Customer associate vs customer sales associate

The differences between customer associates and customer sales associates 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 sales associate. Additionally, a customer sales associate has an average salary of $37,024, 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 sales associate are sales floor, customer satisfaction, and customer service.

Customer associate vs customer sales associate overview

	Customer Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$32,989	$37,024
Hourly rate	$15.86	$17.80
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	191,027	415,981
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
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 sales associate do?

A customer sales associate specializes in handling and communicating with customers to secure sales in a retail store. Their primary responsibilities revolve around greeting clients, responding to inquiries, providing assistance, and even offering suggestions when necessary. Aside from ensuring customer satisfaction, it is also their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and order on the sales floor by re-stocking shelves and arranging them to look presentable. Furthermore, a customer sales associate must coordinate with other sales floor members and report to a manager or supervisor.

Customer associate vs customer sales associate salary

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

	Customer Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Average salary	$32,989	$37,024
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Odenton, MD
Highest paying state	California	Maryland
Best paying company	Udemy	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Real Estate

Differences between customer associate and customer sales associate education

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

	Customer Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Customer associate vs customer sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between customer associates' and customer sales associates' demographics:

	Customer Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between customer associate and customer sales associate 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 sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
Process merchandise information through store computer system, POS register system, and complete all require paperwork according to policy.
Used mobile POS systems to streamline the customer experience in order to drive full engagement throughout entire interaction with customer.
Provide above average service to customers by bagging groceries appropriately and assist with carryout and loading merchandise into customer's vehicle.
Recognize opportunities to up-sell and often take the opportunity to do so to create a better Marriott experience and event.

Customer associate vs customer sales associate 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 sales associate skills

Sales Floor, 12%
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Product Knowledge, 8%
Outbound Calls, 8%
Customer Sales, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Customer Associate
Customer Associate vs Customer Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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