Credit representative vs customer service representative

The differences between credit representatives and customer service representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a credit representative, becoming a customer service representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a credit representative has an average salary of $39,268, which is higher than the $32,260 average annual salary of a customer service representative.

The top three skills for a credit representative include customer service, customer accounts and patients. The most important skills for a customer service representative are cleanliness, POS, and data entry.

Credit representative vs customer service representative overview

	Credit Representative	Customer Service Representative
Yearly salary	$39,268	$32,260
Hourly rate	$18.88	$15.51
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	73,520	209,515
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	39	40
Years of experience	2	12

What does a credit representative do?

Credit representatives are professionals who analyze the credit data and the financial statements of firms or individuals for the determination of the risk in lending money or extending credit. The representatives are tasked to prepare reports with credit information used in decision making. They manage credit files and process credit reports from different credit reporting sources. They also mentor and coach credit representatives newly hired in corporate procedures and policies. Also, they expand collection procedures and policies to lessen DSO parameter risk.

What does a customer service representative do?

Customer service representatives are the first point of contact of the customers, acting as the frontiers of the company and help in driving customer loyalty and retention by leaving a great impression and resolving all of their concerns. They accommodate customer queries by providing useful and comprehensive information about any products or services. Some would use that as an opportunity to market and promote more sales. The most challenging issues they use to handle are customer complaints and processing of refunds and returns. They also assist in basic troubleshooting or accounts and payment setup with the use of specific guidelines or step by step procedures. At most, they help and solve customer issues on their own, but sometimes they would need support from supervisors or other departments.

Credit representative vs customer service representative salary

Credit representatives and customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Credit Representative	Customer Service Representative
Average salary	$39,268	$32,260
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $54,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	White Plains, NY	Des Moines, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	Systemax	Oracle
Best paying industry	Construction	Insurance

Differences between credit representative and customer service representative education

There are a few differences between a credit representative and a customer service representative in terms of educational background:

	Credit Representative	Customer Service Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Credit representative vs customer service representative demographics

Here are the differences between credit representatives' and customer service representatives' demographics:

	Credit Representative	Customer Service Representative
Average age	39	40
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 7.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between credit representative and customer service representative duties and responsibilities

Credit representative example responsibilities.

Manage portfolio utilizing AS400 and GetPaid systems.
Manage all credit files and process credit reports from various credit reporting sources including TRW and Dunn & Bradstreet.
Manage customer relations with internal personnel, group administrators, brokers and members as related to Medicare insurance.
Apply customer credit card and ACH payments.
Perform the posting of checks refunds and credit cards into the AS400 database.
Collect invoices through wire payment, ACH payments, and overnight mail options.

Customer service representative example responsibilities.

Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
Maintain cleanliness and safety and assist patients as necessary.
Operate POS system and maintain exceptional and consistent customer service.
Exercise proofreading and basic math skills to maintain quality control over documents process
Work in customer service department entering information into customer relationship management (CRM).
Develop highly empathetic client relationships and earn reputation for exceeding good customer service rep goals.

Credit representative vs customer service representative skills

Common credit representative skills

Customer Service, 22%
Customer Accounts, 6%
Patients, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Credit Balances, 4%
Payment Arrangements, 4%

Common customer service representative skills

Cleanliness, 10%
POS, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Home Health, 5%

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Business and Financial Industry
Credit Representative
Credit Representative vs Customer Service Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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