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The differences between call center representatives and virtual assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a call center representative, becoming a virtual assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a virtual assistant has an average salary of $39,915, which is higher than the $31,549 average annual salary of a call center representative.
The top three skills for a call center representative include strong customer service, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a virtual assistant are data entry, customer service, and email management.
| Call Center Representative | Virtual Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,549 | $39,915 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $19.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 133,579 | 49,508 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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.
Virtual Assistants are remote workers who work with clients that need assistance. They usually do administrative or clerical activities such as managing soft copies of a document, writing e-mail correspondences, managing calendars, scheduling appointments, and other activities. They manage the e-mail of their clients and respond to inquiries and other messages. They also manage phone calls by answering calls, taking messages, and dialing for their clients. Virtual Assistants may also be asked to handle travel-related tasks of their clients, such as creating itineraries, booking flights, and booking hotels.
Call center representatives and virtual assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Call Center Representative | Virtual Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,549 | $39,915 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $29,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a call center representative and a virtual assistant in terms of educational background:
| Call Center Representative | Virtual Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between call center representatives' and virtual assistants' demographics:
| Call Center Representative | Virtual Assistant | |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6% | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |