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The differences between customer care 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 care associate and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations specialist has an average salary of $37,827, which is higher than the $33,115 average annual salary of a customer care associate.
The top three skills for a customer care associate include customer care, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a customer relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Care Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,115 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $15.92 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 250,296 | 215,862 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A customer care associate's role focuses on providing customer support and service, ensuring optimal services and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities typically revolve around assisting walk-in customers by answering inquiries, offering recommendations or alternatives, and informing them of any promos or discounts. It is essential to devise strategies to identify customer needs, providing them as needed. Furthermore, a customer care associate may answer inquiries made through calls or correspondence, make reservations, handle complaints or concerns, and resolve them according to the company's policies and regulations.
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 care associates and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Care Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $33,115 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $43,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Centennial Bank | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer care associate and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Care Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer care associates' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Care Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.2% 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% |