Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between customer service agents and customer care associates 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 service agent and a customer care associate. Additionally, a customer care associate has an average salary of $33,115, which is higher than the $29,598 average annual salary of a customer service agent.
The top three skills for a customer service agent include check-in, reservations and inbound calls. The most important skills for a customer care associate are customer care, patients, and customer service.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $33,115 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $15.92 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 250,296 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Customer service agents are employees assigned to answer incoming calls to their company's service hotline. They are equipped with proper training on company products and policies so that they can assist customers. Agents answer customer's inquiries, guide them through steps that they may need to take, and take note of customer complaints. For unsatisfied customers, agents try their best to resolve the concerns or transfer the complaints to related departments. They also try to mitigate any problems that may arise. Customer service agents should be patient, and should also have good communication and problem-solving skills.
A customer care associate's role focuses on providing customer support and service, ensuring optimal services and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities typically revolve around assisting walk-in customers by answering inquiries, offering recommendations or alternatives, and informing them of any promos or discounts. It is essential to devise strategies to identify customer needs, providing them as needed. Furthermore, a customer care associate may answer inquiries made through calls or correspondence, make reservations, handle complaints or concerns, and resolve them according to the company's policies and regulations.
Customer service agents and customer care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $33,115 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Uline | Centennial Bank |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer care associate in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service agents' and customer care associates' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |