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Customer service manager vs project manager

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 vs project manager overview

Customer Service ManagerProject Manager
Yearly salary$61,487$91,578
Hourly rate$29.56$44.03
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs313,110167,116
Job satisfaction54.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4447
Years of experience6-

What does a customer service manager do?

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.

What does a project manager do?

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 manager vs project manager salary

Customer service managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Customer Service ManagerProject Manager
Average salary$61,487$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $105,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyKLAThe Citadel
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between customer service manager and project manager education

There are a few differences between a customer service manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:

Customer Service ManagerProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Customer service manager vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between customer service managers' and project managers' demographics:

Customer Service ManagerProject Manager
Average age4447
Gender ratioMale, 37.0% Female, 63.0%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between customer service manager and project manager duties and responsibilities

Customer service manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage the accounts payable and accounts receivable dealing with the Michigan WIC program.
  • Ensure SLA compliance are achieved for all incident metrics as well as call resolution.
  • Manage installation and customization of ACD system and PBX for business office call center operations.
  • Develop and manage communications strategies, including Facebook, catalog production, email marketing, direct mail.
  • Lead efforts in developing and executing CRM with the team to identify areas of improvement within the departments.
  • Prioritize, delegate and accomplish multiple projects, as well as the ability to troubleshoot and resolve common problems.
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Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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Customer service manager vs project manager skills

Common customer service manager skills
  • Strong Customer Service, 15%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%
  • Customer Complaints, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • ISO, 5%
Common project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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