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The differences between customer service representatives and call center agents 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 representative and a call center agent. Additionally, a customer service representative has an average salary of $32,260, which is higher than the $31,180 average annual salary of a call center agent.
The top three skills for a customer service representative include cleanliness, POS and data entry. The most important skills for a call center agent are customer service, strong customer service, and data entry.
| Customer Service Representative | Call Center Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $32,260 | $31,180 |
| Hourly rate | $15.51 | $14.99 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 209,515 | 131,722 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A call center agent is responsible for answering calls and assisting clients by responding to inquiries. They also handle complaints and resolve issues, troubleshoot errors, and process applications. The tasks of a call center agent will vary on the directives of supervisors. There are instances when they must make calls to gather or give information, sell products, and discuss a particular subject. Furthermore, most of the duties take place in a team setting, which is why it is essential to coordinate with colleagues and adhere to the company's policies and regulations at all times.
Customer service representatives and call center agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Representative | Call Center Agent | |
| Average salary | $32,260 | $31,180 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $23,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | Oracle | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer service representative and a call center agent in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Representative | Call Center Agent | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | High School Diploma, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service representatives' and call center agents' demographics:
| Customer Service Representative | Call Center Agent | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% |
| 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, 12.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |