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The differences between customer service supervisors and lead 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 lead 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 $36,097 average annual salary of a lead 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 lead customer service representative are cleanliness, cash handling, and inventory control.
| Customer Service Supervisor | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $38,792 | $36,097 |
| Hourly rate | $18.65 | $17.35 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 233,004 | 192,052 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
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.
A lead customer service representative is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to assist in daily operations and help with customer issues. Lead customer service representatives manage high-level customer complaints and provide immediate resolution and disputes. They implement strategies to ensure customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and achieve profitability goals. A lead customer service representative handles escalation and evaluates team member's performance. A lead customer service representative must have excellent communication and leadership skills to supervise the team and support the business' improvement plans.
Customer service supervisors and lead customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Service Supervisor | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Average salary | $38,792 | $36,097 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $53,000 | Between $22,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Goldsboro, NC |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | Schneider Electric Industrial Services | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a customer service supervisor and a lead customer service representative in terms of educational background:
| Customer Service Supervisor | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | - |
Here are the differences between customer service supervisors' and lead customer service representatives' demographics:
| Customer Service Supervisor | Lead Customer Service Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% | Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9% |
| 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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |