Customer care technician vs customer service associate

The differences between customer care technicians and customer service 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 technician and a customer service associate. Additionally, a customer care technician has an average salary of $34,986, which is higher than the $31,709 average annual salary of a customer service associate.

The top three skills for a customer care technician include patients, vital signs and EKG. The most important skills for a customer service associate are patients, sales floor, and plumbing.

Customer care technician vs customer service associate overview

	Customer Care Technician	Customer Service Associate
Yearly salary	$34,986	$31,709
Hourly rate	$16.82	$15.24
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	211,764	380,943
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a customer care technician do?

The job of a customer care technician depends on the requirements of employers. Part of the technician's responsibilities includes the management of the customers and the maintenance of proper customer relations. Customer care technicians assist customers in addressing their technical problems. The job involves answering phone calls and attending to the needs of the clients. As to the area of employment, the technicians may work in telecommunications where they use office machines or computers.

What does a customer service associate do?

Customer service associates are representatives of the company who are responsible for solving customer concerns. They provide exceptional service to clients to ensure that their problems are solved and that the relationship between the client and the company remains strong. Customer service associates are in-charge of processing transactions, maintaining a good working relationship between the client and the company, ensuring that the client remains loyal to the company, and working on the requests of the client. Through all of this, customer service associates must keep any information they may encounter confidential. They should also have time management skills, problem-solving skills, and customer service skills.

Customer care technician vs customer service associate salary

Customer care technicians and customer service associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Customer Care Technician	Customer Service Associate
Average salary	$34,986	$31,709
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $45,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Burbank, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Cottage Health	Fidelity Investments
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between customer care technician and customer service associate education

There are a few differences between a customer care technician and a customer service associate in terms of educational background:

	Customer Care Technician	Customer Service Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Customer care technician vs customer service associate demographics

Here are the differences between customer care technicians' and customer service associates' demographics:

	Customer Care Technician	Customer Service Associate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%	Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between customer care technician and customer service associate duties and responsibilities

Customer care technician example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Assist in monitoring patients for ECG arrhythmias.
Maintain all digital medical records and process all MD orders for patients on the ICU floor.
Place patients on cardiac monitor, give CPR, assist with doctors and nurses with traumas as requested.
Maintain current CPR certification, CNA/GNA certifications, and PMAB training.

Customer service associate example responsibilities.

Manage and calculate daily cash deposits and prepare daily payroll ledgers.
Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
Use excellent phone and customer service etiquette while navigating through multiple windows simultaneously.
Provide excellent customer service to hundreds of satisfy customers, bag groceries with speed and efficiency
Perform upselling on every call.
Train in flight emergencies, hazardous materials and CPR.

Customer care technician vs customer service associate skills

Common customer care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 10%
EKG, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Customer Care, 5%

Common customer service associate skills

Patients, 41%
Sales Floor, 12%
Plumbing, 10%
Quality Customer Service, 6%
Front End, 3%
CSA, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Customer Care Technician
Customer Care Technician vs Customer Service Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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