Tree care customer service representative job description
When someone phones about a leaning tree, a limb on the roof or storm damage, the tree care customer service representative answers, sorts out what's urgent and books the arborist's estimate visit. They also renew plant health care programs and keep customers posted when wind, rain or a permit moves their job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
Arborist / Tree Care - Customer Service Representative
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Customer Service
Reports to:
[Office Manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
As a Customer Service Representative (CSR) in the Arborist/Tree Care Industry, you will be the first point of contact for our customers. You will handle customer inquiries, schedule estimates, and answer service questions, contributing significantly to our company's commitment to exceptional customer service.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage incoming calls and customer service inquiries.
Schedule and coordinate appointments for estimates.
Answer service-related questions and provide accurate information.
Maintain and update customer information in the database.
Liaise with the arborist team to facilitate service delivery.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Responding promptly to customer inquiries.
Communicating with customers through various channels.
Acknowledging and resolving customer complaints.
Ensuring customer satisfaction and providing professional customer support.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Average handle time: <10 minutes
Call Abandonment Rate: <5%
First Call Resolution: >70%
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum 1 year of customer service experience.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Basic knowledge of arborist services and tree care.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and CRM systems.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or tree care industry.
Prior experience in a call center environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods of time.
Capacity to work in a typical office environment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional weekend or evening shifts may be required during peak seasons.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $15 - $20 per hour.
Performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in investing in our employees. We provide a supportive and growth-oriented environment where every team member is valued. We are committed to helping you level up in your career while we work together to deliver exceptional tree care services to our customers.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Some tree calls are about safety before they are about sales. A caller may be standing under a cracked limb or near a wire, and the CSR's first questions decide what happens next.
A downed wire changes the script
If a caller says a tree brought down a wire, the CSR tells them to keep everyone back and call the utility. OSHA's fact sheet for storm cleanup crews warns that a fallen line can kill even when it isn't sparking or humming, and that it can energize fences, bushes and trees nearby. Power doesn't always shut off when a line hits a tree. The CSR notes what the caller saw and passes it to dispatch, which holds the job until the utility clears the line. Source: OSHA Fact Sheet: Working safely around downed electrical wires (FS-3941, 2018).
Storm calls start with what's at risk
ISA warns that broken limbs hanging overhead, and trees resting on roofs or other trees, can keep moving after a storm passes. So the CSR asks whether anyone is hurt, what the tree is lying on, and whether a door or driveway is blocked. Then they ask the caller to keep people clear and leave the cutting to a crew. Calls with people at risk go straight to dispatch. Source: ISA (TreesAreGood.org): Storm-related tree damage.
The estimate visit needs a few facts
An arborist can't price a removal over the phone. The CSR books the visit and notes what the arborist needs to know: which tree, its rough size, what it leans over, wires nearby, and how wide the gate is for a bucket truck. They also find out if an HOA governs the lot and whether the tree stands by the street, so the office can start any approvals early.
Plant health care renews every year
Plant health care programs are built on regular visits to check trees and shrubs. ISA notes that some programs charge for monitoring and bill each treatment, while others charge one yearly fee covering the visits and many treatments. At renewal, the CSR explains which kind the customer has, what last year's visits found, and when this year's first visit is set. Source: ISA (TreesAreGood.org): Plant health care.
How much tree care customer service representatives make
Customer service representatives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.60 an hour ($40,770 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $44,770 median for customer service representatives in all industries. About 3,130 of the 2,595,750 customer service representatives in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
Paid by the hour with performance bonuses under the template, and storm-week phone shifts bring overtime. Booked estimates with complete notes and renewals kept make fairer bonus measures than raw call counts.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$40,770$40,770 median Middle half $35,700–$51,490 10th–90th $33,810–$66,830
All industries
$44,770$44,770 median Middle half $36,870–$51,780 10th–90th $31,750–$63,590
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping and tree care companies
$33,810
$35,700
$40,770
$51,490
$66,830
All industries
$31,750
$36,870
$44,770
$51,780
$63,590
BLS doesn’t publish pay for tree care companies on their own. These figures cover landscaping services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Gives clear safety steps to a frightened caller without rushing
Gets the same storm facts from every caller, even on the hundredth call
Writes estimate notes an arborist can act on before arriving
Explains plant health care programs plainly at renewal time
Keeps a long callback list straight through a storm week
Teach these on the job
Tree names and the problems customers describe, like dead limbs or leaf spots
Your plant health care programs, prices and renewal dates
Which jobs the CSR may price over the phone
Booking estimates in your CRM so each arborist's day stays in one part of town
Your storm script and after-hours rules
Calls, texts and web requests land in the company's tree care CRM, such as Arborgold, where the CSR books estimate visits on each arborist's calendar and tracks plant health care renewals. Photos customers text in help the arborist plan the visit.
Tree care customer service representative interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Storm triage calls
A caller says a large limb is hanging over their roof after a storm. What do you do?
A strong answer: Asks if anyone is in danger and if power lines are involved (tells them to stay away and call the utility), gets details and photos, marks it urgent and books an arborist.
Behavioral · Calming frightened callers
Tell me about a time you took a call from someone frightened or upset, such as after a storm or accident. What did you say?
A strong answer: Stayed calm, asked about safety first, gave clear next steps and a realistic time, and followed up.
Base targets on your own call data from an ordinary quarter. Leave storm days out of the monthly averages and grade them on a separate sheet.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
A short survey question after each estimate visit about how the booking went, plus review comments that name the office. Sort them by CSR monthly; missed callbacks after a storm are the usual low marks.
Average handle time
Minutes per call, including the notes typed after hanging up. A good storm or wire call takes longer than a renewal, so compare each CSR's routine bookings only with other routine bookings.
Call Abandonment Rate
Callers who hang up before reaching a person, by hour and day. Spikes after storms show when to add phone help or an overflow line.
First Call Resolution
Calls that ended with the need met, such as an estimate booked or a program renewed, with no callback or second call that week. Tag repeat callers in the CRM.
Career path
Customer service representativeTakes tree calls, books estimates and renews programs.
DispatcherBuilds each day's board of crews and machines.
A caller says a tree just fell on the house. What does the CSR do?
First ask whether anyone is hurt or trapped; if so, they should call 911 before anything else. Then ask them to stay out of rooms under the tree and away from any wire. Get the address, a callback number and photos if it's safe to take them, and send the call to dispatch as an emergency. Tell the caller when someone will call back, and keep that promise.
How much does a tree care customer service representative make?
Customer service representatives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.60 an hour ($40,770 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $35,700 and $51,490 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can a CSR tell a caller whether insurance covers tree removal?
No. What a policy pays depends on the policy and on what the tree hit, and only the insurer decides. The CSR can offer an itemized estimate and photos the customer can send to their agent. Make sure callers know the bill is theirs if the claim pays little or nothing, before the crew starts.
Which tree jobs can a CSR price over the phone?
Only the ones you've given set prices, such as a stump grind by diameter or a repeat plant health care visit. Removals and pruning depend on the tree's size, what's under it and how the crew can reach it, so an arborist prices them on site. Keep the short price list where every CSR can see it, so two callers never hear two prices for the same stump.
What if a caller wants work done on a neighbor's tree?
Listen, then explain that the crew can only work on a tree with its owner's okay. If the caller owns the tree, book the estimate. If the neighbor does, offer to talk with the neighbor or send them your number. Note any branches over the property line, since the arborist may see an option the caller hasn't considered, and log it in case the neighbor calls.
Customer Service Representative in other industries
