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The differences between customer service assistants and customer service desks 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 desk. Additionally, a customer service desk has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $33,862 average annual salary of a customer service assistant.
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 desk are service desk, customer service, and strong customer service.
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Desk | |
| Yearly salary | $33,862 | $34,599 |
| Hourly rate | $16.28 | $16.63 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 220,286 | 233,256 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| 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.
The responsibilities of working in a customer service desk primarily revolves around ensuring customer satisfaction by responding to their inquiries and concerns. There are instances when it is required to provide directions, locate products, make reservations, and resolve various issues. There may also be administrative tasks such as handling and making calls, assisting customers in filling out forms, preparing paperwork and reports, arranging records, and coordinating with various staff members to ensure that a customer receives quality service.
Customer service assistants and customer service desks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average salary | $33,862 | $34,599 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Helena, MT | Atwater, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Fidelity Investments | SAIC |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a customer service assistant and a customer service desk in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Desk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service assistants' and customer service desks' demographics:
| Customer Service Assistant | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |