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The differences between customer service managers and customer service leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a customer service manager and a customer service leader. Additionally, a customer service manager has an average salary of $61,487, which is higher than the $33,791 average annual salary of a customer service leader.
The top three skills for a customer service manager include strong customer service, payroll and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a customer service leader are POS, sales floor, and store management.
| Customer Service Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $61,487 | $33,791 |
| Hourly rate | $29.56 | $16.25 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 313,110 | 301,338 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Customer service managers are in charge of overseeing a group of customer service associates. They ensure that key metrics are met by the employees. These metrics usually include average handling time and customer satisfaction ratings. They also give coaching to employees who might need additional guidance in reaching team goals. Customer service managers are expected to have had experience on the operations floor to balance their role as a strategic leader and a people manager. They should have customer service skills, decision-making skills, and communication skills.
A customer service leader is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to provide the best customer service for the company's clients, ensuring immediate action and resolution for all their inquiries and concerns. Customer service leaders regularly offer coaching opportunities for the team, identify their challenges, and provide strategic procedures to improve their interaction with the customers. They also help senior management search for business opportunities that would drive more revenue for the company and achieve profitability goals.
Customer service managers and customer service leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Average salary | $61,487 | $33,791 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $105,000 | Between $27,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Tacoma, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | KLA | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a customer service manager and a customer service leader in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between customer service managers' and customer service leaders' demographics:
| Customer Service Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |