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The differences between customer service representatives and customer service desks 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 desk. Additionally, a customer service desk has an average salary of $34,599, 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 desk are service desk, customer service, and strong customer service.
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Desk | |
| Yearly salary | $32,260 | $34,599 |
| Hourly rate | $15.51 | $16.63 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 209,515 | 233,256 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| 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.
The responsibilities of working in a customer service desk primarily revolves around ensuring customer satisfaction by responding to their inquiries and concerns. There are instances when it is required to provide directions, locate products, make reservations, and resolve various issues. There may also be administrative tasks such as handling and making calls, assisting customers in filling out forms, preparing paperwork and reports, arranging records, and coordinating with various staff members to ensure that a customer receives quality service.
Customer service representatives and customer service desks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average salary | $32,260 | $34,599 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $25,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Des Moines, WA | Atwater, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Oracle | SAIC |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a customer service representative and a customer service desk in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Desk | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service representatives' and customer service desks' demographics:
| Customer Service Representative | Customer Service Desk | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |