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The differences between customer agents and customer service desks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a customer agent and a customer service desk. Additionally, a customer service desk has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $31,834 average annual salary of a customer agent.
The top three skills for a customer agent include data entry, customer service and outbound calls. The most important skills for a customer service desk are service desk, customer service, and strong customer service.
| Customer Agent | Customer Service Desk | |
| Yearly salary | $31,834 | $34,599 |
| Hourly rate | $15.30 | $16.63 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 211,832 | 233,256 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A customer agent provides friendly service to external and internal customers. Customer agents talk to customers on behalf of businesses and companies. They help customers with their queries and complaints. It is their job to give customers a better understanding of the products. They answer questions with regards to their reservations. Sometimes, they also have sales roles. Oftentimes, they answer questions, process sales, provide information, and resolve problems.
The responsibilities of working in a customer service desk primarily revolves around ensuring customer satisfaction by responding to their inquiries and concerns. There are instances when it is required to provide directions, locate products, make reservations, and resolve various issues. There may also be administrative tasks such as handling and making calls, assisting customers in filling out forms, preparing paperwork and reports, arranging records, and coordinating with various staff members to ensure that a customer receives quality service.
Customer agents and customer service desks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Agent | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average salary | $31,834 | $34,599 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Atwater, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Speedway Motors | SAIC |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a customer agent and a customer service desk in terms of educational background:
| Customer Agent | Customer Service Desk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer agents' and customer service desks' demographics:
| Customer Agent | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |