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The differences between customer service retail associates and customer service specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a customer service specialist has an average salary of $33,238, which is higher than the $30,002 average annual salary of a customer service retail associate.
The top three skills for a customer service retail associate include POS, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a customer service specialist are customer service, strong customer service, and cleanliness.
| Customer Service Retail Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,002 | $33,238 |
| Hourly rate | $14.42 | $15.98 |
| Growth rate | - | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 580,336 | 223,323 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A customer service retail associate is responsible for providing the highest customer service for the store's customers by responding to their inquiries and concerns and recommending them goods and services that would fit their needs. Customer service retail associates support the marketing campaigns and promotional strategies of the store by offering and demonstrating products to the customers, as well as arranging stock displays, and monitoring the adequacy of inventories. They also escalate high-level complaints to management for immediate resolution and assist with product replacement and issuing refunds as needed.
Customer service specialists are employees who are responsible for providing the best customer experience to customers, usually for after-sales transactions. They attend to customers' inquiries and provide answers to their questions on products or services that the company offers. They also address customer complaints and help mitigate the concerns by offering solutions such as instructions on how to fix defects, or processing replacements or refunds. Customer service specialists also listen to customer feedback and ensure that these are logged properly so that proper departments will be able to receive them.
Customer service retail associates and customer service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Retail Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $30,002 | $33,238 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Tractor Supply | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer service retail associate and a customer service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Retail Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service retail associates' and customer service specialists' demographics:
| Customer Service Retail Associate | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |