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The differences between customer service managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $61,487 average annual salary of a customer service manager.
The top three skills for a customer service manager include strong customer service, payroll and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Customer Service Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $61,487 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $29.56 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 313,110 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Customer service managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $61,487 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $105,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | KLA | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer service manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between customer service managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Customer Service Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |