to logistics, and from vacation property rental management to carnival equipment sales.
Typical Salary Level
The salary level you could earn as a field service agent can vary, typically depending on the following factors:
• Your professional qualifications (education, experience, etc.)
• The size and budget of your employer
• The industry in which you work
• The region in which you work
• The scope of your job duties
Unfortunately, there is no salary information available from reputable sources for this career. We can however, get a good idea of what you could earn by looking at the salary levels of workers in related fields.
Field Service Agent Salary - United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary level of Americans working in the Customer Service Representatives occupational group is $31,200 per year, while the median salary of those in the Sales Representatives group is $51,670 per year.
Current Job Postings
Our job board below has "field service agent" postings in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia:
Career Advancement Possibilities
As a field service agent, there will be many opportunities to move into other roles or to otherwise advance your career. Some forms of career advancement may include, for example:
• Getting a raise in pay, or bonuses
• Earning a more senior position, such as taking on bigger accounts
• Moving into supervisory or management roles
• Moving into executive management roles
• Becoming self-employed as a consultant or freelancer (relatively rare in this field)
• Moving into an office-based or administrative role
Work Environment
Hours: Work as a field service agent would not be your typical 9-5 job. Some of your work would be done during regular business hours, such as meeting customers, while other work would be done outside of those hours, such as keeping your customer database organized, and placing orders for your customers.
Setting: Although you would be based out of an office, it would likely be your home office. Much of your day however, would involve traveling to meet customers at their places of business. You would also occasionally have to pop into your company’s headquarters, in order to attend meetings, training sessions, and perform other functions.
Conditions: A job in this field would be perfect if you’re against cubicles. You’ll constantly go on new jobs, meet new customers, and encounter different challenges at each location. It would require patience when dealing with frustrated customers, but meeting new people and developing positive working relationships can be highly rewarding.
Similar Career Profiles in Our Database
Listed below are occupations in our database that have similar responsibilities, and/or require similar skills, or be in the same sector of industry, as "field service agent":
• Customer Service Representative
• Realtor
References
Information for this career guide was compiled from the websites listed below. Some information has also been compiled from actual job postings from various organizations, which cannot be listed here due to the brief nature of their online availability.
• Field One website - 6 reasons to become a field service agent: blog.fieldone.com
• National Careers Service website - Customer service assistant: nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
• United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website - Customer Service Representatives: www.bls.gov
• United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website - Sales Representatives, Services, All Other: www.bls.gov
Scholarships for Becoming a Field Service Agent
The “Applicable Majors” section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a field service agent. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our All Scholarships by Major page.
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!
Applicable Majors
Studying one of the college/university majors listed below can be helpful for becoming a field service agent. Click on the links to find out what else you can do with these majors!
