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The differences between customer service associates 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 associate and a customer service desk. Additionally, a customer service desk has an average salary of $34,599, which is higher than the $31,709 average annual salary of a customer service associate.
The top three skills for a customer service associate include patients, sales floor and plumbing. The most important skills for a customer service desk are service desk, customer service, and strong customer service.
| Customer Service Associate | Customer Service Desk | |
| Yearly salary | $31,709 | $34,599 |
| Hourly rate | $15.24 | $16.63 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 380,943 | 233,256 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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 associates and customer service desks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Associate | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average salary | $31,709 | $34,599 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $40,000 | Between $25,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Atwater, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Fidelity Investments | SAIC |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a customer service associate and a customer service desk in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Associate | Customer Service Desk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service associates' and customer service desks' demographics:
| Customer Service Associate | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |