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Customer representative vs call center representative

The differences between customer representatives and call center representatives 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 representative and a call center representative. Additionally, a customer representative has an average salary of $37,351, which is higher than the $31,549 average annual salary of a call center representative.

The top three skills for a customer representative include phone calls, windows and technical support. The most important skills for a call center representative are strong customer service, customer service, and patients.

Customer representative vs call center representative overview

Customer RepresentativeCall Center Representative
Yearly salary$37,351$31,549
Hourly rate$17.96$15.17
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs220,778133,579
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 37%
Average age4040
Years of experience1212

What does a customer representative do?

A customer service representative is an individual person who establishes communication between customers and the organization by answering questions, resolve complaints, and address emergency issues about the products and services he/she sells. He/She must possess an approachable personality, a passion for customer service, and work with his/her fellow workmates. The minimum educational requirement for a customer service representative is a high school diploma; however, a candidate must complete on-the-job training. A Customer Service Representative should also possess excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

What does a call center representative do?

Call center representatives are employees who take customer calls in the company's contact center. They answer incoming calls related to their account. Call center representatives are trained on the company's products, policies, and guidelines. They are expected to know the ins and outs of every company product under their account before they are assigned to the operations floor. Once they are deemed efficient enough to handle calls, they begin to take customer inquiries and try to resolve them during the call. Call center representatives are expected to follow company policies and procedures and to meet the goals set by the company.

Customer representative vs call center representative salary

Customer representatives and call center representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Customer RepresentativeCall Center Representative
Average salary$37,351$31,549
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $55,000Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityUrban Honolulu, HISeattle, WA
Highest paying stateHawaiiWashington
Best paying companyIBMUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryTransportationFinance

Differences between customer representative and call center representative education

There are a few differences between a customer representative and a call center representative in terms of educational background:

Customer RepresentativeCall Center Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%High School Diploma, 37%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Customer representative vs call center representative demographics

Here are the differences between customer representatives' and call center representatives' demographics:

Customer RepresentativeCall Center Representative
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 36.7% Female, 63.3%Male, 27.4% Female, 72.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 7.4% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between customer representative and call center representative duties and responsibilities

Customer representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
  • Present PowerPoint presentations to brokers regarding customer service issues.
  • Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities
  • Prepare quarterly reports on the business and present to fellow employees using PowerPoint.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with company's advisory board, VIP customers, and associates.
  • Generate sales opportunities with legacy customers by upselling new and establish service offerings.
  • Show more

Call center representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage Facebook and patient communication programs.
  • Provide member eligibility and referral status information to patients adhering to HIPAA guidelines.
  • Follow all current Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance regulations and requirements to ensure continual compliance.
  • Document all relevant information regarding patients and providers while abiding by all HIPAA and associate patient confidentially requirements.
  • Navigate several screens and windows.
  • Install windows, doors, cabinets, flooring.
  • Show more

Customer representative vs call center representative skills

Common customer representative skills
  • Phone Calls, 16%
  • Windows, 11%
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Product Knowledge, 4%
  • Data Entry, 4%
  • Bank Secrecy Act, 4%
Common call center representative skills
  • Strong Customer Service, 80%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Patients, 2%
  • Data Entry, 2%
  • Troubleshoot, 1%
  • Inbound Phone Calls, 1%

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