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The differences between customer service specialists 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 specialist and a customer service consultant. Additionally, a customer service consultant has an average salary of $37,471, 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 consultant are strong customer service, customer service, and strong problem-solving.
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,238 | $37,471 |
| Hourly rate | $15.98 | $18.01 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 223,323 | 225,026 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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.
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 specialists and customer service consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average salary | $33,238 | $37,471 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $20,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Dell | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer service specialist and a customer service consultant in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer service specialists' and customer service consultants' demographics:
| Customer Service Specialist | Customer Service Consultant | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2% |
| 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, 11.5% 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% |