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The differences between customer relationship managers and desk managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a customer relationship manager and a desk manager. Additionally, a customer relationship manager has an average salary of $78,814, which is higher than the $75,140 average annual salary of a desk manager.
The top three skills for a customer relationship manager include customer service, customer relationships and CRM. The most important skills for a desk manager are CRM, sales process, and quality customer service.
| Customer Relationship Manager | Desk Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $78,814 | $75,140 |
| Hourly rate | $37.89 | $36.12 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 77,430 | 45,871 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A customer relationship manager is in charge of overseeing teams that handle and provide services to a company's key clients. It is their duty to spearhead programs and projects that cater to key clients, ensuring to build positive relationships with them. They must also develop strategies to optimize operations and research new business opportunities. Furthermore, as a customer relationship manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A desk manager's responsibilities focus on facilitating communication and performing organizational support tasks to maintain the smooth flow of operations at offices. Although the extent of their duties primarily depends on their company or employment industry, it usually includes handling calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, resolving issues and concerns, forwarding calls and messages, arranging appointments and schedules, organizing files, and overseeing various communication materials. In some offices, a desk manager manages different teams, supervising their performance while enforcing company standards and policies.
Customer relationship managers and desk managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Relationship Manager | Desk Manager | |
| Average salary | $78,814 | $75,140 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $113,000 | Between $44,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Eureka, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Amazon | ServiceNow |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a customer relationship manager and a desk manager in terms of educational background:
| Customer Relationship Manager | Desk Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between customer relationship managers' and desk managers' demographics:
| Customer Relationship Manager | Desk Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |