Customer service supervisor vs customer service representative

The differences between customer service supervisors and customer service representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a customer service supervisor, becoming a customer service representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a customer service supervisor has an average salary of $38,792, which is higher than the $32,260 average annual salary of a customer service representative.

The top three skills for a customer service supervisor include strong customer service, customer care and customer support. The most important skills for a customer service representative are cleanliness, POS, and data entry.

Customer service supervisor vs customer service representative overview

	Customer Service Supervisor	Customer Service Representative
Yearly salary	$38,792	$32,260
Hourly rate	$18.65	$15.51
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	233,004	209,515
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	47	40
Years of experience	6	12

What does a customer service supervisor do?

A customer service supervisor is responsible for directing the staff in providing the best services to the customers. Customer service supervisors' duties include evaluating the performance of the service staff, implementing strategic procedures to improve operations, developing promotional offers and products to increase the business' revenues, keeping documents of operation records, and assisting with customer's inquiries and complaints. A customer service supervisor must have exceptional leadership and decision-making skills to lead the service staff with daily operations.

What does a customer service representative do?

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.

Customer service supervisor vs customer service representative salary

Customer service supervisors and customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Customer Service Supervisor	Customer Service Representative
Average salary	$38,792	$32,260
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $53,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Des Moines, WA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Washington
Best paying company	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	Oracle
Best paying industry	Finance	Insurance

Differences between customer service supervisor and customer service representative education

There are a few differences between a customer service supervisor and a customer service representative in terms of educational background:

	Customer Service Supervisor	Customer Service Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	-

Customer service supervisor vs customer service representative demographics

Here are the differences between customer service supervisors' and customer service representatives' demographics:

	Customer Service Supervisor	Customer Service Representative
Average age	47	40
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between customer service supervisor and customer service representative duties and responsibilities

Customer service supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage customer relationships and acting Salesforce administrator.
Develop and manage sales/customer service agents by monitoring productivity, quality and adherence using KPI's.
Manage services and supports for intellectually and developmentally disable individuals, within compliance with all Medicaid and I/DD waiver regulations.
Perform employee monthly/annual reviews/evaluations, payroll, and disciplinary actions.
Develop service and performance management standards, facilitating exceptional patient experiences for patients and families of the medical center.
Give estimates on installation of windows and doors.

Customer service representative example responsibilities.

Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
Maintain cleanliness and safety and assist patients as necessary.
Operate POS system and maintain exceptional and consistent customer service.
Exercise proofreading and basic math skills to maintain quality control over documents process
Work in customer service department entering information into customer relationship management (CRM).
Develop highly empathetic client relationships and earn reputation for exceeding good customer service rep goals.

Customer service supervisor vs customer service representative skills

Common customer service supervisor skills

Strong Customer Service, 16%
Customer Care, 15%
Customer Support, 10%
Payroll, 4%
Customer Complaints, 4%
Front End, 4%

Common customer service representative skills

Cleanliness, 10%
POS, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Home Health, 5%

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Customer Service Supervisor
Customer Service Supervisor vs Customer Service Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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