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The differences between call center associates and customer service specialists 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 associate and a customer service specialist. Additionally, a customer service specialist has an average salary of $33,238, which is higher than the $31,363 average annual salary of a call center associate.
The top three skills for a call center associate include patients, inbound calls and customer service. The most important skills for a customer service specialist are customer service, strong customer service, and cleanliness.
| Call Center Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,363 | $33,238 |
| Hourly rate | $15.08 | $15.98 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 198,167 | 223,323 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Call center associates are professionals who are responsible for taking inbound and outbound customer calls and handle responsibilities that include account inquiries, customer complaints, or product and support issues. These associates are required to provide quality assistance and customer service so that they can receive positive reviews from their customers. They must assist customers with technical support issues, which include updating product documentation and training materials. Call center associates must also accurately identify their customers' needs and objectives so that they can achieve the organization's sales goals.
Customer service specialists are employees who are responsible for providing the best customer experience to customers, usually for after-sales transactions. They attend to customers' inquiries and provide answers to their questions on products or services that the company offers. They also address customer complaints and help mitigate the concerns by offering solutions such as instructions on how to fix defects, or processing replacements or refunds. Customer service specialists also listen to customer feedback and ensure that these are logged properly so that proper departments will be able to receive them.
Call center associates and customer service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Call Center Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,363 | $33,238 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $43,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albany, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Spectrum | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a call center associate and a customer service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Call Center Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between call center associates' and customer service specialists' demographics:
| Call Center Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |