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The differences between customer associates and customer relations 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 customer associate and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations specialist has an average salary of $37,827, 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 relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,989 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $15.86 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 191,027 | 215,862 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A customer relations specialist is responsible for providing high-quality services for customers by responding to their inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints about the company's goods and services. Customer relations specialists update customer accounts on the database, recording their transactions accurately, and posting their payments timely. They may also sell new products and services to the clients, demonstrating features and usability, processing orders, and confirming delivery details. A customer relations specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills to ensure customer satisfaction and maintain healthy business relationships with the customers.
Customer associates and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,989 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $51,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Udemy | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer associate and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer associates' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| 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, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |