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The differences between account specialists and customer account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an account specialist, becoming a customer account manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a customer account manager has an average salary of $45,951, which is higher than the $42,586 average annual salary of an account specialist.
The top three skills for an account specialist include customer service, patients and account management. The most important skills for a customer account manager are customer service, customer accounts, and CRM.
| Account Specialist | Customer Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $42,586 | $45,951 |
| Hourly rate | $20.47 | $22.09 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 116,010 | 110,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
An account specialist is responsible for reaching out to customers or potential clients through calls, emails, and other forms of correspondence to secure sales and strengthen business relations. An account specialist may also perform other tasks such as arranging appointment schedules with clients, providing price quotes and responding to further inquiries, process orders, generating sales leads, and handling complaints and resolving issues. Furthermore, an account specialist may also be involved in developing strategies, finding new opportunities, producing and completing necessary documents, and preparing reports, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Customer Account Managers are employees who specialize in keeping good, professional relationships with the company's clients. They are assigned specific customers and key clients to manage. Customer account managers are in charge of maintaining the customers' loyalty. As such, customer account managers are expected to provide first-class service to their customers. This includes providing them special promotions related to the company's services, keeping special communication lines for client concerns, and expediting client requests. They ensure that their customers receive their product or service requests on time and in good condition.
Account specialists and customer account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Specialist | Customer Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $42,586 | $45,951 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $62,000 | Between $29,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Mouser Electronics |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an account specialist and a customer account manager in terms of educational background:
| Account Specialist | Customer Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between account specialists' and customer account managers' demographics:
| Account Specialist | Customer Account Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |