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The differences between account managers and customer success managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an account manager and a customer success manager. Additionally, a customer success manager has an average salary of $93,820, which is higher than the $68,535 average annual salary of an account manager.
The top three skills for an account manager include customer service, account management and healthcare. The most important skills for a customer success manager are client facing, cloud, and account management.
| Account Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $68,535 | $93,820 |
| Hourly rate | $32.95 | $45.11 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 152,261 | 95,053 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
A customer success manager works to understand repeat customers and prioritize their long-term needs. Primarily, they manage the customer relationship and give them prompt value propositions. They act as mentors to customers by educating them about the sales process and ensure efficient transaction processing. Their tasks include advocating for the company, onboarding customers to the products, follow-up on renewals, and encouraging cross-sells and upsells. Additionally, they build relationships with the customer and the support team as well as advocating customers' needs.
Account managers and customer success managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Average salary | $68,535 | $93,820 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $110,000 | Between $61,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | VMware |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an account manager and a customer success manager in terms of educational background:
| Account Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between account managers' and customer success managers' demographics:
| Account Manager | Customer Success Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |