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The differences between client service technicians and desktop 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 desktop 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 $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a client service technician include customer service, troubleshoot and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Client Service Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,433 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $23.29 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 136,761 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Client service technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Client Service Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,433 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $90,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | - | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | - | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a client service technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Client Service Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between client service technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Client Service Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 11% |