---
Title: "What Is Customer Service Orientation?"
Url: "https://computer.io/glossary/customer-service-orientation"
Topic: "Customer service"
Description: "Customer service orientation is the mindset of anticipating, recognizing and meeting customer needs. Meaning, examples and how it is assessed in hiring."
---

# What is customer service orientation?

Customer service orientation is a person's or organization's tendency to anticipate, recognize and meet customers' needs, shown through helpfulness, patience, follow-through and a genuine desire to solve problems. It is often assessed as a competency when hiring for customer-facing roles.

## Signs of strong service orientation

| Behavior | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Anticipates needs | Shares a workaround before being asked |
| Listens actively | Restates the problem accurately |
| Follows through | Updates the customer as promised |
| Stays patient | Explains a step again kindly |
| Takes ownership | Doesn't pass the customer around |

## Service-oriented vs customer-oriented

The terms are used almost interchangeably. "Service-oriented" can also describe architecture in software (SOA), which is unrelated.

## In hiring

Interviewers ask for examples of going beyond expectations, handling difficult customers and resolving complex problems.

## FAQ

### What does service-oriented mean?

Focused on helping and serving others effectively, especially customers.

### How do you show customer service orientation in an interview?

Share specific examples where you anticipated needs, solved problems and followed through.

### Is customer service orientation a skill?

It's a mix of mindset and skills, and it can be developed with practice and coaching.

## Related terms

- [Customer focus](https://computer.io/glossary/customer-focus)
- [Customer empathy](https://computer.io/glossary/customer-empathy)
- [What are the most important customer service skills?](https://computer.io/answers/what-are-the-most-important-customer-service-skills)

## How Computer helps

- [Customer agent](https://devrev.ai/solutions/customer-agent)

## Further reading

- [Customer oriented service](https://devrev.ai/blog/customer-oriented-service)
- [Customer service skills](https://devrev.ai/blog/customer-service-skills)