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The differences between customer service agents and customer service advisors 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 service advisor. Additionally, a customer service advisor has an average salary of $32,029, 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 advisor are taking care, strong customer service, and standard operating procedure.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $32,029 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 235,256 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| 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 service advisor is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. Customer service advisors assist customers with their needs by recommending product selection, offering new products and services, and informing the customers of promotional offers to generate revenues and increase profitability. They also resolve customers' issues, escalating high-level complaints to a customer service lead or supervisor for immediate resolution.
Customer service agents and customer service advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $32,029 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Uline | Teledyne Technologies Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer service advisor in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service agents' and customer service advisors' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% |
| 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, 12.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |