Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between applications support engineers and customer support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an applications support engineer, becoming a customer support engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an applications support engineer has an average salary of $89,928, which is higher than the $82,674 average annual salary of a customer support engineer.
The top three skills for an applications support engineer include java, application support and database. The most important skills for a customer support engineer are customer support, technical support, and customer service.
| Applications Support Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,928 | $82,674 |
| Hourly rate | $43.23 | $39.75 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 222,780 | 138,641 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An applications support engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and optimal performance of the application and network systems to support business operations and functions. Applications support engineers work on the installation of updates, upgrade system infrastructure, and resolve technical process issues and gaps. They also analyze the condition of existing applications and modify procedures to improve stability and configuration. An applications support engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills to identify failure sources and create resolution manuals to prevent downtime reoccurrence.
A customer support engineer is responsible for providing the highest customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving their complaints regarding the technical products of the company. Customer support engineers handle escalated requests, determine technical solutions, and write resolution reports for reference. They also manage the installation and upgrades of network systems based on clients' specifications to ensure that their systems work with maximum performance. A customer support engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in recommending improvements to prevent system failures and minimize customers' complaints.
Applications support engineers and customer support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Support Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,928 | $82,674 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $120,000 | Between $59,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | Nokia |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an applications support engineer and a customer support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Applications Support Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between applications support engineers' and customer support engineers' demographics:
| Applications Support Engineer | Customer Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |