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The differences between customer care specialists 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 specialist and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations specialist has an average salary of $37,827, which is higher than the $32,427 average annual salary of a customer care specialist.
The top three skills for a customer care specialist include customer care, customer service and outbound calls. The most important skills for a customer relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Care Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,427 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $15.59 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 260,027 | 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 care specialist is responsible for assisting the customers with their inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. A customer care specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as have excellent communication and time-management skills in responding to the customers' needs while documenting the processes on a specific computer program. Customer care specialists are responsible for processing payments, replacing defective items, and initiating refunds as needed. They must resolve complaints accurately and efficiently to ensure customer satisfaction to keep a good reputation for the organization.
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 specialists and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Care Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,427 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $39,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Grand Forks, ND | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Axogen | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer care specialist and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Care Specialist | 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 care specialists' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Care Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.1% 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% |