What to Call Your Customer Service and Support Teams
Did you know that people called Dennis are statistically more likely to be a dentist, and a Tex more likely to move to Texas? In my local area you can visit Dr. Hart, a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. The theory of nominative determinism says people have a tendency to move toward things that resemble their names.
If you’re naming a new team or considering renaming your existing one, here are plenty of example customer service job titles and team names to choose from — along with some factors to consider in picking the right name.
43 customer service job titles and team names
Here are some of the most common customer service job titles and team names in use today, plus a sprinkling of the less common:
| Customer service team names | Customer service job titles | Creative customer service job titles |
|---|---|---|
Client Success | Client Success Manager | Cast Member (used at Disney) |
Client Support | Client Support Officer | Guest Service Agent (common in hospitality) |
Custom Advocacy (used by Buffer) | Customer Advocate | Support Hero |
Customer Engagement | Customer Experience Agent | Support Ninja |
Customer Experience | Customer Experience Specialist | Happiness Engineer |
Customer Operations | Customer Service Agent | Customer Guru |
Customer Service | Customer Success Advisor | |
Customer Success | Customer Support Associate | |
Customer Support | Customer Support Associate | |
Customers Team (our team name at Help Scout!) | Customer Support Coordinator | |
Front Office | Customer Support Representative | |
Happiness Team (used by Automattic) | Customer Trainer | |
Help Desk (common for internal IT teams) | Senior Support Engineer | |
Service Desk | Support Agent | |
Support | Support Specialist | |
Support & Community | Tech Support Engineer | |
Technical Services | Technical Customer Support Expert | |
Technical Services Engineer | ||
Technical Support | ||
Tier X Support Specialist |
Picking the right name for your support team
The truth is that your customer service probably won’t be made or destroyed by the name you use. You can call all your support professionals heroes, but if you’re not providing them with the tools, support, and capabilities they need to do great work, then the special cape won’t really help.
However, names can be useful and powerful. They can send a message about how your company perceives the role of customer service. Here’s what you need to think about when picking the right name for your team.
Who is the name for?
There are multiple audiences for any job title or team name. A quirky job title that works beautifully inside your company might be less helpful at attracting candidates on a job advertisement.
When picking a name, consider:
The individuals in the role — is it a title they will enjoy and be happy to use to label their work?
Recruiters and job applicants — will your chosen name be broadly understandable on a LinkedIn profile or a job ad?
Your internal colleagues — how does the name fit into and rank with other organizational areas and titles across the business?
Your customers — will your customers understand what the title means when they see it during support conversations?
It can be tough to pick a name that isn’t completely dull but also works for all those audiences. Standard (even dull) names are a totally valid choice, but as an alternative, some companies use two titles for the same role: a standard "categorization" title that is used externally for clarity and findability, and a more fun internal title that is a better fit for the company culture.
What is your company style?
A team name or a job title should usually match the tone of your company. A more creative, "wacky" name in a staid and traditional company can feel inauthentic or even patronizing. The same name in a less traditional company might feel like a perfect representation of company spirit.
Cohesion and cultural fit are important in helping the customer service department feel like they really belong to the company as a whole, and the right name can help.
How are your titles used elsewhere?
The meaning of titles ("customer success," for example) can vary from company to company. If you pick a title for a team that does significantly different work than people with the same title elsewhere, you can end up making life more difficult for your hiring managers and for your new team members who have expectations based on their past experiences.
What message do you want to send?
The name you choose to refer to your customer-facing staff members sends a message to the people who interact with them. If you call your team heroes, then you’d better be giving them access to super powers, or your customers will be rightly disappointed. Customer champions had best be empowered to bend policies on behalf of their customers when it makes sense!
Disney calls its team "cast members" because they want to remind the staff that they are on stage — visible parts of the Disney brand. Think carefully about what message you want to send before you pick your name.
By any other name
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, though it probably would not sell as well in the garden center. Ultimately, the name you choose isn’t the determining factor of success. Just look at Google! It’s the environment you create for your team to work in that will make the biggest impact on your quality of customer service.
A straightforward, descriptive team name is always a safe bet, and it won’t confuse people internally or externally. But if you create a culture of service where the customer-facing teams are respected, empowered, and supported, then you can safely call your team Customer Whisperers, Email Decipherists, Mind Melders, or whatever else you desire!