Call center agent vs phone representative

The differences between call center agents and phone 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 center agent and a phone representative. Additionally, a phone representative has an average salary of $42,827, which is higher than the $31,180 average annual salary of a call center agent.

The top three skills for a call center agent include customer service, strong customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a phone representative are customer service, outbound calls, and telephone calls.

Call center agent vs phone representative overview

	Call Center Agent	Phone Representative
Yearly salary	$31,180	$42,827
Hourly rate	$14.99	$20.59
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	131,722	222,650
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a call center agent do?

A call center agent is responsible for answering calls and assisting clients by responding to inquiries. They also handle complaints and resolve issues, troubleshoot errors, and process applications. The tasks of a call center agent will vary on the directives of supervisors. There are instances when they must make calls to gather or give information, sell products, and discuss a particular subject. Furthermore, most of the duties take place in a team setting, which is why it is essential to coordinate with colleagues and adhere to the company's policies and regulations at all times.

What does a phone representative do?

A Phone Representative answers customer calls, complaints, and inquiries professionally. They handle and resolve customer complaints related to its services/products and product/service sales. Besides processing applications, orders, and forms requested by customers, Phone Representatives also update customers about the products/services information. These professionals record customer complaints, inquiries, feedback, and actions taken. They develop and maintain mutually beneficial and professional relationships with each customer. Moreover, they create and maintain cordial relationships with all new customers.

Call center agent vs phone representative salary

Call center agents and phone representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Call Center Agent	Phone Representative
Average salary	$31,180	$42,827
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Norco, CA
Highest paying state	Minnesota	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Press Ganey
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between call center agent and phone representative education

There are a few differences between a call center agent and a phone representative in terms of educational background:

	Call Center Agent	Phone Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Call center agent vs phone representative demographics

Here are the differences between call center agents' and phone representatives' demographics:

	Call Center Agent	Phone Representative
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%	Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 5.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between call center agent and phone representative duties and responsibilities

Call center agent example responsibilities.

Submit bills for reimbursement to private insurers Medicaid and Medicare.
Provide excellent customer service by helping customer troubleshoot technical needs for Internet services.
Assist customers with any technical issues experience with website and escalate any issues to management appropriately.
Maintain personal computer and troubleshoot computer software problems.
Familiarize and provide information on general Medicare eligibility and information.
Verify information and input information concerning the conversation and escalate if need.

Phone representative example responsibilities.

Conduct telephone sales and interviews, compile and enter information into database, manage documents and insure customer satisfaction.
Provide status of medical claims and explain EOB's.
Research and resolve incorrect payments, EOB rejections and other issues with accounts.
Answer inbound provider calls to help with billing Medicaid claims and benefits and eligibility issues.
Update alumni on current happenings in university life and act as a liaison between past and current students.
Contact hundreds of alumni and their families by telephone and raise thousands of dollars to improve school facilities and maintain school grounds

Call center agent vs phone representative skills

Common call center agent skills

Customer Service, 20%
Strong Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Inbound Phone Calls, 5%
Customer Care, 5%

Common phone representative skills

Customer Service, 27%
Outbound Calls, 13%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Inbound Phone Calls, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Computer System, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Call Center Agent
Call Center Agent vs Phone Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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