Customer associate vs customer account representative

The differences between customer associates and customer account representatives 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 associate and a customer account representative. Additionally, a customer account representative has an average salary of $36,138, which is higher than the $32,989 average annual salary of a customer associate.

The top three skills for a customer associate include sales floor, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for a customer account representative are work ethic, inbound calls, and customer orders.

Customer associate vs customer account representative overview

	Customer Associate	Customer Account Representative
Yearly salary	$32,989	$36,138
Hourly rate	$15.86	$17.37
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	191,027	269,549
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a customer associate do?

A customer associate is responsible for providing the best customer service by assisting the customers with their inquiries and concerns, as well as resolving their complaints, processing replacements, and issuing refunds as needed. Customer associates also sell products and services to the customers, demonstrating product features, and identifying business opportunities to drive more revenues and profits for the business. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills to process orders and payments timely and accurately.

What does a customer account representative do?

A customer account representative's role is to serve as the primary contact between a company and its clients. They typically reach out to existing and potential customers through calls and correspondence, answer inquiries, address issues and concerns, close sales by offering products and services, process payments, and ensure satisfaction to boost sales and improve client base. Furthermore, as an account representative, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Customer associate vs customer account representative salary

Customer associates and customer account representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Customer Associate	Customer Account Representative
Average salary	$32,989	$36,138
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	San Ramon, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Udemy	Dairy Farmers of America
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Finance

Differences between customer associate and customer account representative education

There are a few differences between a customer associate and a customer account representative in terms of educational background:

	Customer Associate	Customer Account Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Customer associate vs customer account representative demographics

Here are the differences between customer associates' and customer account representatives' demographics:

	Customer Associate	Customer Account Representative
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between customer associate and customer account representative duties and responsibilities

Customer associate example responsibilities.

Manage product queries, process orders and deliveries of medical devices to NHS and private hospitals in UK.
Collaborate with management to train new employees on company policies and procedures and manage customer concerns via LiveChat.
Provide troubleshooting steps to service apple products.
Answer phones, operate POS and collect payments of cash, credit/debit cards and checks.
Job duties include not only calls, but faxing, copying, outlook, multitasking.
Require to have above average language skills, phone, negotiating, collaboration, persuasion, innovation.

Customer account representative example responsibilities.

Manage call center productivity levels by maintaining CSR schedule adherence.
Negotiate rates and pricing with customers, vendors, and logistics partners.
Prepare invoices for all customers in the logistics department at the end of every shipment.
Assist customers with equipment sales and services, troubleshoot issues and concerns, provide support for billing and accounts.
Utilize computer technology to troubleshoot product malfunctions.
Create display PowerPoint presentation used in national refresher training.

Customer associate vs customer account representative skills

Common customer associate skills

Sales Floor, 24%
Product Knowledge, 22%
Customer Service, 13%
Phone Calls, 7%
Customer Calls, 3%
Outbound Calls, 3%

Common customer account representative skills

Work Ethic, 9%
Inbound Calls, 6%
Customer Orders, 6%
Account Management, 6%
Outbound Calls, 5%
Delinquent Accounts, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Customer Associate
Customer Associate vs Customer Account Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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