Plumbing customer service representative job description
A plumbing customer service representative fields calls about burst pipes, clogged drains, sewer backups and water heaters that quit, and books the right plumber. On an emergency they first help the caller stop the damage, such as closing the main water valve, then set the arrival window and explain the service fee.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $36,810, middle half $39,810 to $54,050, 90th percentile $62,760. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Call center lead or Operations Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
Office hours, longer on freeze days · Long days during hard freezes and heavy rain. Some shops rotate evening and weekend phone shifts for emergencies.
Also called
Plumbing CSR · Service scheduler · Call center agent · Customer care representative
Plumbing customer service representative job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Serve as the primary point of contact for plumbing service inquiries, scheduling, and customer support. Enhance the client experience by providing timely, accurate, and courteous service. Contribute to efficient service operations and overall customer satisfaction. Support plumbing technicians with essential scheduling and communication tasks.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Schedule plumbing service calls and appointments accurately.
Field incoming customer inquiries and effectively address client needs.
Utilize dedicated scheduling software to maintain organized service records.
Collaborate with plumbing technicians and other departments to ensure seamless operations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Answer incoming customer calls and emails regarding plumbing services.
Confirm appointments and update customer schedules in real time.
Provide detailed service information, including pricing and service scope.
Escalate complex inquiries to supervisors and follow up as necessary.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve >4.8 stars.
Callback Percentage: Maintain <5% callback rate.
Scheduling Accuracy: Ensure a 98% accuracy rate for service appointments.
Average Call Response Time: Respond within 60 seconds per call.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Proven experience in a customer service role with excellent communication skills.
Basic understanding of plumbing services and industry terminology.
Proficiency in scheduling software and Microsoft Office applications.
Strong problem-solving ability and commitment to customer care.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working in the plumbing or home services industry.
Exposure to fast-paced call center or customer support environments.
Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks in a dynamic setting.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.
Frequent use of a telephone and computer equipment.
Capability to lift light office materials up to 15 pounds.
Occasionally navigate between office and field support locations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard working hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Fast-paced office environment with high customer interaction.
Occasional evening or weekend shifts may be required.
Minimal travel required between office and field support locations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $35,000 to $45,000 per year.
Performance-based bonus opportunities.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision benefits.
401(k) retirement plan and paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative environment that prizes innovation and teamwork.
Our company is dedicated to empowering our employees through continuous growth and development.
We take pride in our commitment to exceptional customer service and community support.
Emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and a work-life balance, we encourage every team member to thrive.
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
Plumbing callers often have water where it shouldn't be, right now. The CSR's first job is to help slow the damage. The second is to book the right plumber.
Help the caller find the shut-off
When a pipe bursts, the most useful thing a CSR can do is get the water turned off. The utility in Bellevue, Washington, says the main valve is often in the basement, the garage, or outside by the foundation near the front faucet. It also lets customers use the valve in the meter box in an emergency, but check what your own water utility allows before that goes in a script. Learn where homes in your area usually have the main. Source: City of Bellevue Utilities: Prevent frozen pipes, and what to do if one breaks.
Sewer backups come with health steps
A sewage backup is a health problem, not just a clog. Connecticut's public health department tells residents not to flush toilets during a backup, to keep children and pets away from the sewage, and to wear rubber gloves for anything it touched. The CSR can say the same while booking. The same sheet notes that heavy rain and spring thaws strain sewers, so these calls often come in bunches. Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health: Sewage back-ups, information for residents (rev. 2020, Town of Manchester copy).
Callers ask for a price first
Callers want a number before they agree to a visit. The CSR quotes only what the owner has set, such as the service fee or a fixed price to clear a drain from an outside cleanout. Most plumbing prices depend on what the plumber finds, like where a clog sits or how a water heater is vented, so the CSR explains that the plumber shows a price before any work starts. A repipe or a sewer line gets its own estimate visit.
Freezes and storms fill the board
A hard freeze brings burst pipes all at once, and heavy rain brings failed sump pumps and backups. On those days every line rings. The CSR gets the address, the problem and a callback number first, in case the call drops or the caller hangs up to try another plumber. The rest of the details can wait until the job is on the board.
Get the right person to approve the work
Tenants, landlords, property managers and home warranty companies all call plumbers. A tenant may not be allowed to approve a repair, and a warranty job may have to go through the warranty company first. The CSR learns whether the caller is the owner, gets the owner's OK when it's needed, and notes it on the job so the plumber isn't stuck at the door.
How much plumbing customer service representatives make
Customer service representatives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $22.22 an hour ($46,210 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 16,240 of the 2,595,750 customer service representatives in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Often listed as a yearly range but paid hourly, with overtime on freeze and storm days. Extras vary: a booking bonus at some shops, a premium for after-hours phone shifts at others.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$46,210$46,210 median Middle half $39,810–$54,050 10th–90th $36,810–$62,760
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
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$36,810
$39,810
$46,210
$54,050
$62,760
All industries
$31,750
$36,870
$44,770
$51,780
$63,590
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC 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
Gives clear, calm steps to someone with water pouring in
Gets the address, problem and access notes right the first time
Follows the gas-smell and sewage scripts without skipping steps
Explains the service fee so a price shopper still books
Keeps the queue moving on a storm day without losing callbacks
Which calls need a drain tech, a service plumber or an estimate
Your service fee, flat prices and what can be quoted on the phone
Booking screens, call queues and customer history lookups
Home warranty and landlord approval rules
Bookings go into the shop's job management software, such as ServiceTitan, Jobber or Housecall Pro, where the CSR also sees each plumber's open slots and a customer's past visits. Phone system reports show hold times, dropped calls and how many calls turned into jobs.
Plumbing customer service representative interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Your own call history should set the targets. A freeze week and a dry spring week aren't comparable, so judge each CSR against the same season.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Pull the survey answers and review comments that mention the call or the booking, sorted by the CSR who took it. Read them monthly for long holds, wrong arrival times or unclear prices.
Callback Percentage
Decide what counts first. For a CSR, count customers who had to call again about the same request because something was missed, such as a promised update, a wrong time or a lost note. Tag those calls in your software.
Scheduling Accuracy
Check a sample of booked jobs each week. Count a booking as accurate when the address, problem, access notes, payer and arrival window were all right and nobody had to phone the customer to correct them.
Average Call Response Time
Seconds from the first ring to a live person, from your phone system's reports. Look at it by hour and on storm days, and track callers who hung up before anyone answered.
Career path
Customer service representativeTakes leak, clog and water heater calls and learns how jobs are priced.
Lead CSRHandles escalations, trains new reps on the scripts and covers the after-hours rotation.
DispatcherMatches plumbers to jobs and reshuffles the day around emergencies.
Office managerTakes over billing, permits and customer records for the whole shop.
What does a plumbing customer service representative do?
They book service calls, drain cleanings and estimate visits, each with an arrival window and clear notes. Between calls they answer texts and web requests, take billing questions, log complaints and pass hard cases to a supervisor. In smaller shops the same person may also dispatch or follow up on open estimates.
How much does a plumbing customer service representative make?
Customer service representatives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $22.22 an hour ($46,210 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $39,810 and $54,050 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Does a plumbing CSR need plumbing experience?
Basic plumbing words matter more than trade experience. A CSR should know a shut-off valve from a cleanout and a tank water heater from a tankless one, and that can be taught in the first few weeks. Someone who booked calls for a pest control or HVAC company already knows the pace. Start training with the leak, sewage and gas scripts; prices and job types follow.
Which plumbing calls are worth a night visit?
Write the list before the first freeze, so whoever answers at midnight isn't deciding alone. Many shops send a plumber at night for water the caller can't stop, sewage coming into the house, or a home with no water at all, and book a dripping faucet or one slow drain for morning. Tell callers the after-hours fee before anyone heads out.
How should a plumbing CSR handle a caller upset about a bill?
Listen all the way through, then pull up the job: the plumber's notes, photos, and the price the customer approved before work began. Many disputes clear up once the customer sees what was found and agreed. If not, log the complaint and hand it to the manager who can adjust a bill, with a promised time for a call back.
What should a plumbing CSR say when every plumber is booked?
Give the earliest real window and say it plainly. Then help the caller hold off the damage until then: close the valve under the sink or toilet, or the main if needed, and stop using the drain that's backing up. Offer a call if a slot opens, and put them on the callback list. Never promise a time dispatch hasn't confirmed.
Customer Service Representative in other industries
