Administrative assistant vs customer service administrative assistant

The differences between administrative assistants and customer service administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative assistant and a customer service administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant has an average salary of $34,945, which is higher than the $33,741 average annual salary of a customer service administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for a customer service administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and payroll.

Administrative assistant vs customer service administrative assistant overview

	Administrative Assistant	Customer Service Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$34,945	$33,741
Hourly rate	$16.80	$16.22
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	65,769	93,535
Job satisfaction	4.14	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative assistant do?

Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.

What does a customer service administrative assistant do?

A customer service administrative assistant is responsible for responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, alongside performing administrative tasks as required. Customer service administrative assistants must escalate high-level complaints to the appropriate department, organize client meetings, process business letters, assist with developing promotional offers and marketing materials, and research potential clients. They also manage inventories and request stock supplies, create expense reports, and update customer records in the database. A customer service administrative assistant must have excellent customer service skills, as well as the ability to multitask and work under pressure and strict deadlines.

Administrative assistant vs customer service administrative assistant salary

Administrative assistants and customer service administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Assistant	Customer Service Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$34,945	$33,741
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $28,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Everett, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Westfield State University	Uline
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between administrative assistant and customer service administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and a customer service administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Assistant	Customer Service Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative assistant vs customer service administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and customer service administrative assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Assistant	Customer Service Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative assistant and customer service administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage time and attendance using Kronos software for entire department.
Participate in national projects, manage new customer conversions to MCI from other carriers.
Manage FEDEX delivery requirements ensuring compliance with company policy.
Manage and update social media outlets including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.

Customer service administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage customers' database accounts and records, perform customer verification and process applications, orders and requests utilizing QuickBooks.
Provide support to accounting personnel with data entry into QuickBooks and document processing
Coordinate with clients, vendors, lawyers, CPA, and other employees.
Edited/Maintain the official Herzing program and course outlines on the Herzing SharePoint intranet site.
Provide outstanding administrative support to the third partner, while establishing and coordinating overall departmental functionality of 16 staff CPA team.
Assist manager with development of PowerPoint presentations for prospective customers.

Administrative assistant vs customer service administrative assistant skills

Common administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 11%
PowerPoint, 6%
Travel Arrangements, 5%
Database Management, 5%
Word Processing, 5%

Common customer service administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 24%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Scheduling Appointments, 5%
Front Desk, 3%
Travel Arrangements, 3%

Administrative Assistant vs. similar jobs

Administrative Assistant related careers

Administrative Assistant related jobs

Administrative Assistant jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant vs Customer Service Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs