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The differences between customer service agents and customer service 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 service specialist. Additionally, a customer service specialist has an average salary of $33,238, 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 specialist are customer service, strong customer service, and cleanliness.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $33,238 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $15.98 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 223,323 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| 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.
Customer service specialists are employees who are responsible for providing the best customer experience to customers, usually for after-sales transactions. They attend to customers' inquiries and provide answers to their questions on products or services that the company offers. They also address customer complaints and help mitigate the concerns by offering solutions such as instructions on how to fix defects, or processing replacements or refunds. Customer service specialists also listen to customer feedback and ensure that these are logged properly so that proper departments will be able to receive them.
Customer service agents and customer service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $33,238 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Uline | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service 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 service specialists' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |