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The differences between customer relations representatives 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 relations representative and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations representative has an average salary of $38,632, which is higher than the $37,827 average annual salary of a customer relations specialist.
The top three skills for a customer relations representative include customer relations, customer complaints and team-oriented environment. The most important skills for a customer relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Relations Representative | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,632 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $18.57 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 235,295 | 215,862 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A customer relations representative is responsible for providing the highest customer service by interacting with customers to respond to their inquiries and concerns, process their requests, and resolve their complaints. Customer relations representatives assist the customers with their needs by offering products and services according to their requirements and budget limitations. They may also sell newly launched products to the customers, discuss features and usability, and generate payments and delivery details. A customer relations representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills to maintain healthy business relationships with the customers to achieve the company's long-term goals and objectives.
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 relations representatives and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Relations Representative | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,632 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $50,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Cook Children's Medical Center | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer relations representative and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Relations Representative | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer relations representatives' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Relations Representative | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.8% 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% |