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The differences between customer service agents and representatives 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 representative. Additionally, a representative has an average salary of $36,023, 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 representative are cleanliness, patients, and customer issues.
| Customer Service Agent | Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $29,598 | $36,023 |
| Hourly rate | $14.23 | $17.32 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 219,115 | 252,761 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| 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.
Representatives are lawmakers who represent the people in a specific district. They run for office to represent their districts in their hometown or their current place of living. Representatives are usually charismatic and good communicators. These characteristics are especially important during campaign and election periods. Representatives should be able to capture the hearts of the voters through their planned projects and advocacies. They are then elected by their constituents. Upon election, representatives author bills that will eventually be passed into law should it be approved by the majority of the congress. They also vote on the passage of bills authored by other representatives. They also participate in discussions and debates regarding different bills, issues, and laws. Representatives are expected to vote according to their conscience and in consideration of the voice of their constituents.
Customer service agents and representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Agent | Representative | |
| Average salary | $29,598 | $36,023 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $23,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Uline | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a customer service agent and a representative in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Agent | Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service agents' and representatives' demographics:
| Customer Service Agent | Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% |
| 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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |