Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between customer care representatives and customer care 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 care representative and a customer care associate. Additionally, a customer care associate has an average salary of $33,115, which is higher than the $32,912 average annual salary of a customer care representative.
The top three skills for a customer care representative include customer care, customer service and work ethic. The most important skills for a customer care associate are customer care, patients, and customer service.
| Customer Care Representative | Customer Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $32,912 | $33,115 |
| Hourly rate | $15.82 | $15.92 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 214,835 | 250,296 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A customer care representative is responsible for providing resolution with the customer's concerns, following the business' procedures and strategic processes. Customer care representatives must have exceptional customer service skills to address their clients' concerns efficiently and accurately, as well as having extensive knowledge of the products and services their company offer. Duties of a customer care representative also include managing client's complaints, offering alternative products and refunds as needed, calculating fees for special requests, updating customer's account information, documenting actions taken, and escalating special case concerns to the supervisor.
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.
Customer care representatives and customer care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Care Representative | Customer Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $32,912 | $33,115 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Philadelphia Corporation for Aging | Centennial Bank |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer care representative and a customer care associate in terms of educational background:
| Customer Care Representative | Customer Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer care representatives' and customer care associates' demographics:
| Customer Care Representative | Customer Care Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |