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The differences between customer contact specialists and customer service administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a customer contact specialist, becoming a customer service administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a customer contact specialist has an average salary of $35,056, which is higher than the $33,741 average annual salary of a customer service administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a customer contact specialist include outbound calls, inbound calls and powerpoint. The most important skills for a customer service administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and payroll.
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,056 | $33,741 |
| Hourly rate | $16.85 | $16.22 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 205,402 | 93,535 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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 service administrative assistant is responsible for responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, alongside performing administrative tasks as required. Customer service administrative assistants must escalate high-level complaints to the appropriate department, organize client meetings, process business letters, assist with developing promotional offers and marketing materials, and research potential clients. They also manage inventories and request stock supplies, create expense reports, and update customer records in the database. A customer service administrative assistant must have excellent customer service skills, as well as the ability to multitask and work under pressure and strict deadlines.
Customer contact specialists and customer service administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,056 | $33,741 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $28,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Quincy, MA | Everett, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Deloitte | Uline |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer contact specialist and a customer service administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between customer contact specialists' and customer service administrative assistants' demographics:
| Customer Contact Specialist | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0% | Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |