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The differences between client service technicians and desk support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a client service technician, becoming a desk support technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a client service technician has an average salary of $48,433, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a client service technician include customer service, troubleshoot and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Client Service Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,433 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $23.29 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 136,761 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A client service technician visits the clients' locations to fix problematic equipment or complex machines that they find hard to move because of their connections with other outer systems or their sizes. Besides assisting clients and answering phone inquiries, client service technicians also install and test machinery, equipment, and products and guide customers to use the product correctly. They identify issues and evaluate the available data by using various diagnostic tools.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Client service technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Client Service Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,433 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $90,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a client service technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Client Service Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between client service technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Client Service Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 11% |