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The differences between customer service agents and customer care 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 service agent and a customer care specialist. Additionally, a customer care specialist has an average salary of $32,427, 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 specialist are customer care, customer service, and outbound calls.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $32,427 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $15.59 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 260,027 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| 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 specialist is responsible for assisting the customers with their inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. A customer care specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as have excellent communication and time-management skills in responding to the customers' needs while documenting the processes on a specific computer program. Customer care specialists are responsible for processing payments, replacing defective items, and initiating refunds as needed. They must resolve complaints accurately and efficiently to ensure customer satisfaction to keep a good reputation for the organization.
Customer service agents and customer care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Specialist | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $32,427 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Uline | Axogen |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer care specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service agents' and customer care specialists' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Care Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |