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The differences between center specialists and customer support 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 center specialist and a customer support specialist. Additionally, a customer support specialist has an average salary of $39,470, which is higher than the $33,648 average annual salary of a center specialist.
The top three skills for a center specialist include patients, customer service and necessary paperwork. The most important skills for a customer support specialist are customer support, phone calls, and compassion.
| Center Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,648 | $39,470 |
| Hourly rate | $16.18 | $18.98 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 226,751 | 259,592 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A call center specialist is an individual who interacts with customers over the phone to ensure smooth transactions and answer customer queries. Call center specialists provide customer service through the phone and handle complaints under the company's guidance and with professionalism and courtesy. They must verify the information for incoming orders and enter them into the database with accuracy. Call center specialists should maintain the call center database and must regularly update the contact log. They must also report malfunctioning equipment and software to their supervisors.
A customer support specialist is responsible for assisting a customer's inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services the organization offers. Customer support specialists handle customer issues and resolve them promptly, escalating high-level complaints to the immediate supervisors. A support specialist will also replace products or process payment refunds as needed. Their goal is to maintain the highest customer satisfaction and keep a good reputation for the company while driving revenues and increasing profitability. A customer support specialist must have outstanding communication skills, as well as the ability to multi-task to record customer complaint cases while providing resolution.
Center specialists and customer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Center Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $33,648 | $39,470 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $46,000 | Between $28,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Micron Technology |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a center specialist and a customer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Center Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between center specialists' and customer support specialists' demographics:
| Center Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |