Industrial construction customer service representative job description
An industrial construction customer service representative answers plant managers, maintenance planners and buyers by phone and email, books site walks and crew visits, and keeps each client posted on schedule changes. The rep also collects the plant's safety details before a visit, so the crew can start work when it arrives.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial and industrial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Industrial Construction - Customer Service Representative
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Office Manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Serve as the primary point of contact for clients in the industrial construction sector with a strong focus on customer service and scheduling management. Ensure timely responses to inquiries, provide accurate project updates, and assist in coordinating construction services. Act as a liaison between clients and on-site teams to support smooth operations and high levels of client satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Field client inquiries and provide solutions, addressing issues or redirecting them to the appropriate internal parties.
Manage and update client communication regarding scheduling, project status, and any alterations to project timelines.
Facilitate scheduling of appointments and construction visits by coordinating with project managers and field teams.
Maintain comprehensive and accurate records in the customer service database.
Collaborate with colleagues in operations to ensure seamless service delivery and resolve scheduling conflicts.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Answer incoming calls and emails from current and potential clients.
Provide updates to clients on ongoing projects and relay their feedback to the relevant teams.
Coordinate daily schedules and appointments for consultations and on-site assessments.
Monitor and track progress of ongoing service requests for timely follow-up and closure.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Average Response Time: within 2 minutes per inquiry.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Appointment Scheduling Accuracy: 98% compliance with scheduled times.
Follow-Up Completion Rate: 100% of pending updates resolved within one business day.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; college degree preferred.
Minimum of 1 year experience in customer service within industrial or construction sectors.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficient in using customer relationship management (CRM) software and scheduling tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the industrial construction or home services industry.
Background in administrative support within operations or project management teams.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize effectively.
Familiarity with industry-specific software and basic operations of field service teams.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand for prolonged periods during work shifts.
May require occasional lifting of materials up to 20 pounds.
Work settings predominantly in an office environment with occasional site visits under varying weather conditions.
Adequate visual and auditory capabilities to manage customer inquiries and digital data entry tasks.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime or weekend availability to meet critical client or project deadlines.
Occasional travel to client sites may be required.
No on-call duties beyond standard business hours.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $16 - $22 per hour, commensurate with experience.
Eligible for performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage provided.
401(k) plan with company match participation.
Additional fringe benefits include paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At our organization, we empower our employees to excel in their roles while fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
We emphasize growth, solution-focused mindset, and continuous improvement to ensure outstanding customer satisfaction.
Our team is dedicated to supporting each other and sharing expertise to innovate within the industrial construction market.
Join us to advance your career, contribute to impactful projects, and make a tangible difference in the community.
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
What changes for customer service at an industrial contractor
The callers manage plants, not homes. Every visit has to fit the plant's production schedule and safety rules before anyone drives out.
Ask who locks out the equipment
When a plant wants work on a pump, conveyor or other machine, OSHA's energy control rule makes the plant and the outside contractor share their lockout or tagout procedures with each other. Put the plant's lockout contact in the booking notes, and note which procedure your crew will follow, so the field supervisor isn't sorting it out at the machine. Source: OSHA: Control of hazardous energy, outside personnel (29 CFR 1910.147(f)(2)).
Get the plant's chemical information first
A plant that uses or stores hazardous chemicals where a contractor's crew may be exposed must tell that contractor how to reach the safety data sheets, what precautions to take in normal operation and in emergencies, and how its labels work. Ask for this when you book the visit and attach it to the job, so it reaches the crew briefing. Source: OSHA: Hazard communication, multi-employer workplaces (29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(2)).
Floor cutting comes with silica rules
Plants often ask for a slab to be cut for a new machine base or trench drain. If your crew follows OSHA's silica table, a walk-behind saw must keep water flowing onto the blade, and indoors the operator also needs a respirator rated at APF 10 or higher. Ask early whether the plant allows water and slurry near its equipment, and pass the answer to the estimator. Source: OSHA: Respirable crystalline silica in construction, Table 1 (29 CFR 1926.1153).
Production decides when you can visit
Plants book contractors around production runs, shift changes and planned outages. Ask when the line is down, who will escort your people, and what protective gear the plant requires, then save those answers on the client record. Visits booked that way happen the first time, and the next call from that plant goes faster.
Two contacts, two kinds of update
The maintenance planner wants to know when the crew arrives and what work is left. The buyer wants the purchase order number, the quote and any cost change. Give each the news they care about, and route requests for added work to the project manager rather than promising them on the phone.
How much industrial construction customer service representatives make
Customer service representatives who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $26.40 an hour ($54,900 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $44,770 median for customer service representatives in all industries. About 550 of the 2,595,750 customer service representatives in that survey work for commercial and industrial building contractors.
Hourly with overtime, and sometimes a bonus. Plant-savvy reps often expect more than the template's hourly range, which sits under what BLS reports as typical here.
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$54,900$54,900 median Middle half $31,300–$69,110 10th–90th $18,670–$77,760
All industries
$44,770$44,770 median Middle half $36,870–$51,780 10th–90th $31,750–$63,590
$10k$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$18,670
$31,300
$54,900
$69,110
$77,760
All industries
$31,750
$36,870
$44,770
$51,780
$63,590
BLS reports industrial and commercial building contractors together. 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
A calm, clear manner on the phone and in email with plant managers and buyers
Complete CRM notes on every call
Booking several crews and site walks without double-booking
Reading a purchase order and a quote
Steady follow-through on open requests until they close
Teach these on the job
Plant safety terms such as lockout, hot work and confined space
Each major client's visitor and contractor rules
Your scheduling tool and job numbering
Which kinds of work need an estimator before booking
Reading a plant's outage calendar
The rep works in a CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce or similar), a shared calendar or scheduling tool, and email. Plenty of plant clients post requests in their own maintenance or buying systems; say in the ad if the rep will log into client portals.
Industrial construction 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 · Taking client schedule changes
A plant's maintenance planner calls to move tomorrow's crew to a different unit and start [2] hours earlier. What do you do?
A strong answer: Confirms the details, checks with dispatch and the project manager on crew, permits and site access, confirms in writing and updates the schedule.
Behavioral · Demanding clients
Tell me about a demanding client, such as a plant planner who changes plans daily, that you kept happy. What did you do?
A strong answer: Confirmed every change in writing, set a daily check-in with the planner, gave honest answers on what crews could do, and followed through.
Industrial construction customer service representative KPIs
The template's targets are examples. Watch a few weeks of real calls first, then set targets your team can meet.
Average Response Time
Minutes from an incoming call, voicemail or email until a person answers it. Your phone system and shared inbox report it each week.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Send a short survey to the plant contact after each visit or closed request, and read the comments along with the score. Report by client so one unhappy plant doesn't get averaged away.
Appointment Scheduling Accuracy
Of the site walks and crew visits booked, count how many started at the booked time with the right people present. Note the reason behind each miss, like a changed production run.
Follow-Up Completion Rate
Each morning, run the CRM's list of open client requests and count how many were closed or updated by the next business day.
Career path
Receptionist at a manufacturing plantLearns how plants handle visitors, contractors and safety rules.
Customer service representativeBooks visits and keeps plant clients informed.
Project coordinatorHandles submittals, schedules and paperwork for a project manager.
Industrial construction customer service representative FAQ
Should an industrial customer service rep quote prices?
Usually not. Most plant work is priced by an estimator after a site walk, because access, outage timing and safety rules change the cost. If you work under a master agreement with set labor and equipment rates, the rep can send the rate sheet. Anything beyond that should go to the estimator or project manager in writing.
How much does an industrial construction customer service representative make?
Customer service representatives who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $26.40 an hour ($54,900 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $31,300 and $69,110 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should the rep do when a plant calls about a breakdown?
Get the basics fast: which machine, where it sits in the plant, whether it's locked out, who will meet the crew, and the purchase order or approval to start. Then hand it to the dispatcher or operations manager by phone, not just email. The template has no on-call duty, so set up a separate after-hours number for these calls.
How much should the rep know about your crafts?
Enough to route a request. A rep should know which jobs go to millwrights, pipefitters, electricians or ironworkers, which need an engineer or estimator first, and which your company doesn't do. A one-page guide to your services, with examples of past plant jobs, gets a new rep there in a few weeks.
Which physical tasks come with this rep job?
Sitting or standing at a desk for most of the shift, taking calls through a headset and reading the CRM screen. Now and then, carrying a box of binders or samples to a client meeting, and walking a plant floor or outdoor yard with an estimator in the gear the plant requires, rain or shine. Spell these out as duties in the ad, and weigh each accommodation request case by case.
Customer Service Representative in other industries
