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The differences between customer contact 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 contact specialist and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations specialist has an average salary of $37,827, which is higher than the $35,056 average annual salary of a customer contact specialist.
The top three skills for a customer contact specialist include outbound calls, inbound calls and powerpoint. The most important skills for a customer relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,056 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $16.85 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 205,402 | 215,862 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Customer Contact Specialist interacts with customers in providing information in response to product and service inquiries. They manage and provide resolution to client complaints. They respond to customer queries accurately and in time through email or phone. Part of their responsibilities is to develop corporate reputation thru excellent customer service. Customer Contact Specialist also coordinates front-desk activities like redirecting phone calls.
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 contact specialists and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,056 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Quincy, MA | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Deloitte | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer contact specialist and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer contact specialists' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |