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The differences between customer associates and customer service consultants 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 service consultant. Additionally, a customer service consultant has an average salary of $37,471, 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 service consultant are strong customer service, customer service, and strong problem-solving.
| Customer Associate | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,989 | $37,471 |
| Hourly rate | $15.86 | $18.01 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 191,027 | 225,026 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 service consultant is responsible for addressing the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's services and resolving complaints to provide the best customer service and satisfaction. Customer service consultants also sell new goods and products to the customers, demonstrating features and benefits before proceeding with the orders, payment, and delivery details. They develop excellent sales pitches to attract customer to purchase items which would generate more revenue resources and profits for the business.
Customer associates and customer service consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Associate | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average salary | $32,989 | $37,471 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $51,000 | Between $20,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Udemy | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer associate and a customer service consultant in terms of educational background:
| Customer Associate | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer associates' and customer service consultants' demographics:
| Customer Associate | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |