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The differences between customer service agents and customer service trainers 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 trainer. Additionally, a customer service trainer has an average salary of $32,452, 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 trainer are customer care, strong customer service, and cleanliness.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $32,452 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $15.60 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 235,862 |
| 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 service trainer is responsible for training new and experienced customer service staff, providing them with the best strategies and techniques to handle customers' inquiries and concerns. They also resolve customer complaints and ensure customer satisfaction, building good customer relationships, maintaining the company's reputation, and increasing revenues. Customer service trainers schedule training classes, provide engaging activities, and monitor trainees' progress through call testing and role-playing activities. A customer service trainer must have excellent knowledge of the customer service industry, as well as exceptional communication skills to teach trainees' effectively and efficiently.
Customer service agents and customer service trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Trainer | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $32,452 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Tacoma, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Uline | Salesforce |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a customer service trainer in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Trainer | |
| 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 trainers' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Customer Service Trainer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |