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The differences between customer service representatives and customer service consultants 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 customer service consultant. Additionally, a customer service consultant has an average salary of $37,471, 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 a customer service consultant are strong customer service, customer service, and strong problem-solving.
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,260 | $37,471 |
| Hourly rate | $15.51 | $18.01 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 209,515 | 225,026 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 customer service consultant is responsible for addressing the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's services and resolving complaints to provide the best customer service and satisfaction. Customer service consultants also sell new goods and products to the customers, demonstrating features and benefits before proceeding with the orders, payment, and delivery details. They develop excellent sales pitches to attract customer to purchase items which would generate more revenue resources and profits for the business.
Customer service representatives and customer service consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average salary | $32,260 | $37,471 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $20,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Oracle | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer service representative and a customer service consultant in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service representatives' and customer service consultants' demographics:
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |