Customer service jobs: service desks, call centres and post office counters

Customer service jobs are about one thing: helping people solve a problem. You might stand at a service desk in a store, answer calls in a call centre, or serve customers at a post office counter. Employers often hire people with no experience and train them, because a calm, kind attitude is hard to teach.

We checked the facts in this guide on October 12, 2026. Rules and rates change, so follow the links to the official pages for the latest details.

Types of customer service jobs

Store service desk. You handle returns and exchanges, check prices, sell gift cards, help with online order pickups, and answer questions. When the store is busy, you may also run a cash register. Read Cashier jobs and Retail store associate jobs for more.

Call centre or contact centre agent. You answer phone calls, chats, or emails from customers. You might help them with a bill, an order, a booking, or a technical problem. You work at a computer, often with a headset, and follow steps and scripts that the company gives you. Some contact centre jobs are done from home.

Post office counter. You help customers send letters and parcels, buy stamps, and pick up packages. Many post office counters are inside pharmacies and other stores. Canada Post calls these dealer postal outlets, managed by retail partners such as pharmacies (Canada Post). If you apply for one of these jobs, check the posting to see whether you would work for the store or for Canada Post.

Front desk and reception. Gyms, clinics, hotels, and offices hire people to greet visitors, answer phones, and book appointments.

Which rules cover you?

Our rights guides describe the provincial rules that cover most jobs. But some industries are federally regulated. The federal list includes banks, telecommunications (such as phone, internet, and cable companies), air transportation, postal and courier services, and most federal Crown corporations, such as Canada Post (canada.ca). These workplaces follow federal labour standards instead of provincial ones.

This can change your minimum wage:

• The federal minimum wage is $18.15 an hour, since April 1, 2026. If your province's minimum wage is higher, the provincial rate applies to you (canada.ca).
• In BC, the provincial rate of $18.25 an hour is higher, so it applies.
• In Ontario, the provincial rate is $17.95 an hour, so in a federally regulated job, the federal rate of $18.15 applies.

A call centre that answers calls for a bank or a phone company may be run by a different company. If you are not sure which rules cover you, ask your employer who you work for and check the federal list.

Skills that help

• Listening. Let the customer finish. Repeat back what you heard so they know you understand.
• Patience. Some customers are stressed, confused, or in a hurry.
• Clear speaking and writing. Use simple words. In call centres and chat jobs, your words are all the customer has.
• Computer skills. You may use several programs at once. Typing speed helps in chat and email jobs.
• Problem-solving. Know what you can fix yourself and when to pass the problem on.
• Languages. In Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, speaking a second language can be a big advantage. List every language you speak.

Handling difficult customers

Every customer service worker meets upset customers. These steps help:

1. Stay calm. Take a slow breath. The customer is upset about the problem, not about you.
2. Listen without interrupting. Let them explain.
3. Show you understand. Say something like, "I'm sorry this happened. Let's see what I can do."
4. Explain what you can do. Focus on the options you have, not on what you can't do.
5. Get help when you need it. It's fine to say, "Let me get my supervisor." Knowing when to ask for help is part of the job.
6. Write it down. After a hard conversation, note what happened, especially if you may need to tell a supervisor.

After a difficult call or customer, take a moment to reset if you can. Don't take it home with you.

When it goes too far

Being yelled at, threatened, or harassed is not "part of the job." The law expects employers to protect workers.

BC. WorkSafeBC says the potential for violence exists whenever workers deal directly with people who are not workers. If there is a risk of violence, the employer must set up procedures to eliminate or reduce the risk and teach workers those procedures (WorkSafeBC: Violence). Employers must also have procedures for responding to reports of bullying and harassment (WorkSafeBC: Bullying and harassment). Report incidents to your employer. If your employer doesn't act, you can call WorkSafeBC's Prevention Information Line at 1-888-621-7233, or 604-276-3100 in the Lower Mainland (WorkSafeBC).

Ontario. Every employer must have a workplace violence policy and a program to put it into practice. The program must include ways to get immediate help when workplace violence happens or is likely to happen, and ways for workers to report incidents. You can refuse work if you have reason to believe workplace violence may put you in danger (ontario.ca).

In a federally regulated workplace, the Canada Labour Code sets the health and safety rules instead (canada.ca).

Wherever you work, ask your manager on your first day: "What should I do if a customer becomes abusive or threatening?" Read more in Harassment at work in BC and Ontario.

How old do you have to be?

• Ontario: The minimum age is 14 for offices and stores.
• BC: From 16, the regular rules apply. At 14 or 15, with written permission from a parent or guardian, you can do "light work," which includes administrative and secretarial work and work as a cashier (light work list).
• Federally regulated jobs: At a bank, a phone company, or Canada Post, federal rules apply instead. If you are under 18, you can work only if you are not required by provincial law to attend school, among other conditions, and you can't be required to work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (canada.ca).

How to get hired

• Practise on the phone. If the job is in a call centre, the first interview may be by phone. Answer clearly, smile while you talk, and have your resume in front of you.
• Be ready for a skills test. Some employers test typing or ask you to role-play a call with an upset customer.
• Give examples. Talk about a time you helped someone at school, while volunteering, or in your family. See Your first job interview.
• Show your availability. Many service desks and contact centres are open evenings and weekends.

Next steps

• Customer service jobs in Metro Vancouver and the GTA
• Learn about Canadian workplace basics
• Know your rights: BC and Ontario
• Build your resume: Writing your first resume with no work experience