Some people believe that customer service agents are a dying breed. Every day millions of customers use web-self service options to handle routine functions instead of calling an 800 number.  But who ya gonna call when you have a complex problem? A real, live person who knows what’s what — that’s who.

If you work in customer service, you will have plenty of job security in the years to come. According to the May 25 issue of Time Magazine, the US Department of Labor predicts the number of customer service jobs will grow by 545,000 by 2016. In fact, the magazine listed customer service representatives in the top 10 high growth jobs.

What impact will this increase in demand for customer service reps have on you? Here is what I predict:
1. Seasoned reps who are skilled in complex problem resolution will be in high demand.
2. As companies view their call centers as important strategic assets (not just a cost of doing business) they will invest more in training and developing their agents.
3. There is a good chance that the demand for good customer service reps will exceed the supply; that could translate into higher wages.
4. Instead of building more call centers, employers will have customer service reps work from home.
5. When great talent is hard to find, companies bend over backwards to keep their best people on board.

Go ahead. Spread your wings. It looks like there are plenty of blue skies ahead.