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The differences between customer relations associates and customer account managers 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 relations associate, becoming a customer account manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a customer account manager has an average salary of $45,951, which is higher than the $35,656 average annual salary of a customer relations associate.
The top three skills for a customer relations associate include customer relations, processing orders and problem resolution. The most important skills for a customer account manager are customer service, customer accounts, and CRM.
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $35,656 | $45,951 |
| Hourly rate | $17.14 | $22.09 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 187,813 | 110,138 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
A Customer Relations Associate is primarily in charge of assisting clients by answering inquiries, troubleshooting problems, and promptly and efficiently resolving issues to ensure client satisfaction. They typically communicate with clients through calls, correspondence, or even through appointments. There are also instances where they may refer them to other specialists, offer products and services, discuss product specifications, arrange payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive relationships along the way. Moreover, a customer relations associate maintains records of all transactions, reporting to managers regularly.
Customer Account Managers are employees who specialize in keeping good, professional relationships with the company's clients. They are assigned specific customers and key clients to manage. Customer account managers are in charge of maintaining the customers' loyalty. As such, customer account managers are expected to provide first-class service to their customers. This includes providing them special promotions related to the company's services, keeping special communication lines for client concerns, and expediting client requests. They ensure that their customers receive their product or service requests on time and in good condition.
Customer relations associates and customer account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $35,656 | $45,951 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $29,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Mouser Electronics |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer relations associate and a customer account manager in terms of educational background:
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between customer relations associates' and customer account managers' demographics:
| Customer Relations Associate | Customer Account Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 8% |