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The differences between customer service agents and customer service administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a customer service agent, becoming a customer service administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a customer service administrative assistant has an average salary of $33,741, 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 service administrative assistant are data entry, purchase orders, and payroll.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $33,741 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $16.22 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 93,535 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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 service administrative assistant is responsible for responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, alongside performing administrative tasks as required. Customer service administrative assistants must escalate high-level complaints to the appropriate department, organize client meetings, process business letters, assist with developing promotional offers and marketing materials, and research potential clients. They also manage inventories and request stock supplies, create expense reports, and update customer records in the database. A customer service administrative assistant must have excellent customer service skills, as well as the ability to multitask and work under pressure and strict deadlines.
Customer service agents and customer service administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $33,741 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $28,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Everett, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Uline | Uline |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer service administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between customer service agents' and customer service administrative assistants' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 40 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 10.7% Female, 89.3% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |