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The differences between customer service representatives and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a customer service representative, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account manager has an average salary of $68,535, which is higher than the $32,260 average annual salary of a customer service representative.
The top three skills for a customer service representative include cleanliness, POS and data entry. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Customer Service Representative | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $32,260 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $15.51 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 209,515 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 8 |
Customer service representatives are the first point of contact of the customers, acting as the frontiers of the company and help in driving customer loyalty and retention by leaving a great impression and resolving all of their concerns. They accommodate customer queries by providing useful and comprehensive information about any products or services. Some would use that as an opportunity to market and promote more sales. The most challenging issues they use to handle are customer complaints and processing of refunds and returns. They also assist in basic troubleshooting or accounts and payment setup with the use of specific guidelines or step by step procedures. At most, they help and solve customer issues on their own, but sometimes they would need support from supervisors or other departments.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Customer service representatives and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Representative | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $32,260 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Oracle | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer service representative and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Representative | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between customer service representatives' and account managers' demographics:
| Customer Service Representative | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |