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The differences between customer service assistants and customer service associates 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 assistant and a customer service associate. Additionally, a customer service assistant has an average salary of $33,862, which is higher than the $31,709 average annual salary of a customer service associate.
The top three skills for a customer service assistant include front end, customer service and service calls. The most important skills for a customer service associate are patients, sales floor, and plumbing.
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $33,862 | $31,709 |
| Hourly rate | $16.28 | $15.24 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 220,286 | 380,943 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Customer Service Assistant is responsible for providing customer support by responding to inquiries and correspondence or transferring them to a particular department when necessary. The duties of a Customer Service Assistant will vary according to an assigned setting. However, it mostly revolves around answering calls, providing troubleshooting options, helping a customer navigate systems or applications, and filling out details. Furthermore, there are instances when a Customer Service Assistant must fulfill orders, process payments or refunds, and even sell services or products. All efforts are focused on attaining customer satisfaction.
Customer service associates are representatives of the company who are responsible for solving customer concerns. They provide exceptional service to clients to ensure that their problems are solved and that the relationship between the client and the company remains strong. Customer service associates are in-charge of processing transactions, maintaining a good working relationship between the client and the company, ensuring that the client remains loyal to the company, and working on the requests of the client. Through all of this, customer service associates must keep any information they may encounter confidential. They should also have time management skills, problem-solving skills, and customer service skills.
Customer service assistants and customer service associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Associate | |
| Average salary | $33,862 | $31,709 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $24,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Helena, MT | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | California |
| Best paying company | Fidelity Investments | Fidelity Investments |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer service assistant and a customer service associate in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service assistants' and customer service associates' demographics:
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 6.5% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |