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The differences between customer service assistants and lead customer service 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 assistant and a lead customer service representative. Additionally, a lead customer service representative has an average salary of $36,097, 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 lead customer service representative are cleanliness, cash handling, and inventory control.
| Customer Service Assistant | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $33,862 | $36,097 |
| Hourly rate | $16.28 | $17.35 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 220,286 | 192,052 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| 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.
A lead customer service representative is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to assist in daily operations and help with customer issues. Lead customer service representatives manage high-level customer complaints and provide immediate resolution and disputes. They implement strategies to ensure customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and achieve profitability goals. A lead customer service representative handles escalation and evaluates team member's performance. A lead customer service representative must have excellent communication and leadership skills to supervise the team and support the business' improvement plans.
Customer service assistants and lead customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Assistant | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Average salary | $33,862 | $36,097 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $22,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Helena, MT | Goldsboro, NC |
| Highest paying state | Montana | New York |
| Best paying company | Fidelity Investments | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Government | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer service assistant and a lead customer service representative in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Assistant | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service assistants' and lead customer service representatives' demographics:
| Customer Service Assistant | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9% |
| 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, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |