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The differences between customer service specialists and customer service administrators 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 specialist and a customer service administrator. Additionally, a customer service administrator has an average salary of $35,824, which is higher than the $33,238 average annual salary of a customer service specialist.
The top three skills for a customer service specialist include customer service, strong customer service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a customer service administrator are strong customer service, data entry, and post sales.
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $33,238 | $35,824 |
| Hourly rate | $15.98 | $17.22 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 223,323 | 247,315 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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 administrators supervise people in performing customer service and relations. They manage customer inquiries and oversee customer service representative needs and requirements. In carrying out their job, they function as the middlemen between customers and the company. Their job requires strong communication and clerical skills. They are expected to have a mindset focused on customers while being polite, helpful, and patient. Among their other responsibilities include sales promotion, answering phone calls, handling complaints and inquiries, and adherence to team goals and budget.
Customer service specialists and customer service administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Administrator | |
| Average salary | $33,238 | $35,824 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $28,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Dell | Westinghouse Appliances Australia |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer service specialist and a customer service administrator in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service specialists' and customer service administrators' demographics:
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Administrator | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |