Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between call agents and call center representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a call agent and a call center representative. Additionally, a call center representative has an average salary of $31,549, which is higher than the $28,192 average annual salary of a call agent.
The top three skills for a call agent include customer service, inbound calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for a call center representative are strong customer service, customer service, and patients.
| Call Agent | Call Center Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $28,192 | $31,549 |
| Hourly rate | $13.55 | $15.17 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 208,872 | 133,579 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A call agent works at call centers where they are primarily in charge of handling inbound and outbound calls. They are usually responsible for offering products and services to clients, answering questions, discussing product specifications, arranging payment plans, and negotiating contracts, building positive relationships in the process. They may also handle complaints, troubleshoot issues, provide step-by-step instructions, and refer them to other services when necessary. Moreover, a call agent maintains records of all transactions and produces detailed reports, coordinating with managers regularly.
Call center representatives are employees who take customer calls in the company's contact center. They answer incoming calls related to their account. Call center representatives are trained on the company's products, policies, and guidelines. They are expected to know the ins and outs of every company product under their account before they are assigned to the operations floor. Once they are deemed efficient enough to handle calls, they begin to take customer inquiries and try to resolve them during the call. Call center representatives are expected to follow company policies and procedures and to meet the goals set by the company.
Call agents and call center representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Call Agent | Call Center Representative | |
| Average salary | $28,192 | $31,549 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $25,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Chewy | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a call agent and a call center representative in terms of educational background:
| Call Agent | Call Center Representative | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between call agents' and call center representatives' demographics:
| Call Agent | Call Center Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.4% Female, 66.6% | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |