Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between collections specialists and 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 collections specialist and a service specialist. Additionally, a service specialist has an average salary of $44,150, which is higher than the $35,164 average annual salary of a collections specialist.
The top three skills for a collections specialist include customer service, patients and customer accounts. The most important skills for a service specialist are patients, social work, and criminal justice.
| Collections Specialist | Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,164 | $44,150 |
| Hourly rate | $16.91 | $21.23 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 40,277 | 207,020 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 46 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
As their name entails, collections specialists collect payments for the outstanding accounts receivables. Collections specialists list the names of those who were unable to pay their overdue bills based on their delinquency severity. They locate the customers through loan documents, background checks, credit bureau information, and other databases or paperwork. These specialists are expected to be excellent in their negotiation and communication skills. They should also be trustworthy, reliable, and act professionally to be considered as good specialists.
A service specialist is responsible for assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns about the services offered by the organization. Service specialists' duties include responding to customers' requests, updating customers of promotional offers and new services, escalating high-level concerns to the appropriate department, and keeping accurate records of clients' issues and resolutions. Service specialists are also in charge of preparing customer surveys to rate their satisfaction and identifying opportunities for service improvement. A service specialist must display excellent customer service and communication skills to address clients' concerns efficiently and accurately.
Collections specialists and service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Collections Specialist | Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,164 | $44,150 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Kent Daniels & Associates | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a collections specialist and a service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Collections Specialist | Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between collections specialists' and service specialists' demographics:
| Collections Specialist | Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |